As a native French speaker, I didn’t actually find it creepy or weird at all. This song is literally French culture. This is actually a song that would put me to sleep. Every one knows this song here in Quebec, Canada. Actually, lots of people here consider Clair de Lune by Debussy a rip-off of Au-Clair de la Lune because of their similar names. Any way, I translated the lyrics from French to English just so it doesn’t sound like total gibberish: In the moonlight, my friend Pierrot. Lend me your pen, to write a text. My candle is dead, the fire is out. Open your door to me, for god’s sake. Under the moonlight Pierrot answered: “I have no pens I'm in my bed, go to the neighbour's house I believe she’ll be ok because in her kitchen there is a lighter.” Under the moonlight gentle Lubin knocks on the brunette's door, she answers suddenly “who knocks this way?” He then says: “open your door for me for God's sake.” It’s kind of a poem so it’s hard to translate but there it is!
Furthermore, the earliest known recording of a song is someone (probably, Scott de Martinville) singing 'Au-Clair de la Lune'. It was made in 1860, 17 years before Thomas Edison invented the tinfoil Phonograph.
I should imagine this is exactly how someone is going to feel when they play an Elton John Record,on a suitcase player,in 107 years time.....The Thought sends shivers down me spine !! ...Great Vid....Ade
I worked with one of Geraldine's descendants. Forty years ago I worked with a guy (last name Farrar) and I asked him one time if he was related to Geraldine Farrar. He said he was. I gave him one of her records.
Very interesting. My oldest record in my rather small collection of 500 Lps. is one of the first Columbia records issued in 1948. It is the Piano concerto in A Minor by Edward Grieg. Oscar Levant with the Philharmonic-symphony orchastra of New Yor conducted by Efrem Kurtz. Record No. ML4028 non.breakable. It belonged to my late father and believe it or not, it is in pristine condition and sounds very well. It just shows what I have always said: vinyl and shellac records are the ONLY eternal format. All others have a very limited life, no mstter how good you take care of them. Best wishes and greetings from Colombia.
May you play it on vinyl turntable as a backup. Because electric pickup has better frequency response and you can record it with your laptop. The record before 1918 is mechanical recording after that it is electrical assisted. So that all the musicians don't neet to squeeze them self Infront of a mechanical horn. Au Clair de Lune is actually the first song recorded. It was recorded on a paper by a French researcher in mid 1800, who use needle and ink. And in 2009 there are sound engineer recover the recorded sound from the paper.
This was so cool to see! I absolutely love old stuff like this. Also glad i found your channel, I'm just now getting into record collecting and your videos have been sooo helpful in learning about it!
The oldest "recording" known is that same song. It was recorded on paper in the 1860's and for years there was no way to play it back until someone figured out it could be read digitally and while it's more noise than sound, you can hear the voice that made the recording. The recorder was known as the Phonautograph and was patented in 1857. Here's a link to the video of it on youtube I found a few years ago. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--0H8Q4QD-cM.html
Nice! General rule of thumb: one play per side. In this era, the records were formulated to grind/shape the steel point to their unique selves. A second play is risky; a third, and you're trashing your record with a mini chisel, even if it feels sharp. If you play one record with a needle, and then play a different record with that same needle, record #2 is being trashed. Yes, this is much too fast. Move the regulator all the way toward you, and perhaps move it up slightly. Most antique phonograph collectors agree that you should wind up the spring with brake off, counter-intuitive as it may be. Also, if I may slightly contradict another comment, unless the machine is going to be stored for a long tiime, do NOT let the spring wind all the way down, just most of the way. Going from zero tension to complete tension is very hard on the spring, and you risk breakage.
Any spring driven device should be fully unwound if it is not going to be used all the time. The spring has probably lost some of it's tension from age although those old phonograph springs packed quite a wallop, but leaving it wound for a long time when not in use will cause the spring to take a set and lose even more of its tension. It doesn't matter if it is a phonograph, a large music box from that era or even a small music box in a jewelry case, if it runs on a spring and will not be used often let it fully unwind before you shut it down.
At a guess, I'd say this was record was recorded at about 70rpm or even lower. Try playing this at the optional X.75 speed available by clicking on the gearwheel symbol toward the lower right edge of this video.
Imagine if we had the conspiracy-theory loons of the 1970s and 1980s, listening to this backwards to see if it had 'satanic' lyrics..... I know, that sounds silly today, but it was a thing.
When i was very young my Grandparents used to have an old record player that played 78 RPM records, and i used to listen to them as a very little boy, i found them interesting at the time, and it is true that they can be haunting to listen to, for instance the single of Quentin's Theme from the summer of 1968 was composed to sound like an old Edison cylinder recording from 1897, if you remember the show Dark Shadows, that's where it was played most of the time, in the show's storyline, and it did have that haunting quality to it, if you listen to it.
This music was used as the theme song in the movie The Bad Seed. The little girl played it as her piano piece. This was a very fine movie,but very disturbing. 1950's black and white. John.
Fair sounding and very clean 78, with a sleeve type that I have yet to come across. Good video overall, and my oldest record I just got the other day for Christmas, it’s a Columbia disc record from 1901 with the title of “Back Yard Conversation (Between Two Irish-Washerwomen)”, a comedic recording, and interesting to own.
Crazy. Several years ago, I bought a Victrola and of ALL the records that could have been in it, I found a K.K.K. record. Yikes. Sold it a few weeks later for $75.00.
I'll be quite honest, the record did sound creepy, but it's history when you approach it that way, and it was of great interest in that historic sense, i mean think about it, the record was recorded 104 years ago, that is amazing and haunting at the same time.
