“The Tale of the Bumble Bee” by Harry Macdonough 1901

[melvind]

Victor 908 seven inch record. Announced. Recorded October 30, 1901.

 

For a Victor 7 inch record from 1901 it is in amazing condition. Most records I have encountered from this time period will barely play. This one plays fine all the way through. As you will hear the speed of this recording is very inconsistent. I assume the lathe was not running at a constant speed as it was recorded. Also, the record is a little bit out of round from the center hole which makes the stylus move back and forth a bit especially toward the end. You will definitely hear these defects. But, both the announcement and the singing every word is clear as can be.

 

The DAHR database shows something about this record I do not understand. Perhaps one of you will know what it means. It shows two versions recorded on 7 inch records a few months apart. Both have the note that they were "returned"  with a date and a record count. Is that the dates they were pulled from the catalog or something?

 

https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/100000917/Pre-matrix_A-908-The_tale_of_the_bumble_bee