Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Transcription Mystery Disc #4


This is a worst-case scenario. Nothing makes an acetate harder to play then alligatoring. The fine cracks allow humidity to reach the paper core which then swells. That widens those gaps causing the acetate to crest high ahead of and behind each gap as they crisscross the grooves. This unavoidably causes some skating.It's pretty infuriating actually.

This is a recording of two girls singing harmony. It's dated August 4th 1951. The date fits into my previous work on the labelography. The text below it says "Ocean Beach" which could be the one in New Jersey or the one in Connecticut. Both have boardwalks that might have had Voice-O-Graph machines in that era.

Ocean Beach Unknown


I have not identified the song but haven't quite given up yet. the melody strikes me as familiar. But that's as far as I go. The remaining text is illegible.. so their names are still unknown.  I hate cursive.

**********UPDATE**********
I have been informed that Ocean Beach had a voice-o-graph booth in the 1950s.  An eye-witness informs me "In fact there was a self recording booth at Ocean Beach in New London, CT.  I remember it.  I was not there enough to know when it was put in & taken out but it was there in the Arcade in the 50's"

2 comments:

  1. Sweet Violets? By Barb and...Lu? Dunno. That's all I got.

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  2. well you figured out more than me!
    I post a new acetate each Tuesday night. Thankfully most of them sound better than this one.

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