| THE
RECORDS - EDISON DIAMOND DISCS
RECORD
CONDITION CODES
c5
- mint, no scratches, rarely played
c4
- excellent, few if any scatches
c3
- reasonable, normal wear as expected
c2
- poor, but playable
c1
- badly worn, many scratches, maybe damaged (indicated)
Also:
s
- scanned label, most likely illustrated in specific label section.
EDISON
DIAMOND DISC
‘Heavy
duty' one quarter inch thick 9 3/4 inch discs, played at 80 rpm. They were
made of a a plastic called ‘Condensite' which, it was claimed, was resistant
to warping. Recording was with the ‘hill and dale' process.
You
will note that some discs do not record the artists name - see E002, E006,
E008 for example. It appears that because of ‘bitter competition' between
the recording companies, where contracts were prevelent, Edison was cautious
not to enter into any litigation. He wrote the following memo to the Phonograph
Managment Committee, "We put no names on the disc.On the other hand in
our catalog we only give names to tunes that are especially good and which
I myself will indicate. All common or indifferent records will give no
names anywhere. I have excellent reasons for doing this which the Committee
hasn't caught on to."
For
illustrations of the label types, see Labels
page.
EDISON.
LABEL TYPE (A)
Label
details are etched directly into the ‘wax'. This makes the item details
hard to read - need to angle the record into the light. On the left of
the spindle hole, shows a photographic portrait of Thomas Edison (either
that or its Wallace Berry as Pancho Villa!!), which is seen as a negative
when viewed at an angle. Edison's signature is on the right of the spindle
hole, above the words, ‘A Product of the Edison Laboratories'. There is
a catalog number below the word EDISON below the spindle hole. There
are three dimples equidistant on the perimeter of the label.
EDISON.
LABEL TYPE (B).
Label
details are etched directly into the ‘wax'.This makes the item details
hard to read - need to angle the record into the light. Shows a photographic
portrait of Thomas Edison, but differs from Label Type A in that Edison
is better groomed and dressed and is presented within a shield border.
On the right of the spindle hole is another shiled with the wiords, ‘This
patented record is sold by Thomas A. Edison Inc., Orange, N.J., subject
to restrictions printed on container in which it is put out by this Company'.
Thomas Edison's signature is now below the word EDISON below the spindle
hole. Surpisingly, there is no record (catalog) number on the label, nor
matrix (recorded) number although there is a number hand written, etched
or stamped, just outside on the edge of the label. On one item, a small
‘A7' was etched on the label on just the one side, under Edison's signature
- probably a catalog number; also, number 80803 stamped into the outer
rim and indentation filled in white. There are three dimples equidistant
on the perimeter of the label.
EDISON
RE-CREATION. LABEL TYPE (C).
Label
is paper, black text on white, with part white text and motif on black.
At least these could be read easily.
The
image of Edison is a drawing, and as for the Type A photo, appears that
his head and shoulders are coming out of a cooking pot. This is now on
the right of the spindle hole. On the left of the spindle hole is Edison's
signature above the words, ‘A Product of the Edison Laboratories'. On the
lower perimeter of a circle is ‘Price $1.00 in the U.S.A.' On the outer
label rim, at the top, is the text ‘INDEX No.' wiith space for a number.
Caralog number iss just below the spindle hole - and is suffixed with an
‘L' or ‘R'. Could this mean ‘left' and ‘right', and if so for what purpose.
There is a recording number on the bottom outer rim of the label.
There are no dimples in the label area as for Types A and B. There is a
red five-pointed star overprinted on some labels.
EDISON
RECORD. LABEL TYPE (D)
Identical
to Type C except that the label is ‘headed' EDISON RECORD, and the price
has been removed from the label and replaced with ‘Made in U.S.A'.
EDISON
RECORD. LABEL TYPE (E)
Identical
to Type D, except that there is no text where ‘Made in U.S.A.' was located.
E001
c3 EDISON - TYPE (A)
80603-L
(6334). LITTLE MOTHER OF MINE (H.T.Burleigh). Thomas Chalmers.
Baritone with Orchestra.
80603-R
(5978) MY DREAMS (Tosti). Ralph Errolle. Tenor with Orchestra.
E002
c3 EDISON - TYPE (B)
2522-B-12-6.
A PERFECT DAY (Carrie Jacobs, Bond). Mixed voices with Orchestra. Metropolitan
Quartet.
2455-B-11-19.
SOMEWHERE A VOICE IS CALLING (Arthur F. Tate)
Soprano
and Baritone With Orchestra . Elizabeth Spencer and Vernon Archibald.
E003
sc3 EDISON RE-CREATION - TYPE (C)
51027-L
(8521) FIFTH NOCTURNE (J.Leybach). Piano Solo, Victor Young.
51027-R
(8520) VALSE CAPRICE (R.A.Newland). Ibid.
E004
sc3 EDISON RECORD - TYPE (D).
51770-L
(11018) WHEN THE RED, RED ROBIN COMES BOB, BOB, BOBBIN' ALONG (Harry Woods)
Frank
Braidwod (The Cowboy Baritone). Irwin Dash at the Piano.
51770-R
(11017) IT'S TOO LATEE TO BE SORRY NOW (Joe Verges, Henri Therrian &
Irwin LaClaire.) Ibid.
E005
c3 EDISON RECORD - TYPE (D)
51322-L
(9423). WHAT DOES THE PUSSY CAT MEAN WHEN SHE SAYS ‘ME-OW'? (Harry
Pease, N.T.Granlund, Ed. G.Nelson). Tenor and Baritone. Billy Jones
and Ernest Hare.
