[78-L] French stuff esp. Chevalier

[.]

 When did Maurice start recording?  I have a few hill&dale Pathes of his, 
engraved labels & center-start, as I recall (got them at a phono show in 
1998 and haven't unpacked or played most of that van-load. Am I a Hoarder?) 
Also got a family's collection of Pathe and other French h&d discs - they 
emigrated to San Francisco, and bought all their beloved French music from 
the same dealer in SF - about 60 discs in a weird tin box.  I love to see 
intact family collections from long ago - you get a little glimpse of their 
lives.  A work-mate gave me a box from his great-grandparents, Germans who 
lived in a little cottage on Buffalo's East Side - lots of OKeH oom-pah 
bands, humorous songs in German (a couple of which DO sound funny, even 
though I understand little German!) and, of course, the OKeH Laughing 
Record - the first one I've found in really nice condition!

 A Columbia BQ came with about 100 cylinders, stored in Hudson's Bay whiskey 
crates!   All 2-minute wax cylinders, in beautiful condition even though 
they had endured decades in a stifling hot/freezing cold attic.  By the time 
the BQ was offered, Columbia had gone to Indestructible celluloid cylinders, 
so I assume that the family was buying marked-down, close-out records. 
Lots of goofy vaudeville sketches (Len Spencer, etc) and great band music. 
I got an el cheapo deal on that lot, mostly because the elbow from the 
reproducer to the tone-arm was missing.  I had no idea how to replace that, 
so the price came down from $600 to $350 rather easily.  When I opened the 
machine to clean & oil the works, what was laying in the bottom of the 
cabinet?  The elbow!

 My favorite machine & collection is a tabletop Pathe Reflex, which still 
had its original owner's 2 crates of discs, one of which was entirely 14" 
Opera overtures and symphonic stuff, mostly played by bands.  That owner's 
great niece had already sold a 3rd crate which contained several complete 
operas, so she said. I'd have killed to get that.  A great machine for 
demonstrations, because it is so LOUD you can hardly bear to be in the same 
room with it!  It's also kinda buried in shirts right now (too much junk in 
front of the closet door) so maybe I am a hoarder.

/endramble

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Williams" <jazzhunter at collector.org>
To: <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2011 3:44 PM
Subject: [78-L] French stuff esp. Chevalier


I don't usually get jealous; in collecting finding stuff is all part of the
game, but stumbling upon a stack of early Chevalier REALLY has my face
stinging!  That to me is like finding a stack of Lee Morse Pathes, maybe
worse. Oh well.  At least I did find a collection of HMV mid-30's Paul
Robesons at Bee-Bee's years ago.