Welcome to the Portable Gramophone Emporium! For all lovers of vintage 78rpm music, here you can enjoy hearing records played on the machines they would have originally been heard on - alongside memorabilia of the period!
May Fair records seem hard to find. Perhaps owners had smoked themselves to death to qualify for the gramophone. Wonder who actually made the machine & soundbox. Looking at mine, it seems good quality.
@@a.lil.bit.looney It has the No 14 motor. The Garrard No 20 motor & the No 14 are identical & will interchange ( as far as I'm aware the only difference is that the spring in the 20 is a bit longer )🙂
Just been listening to your May-Fair Paul & it's sounding great ! They're certainly a well made machine, fitted with a Garrard No 14 motor & a Swiss soundbox , they can pack quite a punch & are well worth having in your collection !😊
Not come across this one. The reference to the BBC suggests its a song of around the date of the record. Every Florrie Forde song I've met on Imperial has been a music hall revival.
To be honest Rowan there's so many I like, but probably my favourite one would be "The Wheel Of The Wagon Is Broken" which is a 9"Crown recording by Rossini's Accordeon Band which was the first record I possessed when I was a kid in the 1950s . It was a song about cowboys which was a subject that all small boys in the UK were crazy about in those days ! 🤠
Thanks Rowan ! This Decca is just a slightly later version of your machine , it has the same Meltrope soundbox & also the same Garrard No 20 motor the only difference being that it's an angled wind version . 🙂
Remembered the advert instantly! Those cornets do a grand job of sounding like bells. As for the gramophone, I believe it was a budget alternative to the 102. Soundbox diaphragm looks a bit different, but sounds great.
When I came across the record I had the same reaction remembering the advert ! You're correct about the gramophone Paul , it was the HMV 97 (a budget version of the 102 & there was also a Columbia badged version No 204) The soundbox is actually a Columbia 15A, the only difference being that the HMV version had their logo on the front cover of the soundbox ! 🙂
Thanks ! I was very lucky to find this gramophone which was as new in it's original box , It had an issue with the Collaro auto brake which no one seemed able to fix , fortunately I had previous experience with this problem & was able to fix it. Soon after this machine was built Decca replaced this particular brake with a far more reliable one . 🙂
Like the 1950's look, matched with a typical sound of the era. As I've said before, a good acoustic machine can sound every bit as good as an electric player.
I have this on 'Cinch' Final 2 verses on yours differ & are so funny! Billy Williams recorded his new songs on several labels, which would earn him more fees & prevent 'covers' Makes his discs easier to find & gives more variety, tho' probably helped work him to death! Thanks for sharing this version which is new to me.
In theory, this should be: "How not to sing a song" but he dares to do it & it works! I never miss a chance to have one of his records. Also like: Fancy Our Meeting. The One I'm Looking For, And Her Mother Came Too.
Other than my own, it's the first May-Fair portable I've seen. Learned that they & their records were obtained by collecting 'Ardrath' cigarette coupons. Would guess the gramophones are rare, as it would take much smoking to obtain one! As far as I know, the records are uncommon too. Do you know how long this promotion lasted & if it was successful? Also, wonder who made the parts. Certainly sounds like a quality machine, to rival the HMV 101.
That’s correct Paul , they were obtained from the Ardath tobacco company in exchange for cigarette coupons from around 1931-1933 , & were available in black , red & blue they also had their own record label & gave away May-Fair cameras too . The gramophones were quite well made & were fitted with Garrard motors. They turn up on Ebay fairly often but are usually not in very good condition. 🙂
I have this one & especially like the announced flipside. Good that you have a Crown catalogue in clean condition. Undestand that Mrs Jack Hylton's band was short lived & these two sides appear a bit dated for 1935, though its a style that I prefer.
@@radiogramgramophonetoons5802 If you take a gramophone from a warm room to a cold place or vice versa ( without letting the machine adjust to the temperature) , you run the risk of breaking a mainspring ! 🙁