My oldest records date to 1901. some pre-dog Victors and Climax Columbias and a brown wax concert cylinder (these cylinders are huge and I don’t have a player for it) also from 1901. It would be nice to have some 1890s recordings but I’m too cheap and can’t bring myself to pay more than $25-$30+ for just one record. Probably why I don’t have any Berliners, Zon-o-phones, Improved Johnson labels, Paramount blues, Black Swans, Black Patti, Early rock n roll 78s, ect.
I recall Au Clair de Lune was the first recorded song by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville on his test project 1860s but the recording wasn't heard till 2000s.
The cover mentions tungs tone needles which would put the cover as manufactured a 1926 or later. The label is called the “batwing” label which began in 1915. In 1913 the “band” label was used.
what's significant about 1913 is that that's the last year before they changed the design on the label, yours has the "Batwing" design that was used from 1914 to 1926, so is it possible this is a 1914 pressing of the record?
Before 1925 I read a lot of the Victor records ran at 76.59 rpm. Maybe try that speed and see how it sounds. Also if you can try an eq Turnover 629 and Rolloff -8 to -12 for turntable setups with a way to adjust it. Maybe it won`t be as scary sounding.
The label is a typical size for this era...you are more correct when you say they vary in size. I saw your video featuring a much later Red Seal record and made a similar statement about 78 rpm records having smaller labels. That smaller label was typical for records made in the 1940s and on. Yes, everyone here is correct about it running way too fast. Geraldine Farrar would have been a bit horrified by this, too.
I have many of these 100+ Victor Records in my collection...started collecting back in 1963...the thrift stores had shelf fulls of these vintage classics! Have the Victrolas to play them on as well. Played way too fast!!!! 78 RPM was the usual speed, Columbia records at 80 RPM.
The speed is making it sound like an old Asian recording lol. These Victor Red Seals are usually played around 77rpm. Also change the needle after each play / side. And when mentioning the vertical position of the reproducer, Pathe played with a sapphire ball stylus and Edison discs are played with a diamond stylus (no steel). Love the phonograph btw! Keep on spinnin!!
The record grooves will eventually wear out playing the record with an iron needle and such as heavy tone arm? And couldn't better sound come from a modern 78 player?
I collecting old recordings like this in my record collection some of them i have is from early 1900's i have one from 1901 which is one of my earliest recordings but I do like to listen to them i know there creepy but for my record collection I like them.
It's admittedly not a great recording, even by acoustic recording standards. I think it is a slower song really, and they may have been singing it up-tempo to try and fit it into the time available on the record. To be honest, I've heard better songs recorded on wax cylinders which are even older than this record. Thanks for sharing.
Do you have a full breakdown on different seal colors and their meanings. Red seal is classical. Is there a blue seal. Anything else that could indicate what type of music is on a record?
I used to work for a Goodwill store, and I ended up losing my job because I fished a record out of their dumpster. I was emptying trash when I noticed one of the old record 'albums' in there. I dug it out, and discovered several more shellac records. They had been thrown in the trash by the people who actually sort through the donations, so these were legitimately discarded. Anyway, according to Goodwill rules, that was a big no-no, and I got fired for it. No regrets, though. Turned out one of the records was from 1919. 'Til We Meet Again'. While not particularly 'valuable', there was no way I was going to let a century old record end up in the landfill. ACOUSTICALLY recorded, mind you. As in, no electronics at all. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-B2yxudF2Sa8.html Disclaimer: This is not my video, nor my individual record, but it IS the same tune and recording.
The record was going a bit too fast, try slowing it down it probably was playing at at least 80 or faster,slowing it down while playing you might see that it was going to fast
I didn't think this was scary at all. It sounds pleasant. Coincidentally, the 1st song (& one of the 1st ever recordings) ever recorded was Au-Clair de la Lune being sang by Edouard Leon Scott De Martinville. Very interesting. If you want something creepy sounding & old, early Edison Paraffin Wax Cylinders sound haunted & distorted.
Wasn't really horrifying it's just that it sounded like it could make up whether it was part of the Lollipop Guild or I think just the speed of your record player I think it is off or when they made the record they many have been a bit tipsy and ran the needle pressed too slow and that's why when you turn it to 78 speed it sounds like they are singing higher or faster. But that record does not horrify me. Daffy Duck horrifies me. That dude is vicious! Did you ever hear the way he talks! Demonic is all out get!
This record played TOO FAST, with Chipmunks kid record effect. On modern player set for 78. On vintage machine like this one look around turntable rim when moden player 33 45 78 control would be
These take 3 common forms: 1, A knurled knob when turned while playing record speeds or slows. 2, A clock type lever that Speed /Slows player looking like S-------F or -____+ or in foreign like Pathe letter of language meaning Slow Fast. 3, on high$ VICTORS there is an actual small "speedometer" that behind "glass" with a needle shows speed* set by a small knob below. *Some of these have just lines like / on dial, others numbers on some or most. Many have a (often faded) RED MARK at "official" 78 speed. Don't take markings too literal, wear makes inaccurate, kissy adjust while record playing. A few VICTORS, from European masters have play at 80 on label, also 8O rpm was Edison & Columbia speed, a reason why most machines had stepless adjustment, particularly because even if the werent like show machine for both lateral and vertical playing 3td party adapters were sold. Note also from 1904 to end of the acoustica era, cabinet VICTORS have clearance for 14" inch records AND 6O rpm speed controls to play them, even though made for only a year
One last comment, Stepless speed adjustment dual turntables are made today allowing Disco DJs to keep-the-beat when cross-fading from one turn table to the other, the DJ matches speed of 'incoming' disk to match BeatRate of outgoing disc. Pitch is affected, but in Disco Bray is top factor. Anyway after switch made, process repeated creating effect of one long song.
