[78-L] Kids' record?

DAVID BURNHAM burnhamd at rogers.com
Fri Jun 8 10:01:56 PDT 2012


I have an interesting disc;  it's a 7 inch cardboard record, looks exactly like a children's record from the '40s but the material certainly doesn't look like kids' fare.  One side is "Battle Hymn of '48" sung by Paul Robeson, the lyrics are printed on the record and it's obviously a paraphrase of "Battle Hymn of the Republic".  The other side is "I've got a ballot", with a subtitle "There's Magic in that Ballot" and the picture is a cartoon of a crowd of angry people lined up beside a sign that says "To Voting Booths".  This is performed by Mike Loring.  Both sides are copyright People's Songs, Inc.  Finally there's a note saying, "Mfd. by Record Guild of America, Inc.   Brooklyn N.Y.", which, I believe, is the company which made all those children's records in the '40s.

This record looks to be in good condition but it is quite dirty.  The playing surface is in tact without any splits or ridges and there's no warping.  I would like to clean it but I don't think my Keith Monks machine is the tool for the job.  Does anyone have any ideas about cleaning these records?

Thanks!
db


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