51322-R
(9415). ME NO SPEAK-A GOOD ENGLISH (Harry Pease, Ed. G. Nelson, Moe Schenck).
Ibid.
E006
c3 EDISON - TYPE (A)
50525-L
(6631-C-13). BRING BACK THOSE WONDERFUL DAYS (Nat Vincent).
Baritone
with Orchestra. Arthur Fields.
50525-R
(6607-C-115). JOHNNY'S IN TOWN (Jack Yellen). Baritone and chorus
with Orchestra. Arthur Fields.
E007
c3 EDISON RECORD - TYPE (E)
51362-l
(9575). I'LL KEEP ON DREAMING (Until My Dreams All Come True) ( Ernest
Cutting, Harry Archer)
Fox
Trot and Song
Fox
Trot by the Merry Sparklers. Song by George Wilton Smith.
51362-R
(9581) YOU'LL NEVER GET TO HEAVEN WITH THOSE EYES. (James V.Monaco)
Fox
Trot and Song. Fox Trot by Atlantic Dance Orchestra. Song by Billy Jones.
E008
c4 EDISON RE-CREATION - TYPE (C)
82258-L
(5547). PILGRIM'S SPNG (P.Tschaikowsky). Bass with Orchestra.
Henri Scott.
82258-R
(8040) AVE MARIA (Schubert)
Soprano
Solo. Marie Rappolo. Violin Obbligato by Albert Spalding. Pianoforte by
Robert Gayler.
E009
c3 EDISON RECORD - TYPE (D)
51339-L
(9456). SAXARELLA (Rudy Wiedoeft). Saxophone Solo by Rudy Wiedoeft.
51339-R
(9455) VALSE VANITE (Rudy Wiedoeft). Ibid.
E010
c3 EDISON RECORD - TYPE (D)
51506-L.
ROSE MARIE (Otto Harbach, Oscra Hammerstein II, Rudolf Frimi). From
‘Rose Marie'.
Tenor.
Walter Scanlan.
51506-R.
ALL ALONE (Irving Berlin). Ibid.
E011
c3 EDISON RECORD - TYPE (D)
51457-L.
TELL HER IN THE SPRINGTIME (Irving Berlin). Fox Trot and Song from
‘Music Box Revue 1925'.
Fox
Trot by Broadway Dance Orchestra. Song by Charles Hart.
51457-R.
INDIAN LOVE CALL (Otto Harbach, Oscra Hammerstein II, Rudolf Frimi).
Ibid.
E012
c3 EDISON - TYPE (B)
50638-L
(7031-C-5-15). SAHARA (Jean Schwatz). Tenor with Orchestra. Bill
Murray.
50638-R
(7030-C-2-5). YOU'D BE SURPRISED (Irving Berlin). Ibid.
E013
c3+ EDISON RECORD - TYPE (D)
51087-L
(8653). WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER (Victor Herbert). Baritone
and Soprano. J. Harold Murray and Elizabeth Spencer.
51087-R
(8654). THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING (Julian Robiedo). Soprano and
Tenor. Elizabeth Spencer and Charles Hart.
E014
c4 EDISON RECORD - TYPE (D)
51365-L
(9583). I'M GONNA BRING A WATER-MELON (TO MY GIRL TONIGHT) (Con Conrad).
Billy
Jones and Ernest Hare.
51365-R
(9577) WHAT HAS BECOME OF HINKY PINKY PARLAY VOO (Al Dubin, Irving Mills,
Jimmy McHugh, amd Irwin Dash). Al Bernard and Chorus.
E015
c4 EDISON RECORD - TYPE (D)
51037-L
(1575). LOVE SENDS A LITTLE GIFT OF ROSES (Openshaw, Bennet)
Ernest
L. Steven's Trio. Saxophone, Banjo, Piano. Thrall, Herbaat and Stevens.
Assisted by John Sorin.
51037-R
(1576). HOT LIPS (Busse, Lange, Davis). Ibid. Chinese Block
Interpolation by John Sorin.
E016
c4 EDISON RECORD - TYPE (E)
51274-L
(9239). YOU BETTER KEEP BABYING BABY (OR BABY'S GONNA BYE-BYE YOU)
(William
Tracey, Jack Stanley). Green Bros. Novelty Band.
51274-R
(9244) JUST ONE MORE KISS (Leon Berger). Fox Trot. Henry Lange's
Parisian Dance Orchestra.
E017
c3+ EDISON RECORD - TYPE (E)
51540-L
(10309) WHEN YOU AND I WERE SEVENTEEN (Gus Kahn, Chas. Resoff)
Waltz
and Song. Waltz played by Polla's Clover Gardens Orchestra. Song by Charles
Hart.
51540-R
(10308) MOONLIGHT AND ROSES (BRING MEM'RIES OF YOU) (Ben Black, Neil Meret)
Fox
Trot played by Polla's Clover Gardens Orchestra. Song by Helen Clark and
Joseph Phillips.
E018
c2 EDISON - TYPE (B)
A7
(4150-A-6-63). SERENADE (Schubert). Tenor with Orchestra. Burton
Lenihan.
(4321-C-6-64).
THE BELLS OF LEE (Stephen Adams). Contralto with Orchestra. Helen Clark.
[Note:
Tiny catalog number (A7) on one side only under Edison's signature. Also,
number 80803 stamped into the outer rim and indentation filled in white.]
E019
c3 EDISON RECORD - TYPE (E)
80816-L
(10695) SOMETIME (Gus Kahn, Ted Florito). Whistling, violin, piano and
celesta. Sibyl Sanderson and Fagan Ensemble.
80861-R
(10694) HONEYMOON WALTZ (Ray Sherwood, Victor Arden). Ibid.
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