[78-L] Concrete Pathes

[Benno Häupl]

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Nicole Records of London, UK, produced records from 1903 to 1906 that had a core 
made of a mixture of cardboard (like papier maché) and pieces of wood, which were 
much larger than sawdust, looking more like pieces scraped off a plank. They must 
also have used some kind of resin to keep the platter rigid. 

In all kinds of literature about Nicole, authors only mention 'cardboard', but some 
members of the "Indian Records Collectors Society" had analyzed the matter used, 
and it seems that a high percentage of the mixture was in fact 'wood'. However, I do 
not know if this formula was used for all Nicole Records. 

This wood/cardboard core was rather thick - very much like Edisons. The core was 
covered with a celluloid-like layer into which the grooves and the label info were 
pressed. Later issues had regular (red) paper labels. 

I have an interesting Nicole 10-incher with traditional Indian bagpipe solos, recorded 
in Madras, where the 'bag' is not a goatskin, but a huge gourd.  

Benno
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