All of us old record collectors have run into the problem of not being able to hear the brown wax cylinders we come across, whether they be our own records, or they're in another's collection. That cylinder that has a great selection with wonderful accompaniment but cannot be heard. We have all run into this problem. None of my brown wax cylinders have this problem, to where the mold on the cylinder is too much to hear the record. I know collectors whose brown waxes are very messy and hard to hear when played, which is unfortunate sometimes, as not all the brown wax cylinders found are really worth several listens. When you find a brown wax without a slip or anything, you just have to hope that it can start correctly and wait for an announcement. They can be a real adventure when you find a mot of them in a box or crate somewhere. I found my first three brown wax cylinders in a box where one of my collector friends gave me first "dibs" on what I wanted. I took all the brown wax cylinders in the box, not caring whether they were moldy or not, and when I was paying for them, I found that they were all clear as a bell, with only tiny speckles of mold on one of them. It did cost me 75 dollars for the five of them though! Only because they were in such good condition, and that they came in the original boxes with record slips.
I got this brown wax in that mot I spoke of. I have showcased this brown wax before on this blog, but it's a perfect example of a well-cared for brown wax cylinder. It has George P. Watson on it(seen below) singing "Emmett's Lullaby" with Fred Hylands on the piano behind him, recorded in early 1898.
I just love that hair!
It's a wonderful cylinder, that I genuinely enjoyed listening to through the rubber eartubes of an Edison phonograph from 1899. I had to mess with the speed a little bit(of course!) but when I got it going, it sounded fantastic. It wasn't loud necessarily, but it was still a wonder to hear. I would now recommend using the old rubber eartubes of the period to hear these brown wax cylinders, or if you can, a very large horn. I have always found that the bigger the horn used, the better. The smaller horns just sound small and tin-like. The larger horns get the full sound of the cylinder, and the greater range most of the time.
These brown wax cylinders are really a mixed bag, they're either in perfect condition, a little moldy, or they're unplayable.
This first cylinder I would like to showcase is an amazing example of early recorded band Rag-Time. This was recorded for Columbia by the Sousa Band(with one of the Spencer's doing sound effects probably) in 1897, the first year of official "Rag Time" to the masses.
Skip to 1:40 for the music to begin:
That cylinder has some bad mold on it. This is exactly what I'm talking about, it's an amazing selection that could be studied by Rag-Time geeks and record geeks all the same, but the mold on it effects the quality greatly. At least it's played on a very high grade machine with a very fancy (and large)wooden horn. The wooden horns were always a good idea, and they are oftentimes highly desired by collectors now for their craftsmanship and sound quality.
The brown wax concert cylinders were the best sounding of their kind however. When played on a concert machine, they can be superior to any of the other brown wax cylinders. They were made to be loud and clear, and how that was achieved in their making. Here are two concert cylinders, one played on the original machine, and the other played electrically:
from 1900:
Well done Rag-Time Hylands! I love his accompaniment on this one!
from 1898:
Again with Hylands' accompaniment! The long and slow solo at the end is really interesting.
This next one I have used several times on this blog, but it is a perfect example of a loud and clear brown wax concert cylinder. This is just a fantastic cylinder that I absolutely love. Here you go:
It's a great one by Will F. Denny and Fred Hylands that shows off the two of them very well. It showcases Denny's dynamic comedy and Hylands' interesting accompaniments, even with his signature "Rag-Time" at the end, as said in the section below:
"Mr. Hyland's[typo] rag-time piano accompaniments,..."
Yes indeed Mr. Hunting, that is exactly what we hear from your dear Indiana pianist. He never failed to disappoint. The fact that that is even noted specifically in his short bio is pretty extraordinary. It's so early on in his term there also.
This next one is not a concert cylinder, but it's another great collaboration between Hylands and Denny from 1898. this one is not exactly Ragged like the last one, but it's still classic Hylands:
The solo at the end is interesting. It's not Ragged, but it's very close. It's still a fun song with a very catchy melody. It was a very popular song the year in and after it was composed, with Denny mostly recording it more than his fellows in the studios.
So to stay on this Denny and Hylands pattern, this next one is also has the same status as the other ones, recorded in 1898, for Columbia, with Hylands doing an interesting solo at the end. The song itself is very funny as well:
Hylands is easy with the Rag-Time at the end on this one. It's not wild and scattered like on this classic by Billy Golden:
I still love this cylinder, even if the piano is near impossible to understand.
It's the hallmark of Hylands' tricks and abilities, showing off everything that he did best behind the singers. The one before this with Denny is a calmer and easier example of Hylands' playing, that he stayed with the singer, and he did a little of what he wanted at the end, it's perfectly balanced.
These next examples are two completely different takes of the same song. The first one is by Collins and Natus:
I have a collector friend who prefers Collins and Natus over Collins and Harlan, but for a good reason. He says that he and Natus just seemed to blend better and have an easier sound when they sang together. They were a great duo, even if it didn't really last an entire year.
Here you go from 1901 on a brown wax concert cylinder:
(click on the "real" icon for the music!)
Yep, that's Banta behind them alright.
This is played a little bit too slow though. It's still a very clear and good cylinder, a good example of Collins and Natus.
This next one is the only disc that I will have on this post, and it's by very early Collins and Harlan. I don't think I have shared this one before, as it's a very unusual one for them, and it's topped off with Harlan's old Chicago friend Fred Hylands:
Ha! Hylands is almost louder than them!
That's always entertaining to hear. Those bass notes are very audible and powerful on this one, so it really gets you a full spectrum of how Hylands played. Only because the bass notes are not very well heard.
I hope you enjoyed this!
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