[78-L] Why Do You Care About 78's?

[J. E. Knox]

Greetings from RojoLand!

Dave King wrote:

> If you have time, please tell the group:
> 
> —>  How did you first get interested in 78’s?

When I was seven years old I was given a small acoustic phono (motor-driven turntable but no amp) and a few records. Somewhere around here I've got a photo of me listening to it. I'll always remember one of the records — red Columbia label, don't recall the artist, but the tune was the Toreador Song from "Carmen." There was also "A-B-C Fun" on the RCA Victor children's-series blue label (I've got an earlier, yellow-label issue of that now). Three or four years later, that phono and those records were long gone, but I "discovered" big-band music of the 1930s-'40s via a local radio program, realized those recordings were originally on 78s, and so it began for me.

> —>  What is it about 78’s that makes you continue to care about them?

As others have said already, it's the music they contain. Lots of stuff originally issued on 78s has not been reissued on other media, so it's the 78s or nothing. I too have discographical interest (and a bit of philatelic interest as well — label variations are a curiosity to me). Indeed, I'm not "The Victor Freak" for nothing!

Take care,
—
J. E. Knox "The Victor Freak"