Saturday Morning, July 30, 2022
Melody Miracle
They laughed at Christopher Columbus when he said the world was round, they all laughed when Edison recorded sound...
Of all the miraculous inventions in our modern era, recorded sound ranks in the top tier. Voices. Events. Songs. All locked in time. Music production has been the greatest achievement of this medium. First cylinders, then records, today digital, all gifted immortality to those behind the microphone. And to those who listen? Pure enjoyment. A melody. A phrase. A riff. Cascading notes transporting us anywhere we want, anytime.
Vogue Picture Record, produced from 1946-47. Though this aristic concept was short-lived, 74 titles were produced.
This invention moved the 1920's blues clubs from New Orleans's Basin Street into parlors, symphonic concerts into living rooms. The emergence of the Big Band owed much to the recording industry. Nothing emphasizes this evolution better than the rise of Rock 'n Roll. Elvis Presley recorded his first song, That's All Right Mama, on a Thursday. The song played Saturday night on Memphis radio station WHBQ, and Sunday, Elvis rose to stardom. Wow! Powerful. Unprecedented. This Saturday we touch a gentleman who spent his life immersed in music and film. He broadcast for decades on WBCB, and could be found in many projection rooms in area movie theaters. His assemblage includes quite an unusual selection of items. And-a-ones, and-a-twos...
Piano solo sheet music, 1925. A spinoff of this era. The hit tune.
Radio broadcasting and recorded sound, a marriage made in heaven.
Roll Over Beethoven
Tell Tchaikovsky the news. Chuck Berry set the rock world on fire with this classic. The message was clear. A new age had arrived. Out with the old, in with the new? Irony has no equal. Beethoven, himself an outcast, living and dressing much like a hippy, drove his orchestral compositions with a tempo exceeding even Chuck Berry.
1926 The Orthophonic Victrola, VV-87 # 841.
How the European concert halls rocked. Even at a young age, Beethoven's piano concerts were a sellout. Then, composing symphony after symphony, concerto after concerto, his dynamism exploded. Today you would find him arranging for the Moody Blues, or charting with the Rolling Stones. In time, his reward was slowly going deaf. Though still he composed, mostly through frequency vibrations from playing his piano, sans legs, flat on the floor. Genius can never be denied.
Amperite PGAH microphone, ca. 1940
Play It Again Sam
Classical music. A form caught somewhere between your grandparents and societal circles. So many truly believe there is a chasm between that music and popular songs. Who listens to classical music? Well Virginia, let's measure the width of that ditch. Eric Carmen recorded heart rendering versions of the songs All By Myself and Never Gonna Fall in Love Again. His records sold millions. Sting recorded a song, Russians, a favorite among his loyal listeners. Creative. Captivating. Quite the productions. Of course they were. Their melodies were lifted right out of Russian symphonic composer Sergei Rachmaninoff's compositions, much from his priceless Second Symphony.
Technics 1506 four track reel-to-reel.
Could It Be Magic brought many listeners to tears each time Barry Manilow crooned this tune. The melody has entertained many. It should have. Prelude in C Minor was written by Frédéric Chopin in the first half of the nineteenth century. John Williams penned his infamous Star Wars soundtrack borrowing heavily from Gustav Holst's Planets, a symphonic composition first performed in 1914. Here's another Holst favorite. Black Sabbath written and recorded by Black Sabbath, following Holst's Mars note for note.
Autographs by famed crooner Eddie Cantor and America's Boyfriend actor Buddy Rogers.
The White Stripes stepped into the limelight with their hit Seven Nation Army. So too did the original composer, Austrian composer Anton Bruckner in his fifth symphony. Anton died in 1896. Bach is a magnet. Stairway to Heaven. Whiter Shade of Pale. The Doors intro to Light My Fire. Eminem's hit Brainless makes him another Bach disciple. Paul McCartney. Jethro Tull. Elton John trained as a classical pianist. Billy Joel loved and leaned on Beethoven. The Moonlight Sonata has birthed too many songs to list. Of course they all have relied on classical music. It is the work of geniuses. So, the answer Virginia? Everyone listens to classical music.
Same Old Story
Leonard Bernstein's production West Side Story includes a song, Somewhere. Now Bernstein was truly gifted. As street smart as, well, Officer Krupke. The first bars of this song include melodies from Beethoven, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky. Woven together by Bernstein's amazing brain, these melodies fit perfectly, advancing the song into eternity. Only a composer with advanced knowledge of classical music could make this work. The compilation includes Beethoven's Piano Concerto # 5, Strauss's Burlesque, and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. There is a good reason they are called classics. So, this Saturday, bring your dancing shoes. You are more than welcome even if you can't carry a tune in a basket, at least you can carry your lunch.
Signed Rudy Vallée record, noted by him - I don't recall making this.
Stardom. One big blur.
We gotta drive all night and do the show in Chicago, or Detroit, I don't know. We do so many shows in a row...
Jackson Browne, The Load Out.
Doors open at 8 AM. Auction starts at 9 AM PA AU 1265L [bb]