[78-L] LYRIC Label by LYRAPHONE, Newark NJ.

Glenn Longwell glongwell at snet.net
Fri Dec 3 11:56:15 PST 2010


I have heard of Majestics being attempted on an Edison machine and the Edison won that battle and destroyed the Majestic.  

Schubert advertised just about every month they existed in Talking Machine World and never made any claims on how long they played.  They were to be used with a steel needle as it says on the record.  I have yet to come across a Schubert in my collecting of verticals.  If anyone has any to trade/sell I'd be interested.

Mozart was pressed by Rex and the Rex labels said to use Sapphire although the Mozart labels didn't say anything.  Maybe the sleeve did.  The Mozart advertisements do mention the use of a jewel ball and their phonographs claimed to play all type of records.

Lyric was advertised to use steel needles as it says on their sleeves.  No mention of how many threads to the inch but claims of 4 minutes and 45 seconds for a 10" record and 7 minutes for 12" record.

Glenn

--- On Fri, 12/3/10, Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com> wrote:

From: Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com>
Subject: Re: [78-L] LYRIC Label by LYRAPHONE, Newark NJ.
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Date: Friday, December 3, 2010, 2:05 PM

That note about 165 grooving is important because it proves that it is
not identical to Edison, which is why I described them as "similar" to
Edison grooving, I had assumed that they did not match Edison's 150
pitch which would discourage anyone from trying to play them on a
Diamond Disc machine.  But what type of needle were we supposed to use? 
Steel?  Jewel?   Brunswick did supply a pointed jewelled stylus with
their single-diaphragm models for playing Edisons.  I would never play a
Lyric on an acoustical machine so I've never tried, even on my
double-diaphragm Brunswicks which has a built-in reflex stylus
arrangement.  What about the similar vertical discs on labels like
Schubert or Mozart?  Anybody got some contemporary printed info?


Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [78-L] LYRIC Label by LYRAPHONE, Newark NJ.
From: Philip Carli <Philip_Carli at pittsford.monroe.edu>
Date: Fri, December 03, 2010 1:15 pm
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>

I think that's right for Marathon. They advertised a play length of 5-6
min/side for 10 inch and 7-8 min/side for 12 inch, and that's at ca.
76-77 rpm. I have one Marathon, a 10 inch of an Eli Hudson flute solo,
but I've loaned it to a friend and haven't got it at hand. Marathon made
great claims about performing orchestral pieces uncut and in original
instrumentation; their musical director was Walter Meyrowitz, who also
did some piano solos for the company (including at least one complete
Beethoven sonata on a 12" disc). The company also sold their own
Swiss-motored machines, including a rather lavish upright, and adapter
soundboxes for other makes. The records were available only from 1913 to
1915, and I believe the machines' availability was even shorter. I've
never seen one in the flesh.

Frank Andrews wrote a piece on Marathon (whose corporate name was The
National Gramophone Co.) many years ago; somewhere I have a copy of it
that I obtained from Syracuse about five years ago. I'll dig that up
too.

P Carli
________________________________________
From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com
[78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] On Behalf Of Glenn Longwell
[glongwell at snet.net]
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2010 12:35 PM
To: 78-L Mail List
Subject: Re: [78-L] LYRIC Label by LYRAPHONE, Newark NJ.

When Majestic advertised their records in Nov. 1916 they claimed 165
threads to the inch. Lyric never mentioned what theirs was that I can
find although I would guess it was similar. I wonder what Marathon used.

Glenn

--- On Fri, 12/3/10, Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com> wrote:

From: Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com>
Subject: Re: [78-L] LYRIC Label by LYRAPHONE, Newark NJ.
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Date: Friday, December 3, 2010, 12:38 AM

From: Dan Van Landingham <danvanlandingham at yahoo.com>

> What was the "Marathon-type" cutting process?

Narrow needle-type vertical grooving, similar to Edison vertical
grooving as opposed to Pathe Sapphire Ball grooving.

> I remember a Marathon
> Records label from the late '20s. It was the first 7 inch 78 I ever
> saw save the Golden Records issues of the late '40s and beyond.
> I recall they were pressed in yellow vinyl.

Little Golden records were 6-inches in diameter, not 7, and were pressed
in a form of Styrene, not vinyl.

> I own the 7 inch Marathon in 1964.

> By the way, did Decca do any test pressings on vinyl? I say this
> because I was listening to a HEP CD of the Chick Webb band and the
> final track,which had no title,was not issued before according to
> the li-ner notes. The arranger/composer credits went to alto and
> baritone saxist Edgar Sampson. This t-rack dates from early 1940
> and was an instrumental. The CD is called:Chick Webb-Strictly Jive
> on HEP 1063.The side was cut on 20 Mar 1940.

How does this relate to whether or not Decca did test pressings on
vinyl?

Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com


________________________________
From: Philip Carli <Philip_Carli at pittsford.monroe.edu>
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Thu, December 2, 2010 7:18:43 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] LYRIC Label by LYRAPHONE, Newark NJ.

My 12" Lyric of _William Tell_ gets the whole thing in, _uncut_, on 2
sides very
comfortably; good tempos and a well-recorded performance. It usually
takes 4 10"
or 12", even on the Diamond Disc version (that's 2, incidentally,
substantially
cut). That's why I think they used the Marathon-type grooving.

P Carli

>> ... in addition to the beautiful multicolor lithographed labels,
>> the recordings are sometimes extraordinary. The first one I got
>> has orchestral transcription of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in
>> C Sharp Minor and the Overture to Midsummer Night's Dream.
>> Both are wonderful recordings and run at least 5 minutes
>> each on the 10-inch sides. Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com

_______________________________________________
78-L mailing list
78-L at klickitat.78online.com
http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
_______________________________________________
78-L mailing list
78-L at klickitat.78online.com
http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l

This email message and any attachments may contain confidential
information. If you are not the intended recipient, you are prohibited
from using the information in any way, including but not limited to
disclosure of, copying, forwarding or acting in reliance on the
contents. If you have received this email by error, please immediately
notify me by return email and delete it from your email system. Thank
you.
_______________________________________________
78-L mailing list
78-L at klickitat.78online.com
http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l

_______________________________________________
78-L mailing list
78-L at klickitat.78online.com
http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l


More information about the 78-L mailing list