YES! WE HAVE NO BANANAS 1927 Edisonic Beethoven Diamond Disc Phonograph

[RTilly12]

My uncle used to sing the "yes we have no bananas" part to me (i guess those were the only words he knew lol) and I always thought he made the song up until youtube suggested i watch this...you learn something new everyday :)

[PKamargo]

Yes, I do have this record! - Actually the only Edison Diamond Disc I have... lol.

[horarwgt]

The two-man Green Brothers Novelty Band did have five hits between 1920 and 1925 but this wasn't one of them. George Hamilton Green and Joe Green played xylophone, marimbas, vibraphone and drums.

[JCJasion]

Ahhh, but the original record itself was recorded acoustically in 1923.

[faqirsilki]

thnx - great

[tissueboxland]

This song is about a shortage of bananas in long island. Fun fact

[Edisonfans19]

I have always loved this tune. 

[hotsickle]

@Edisonfans19 yes! i have always loved it too !

[MsPeperonata]

I have this on a pianola roll, but alas nothing to play it on since 1974 when our pianola broke down and was scrapped. Great to hear the tune again!

[mj99a]

interesting... such a long intro before the vocals come in. the writers were sued (and lost) for plagiarizing handels hallelujah chorus. beautiful recording.

[sanfranphono]

@mj99a that's quite common for early dance songs, you only had one vocal chorus towards the end of the piece.

Thanks for the interesting tidbit, though who would sue for an 18th ctr haendel piece?

[mj99a]

@sanfranphono

western publishing company who owned the rights at that time sued the composers of YWHNB. i'm pretty sure that it was the first plagiarism suit involving recorded music.

google the suit involving the group "men at work", a 1930s folk song by a now deceased writer, and a greedy publishing company. not a pretty picture.

[1920sbuff]

@sanfranphono Nobody would for a Haendel piece; however instead of Handel I hear quotations from Michael Willam Balfe's I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls" from his 1843 opera "The Bohemian Girl". This was much more likely to be a copyrighted work.

[PALINDUP]

@1920s buff I think I hear "Bring back my Bonnie to me" in there too?

[MrXnews]

Nice one! The vocalist is George Wilton Ballard.

[sanfranphono]

@MrXnews Thanks for the info - really appreciate it.

[beadwindow]

Pisser! Love it.

[rupepill]

This is an ear opener indeed. Very good, clear recording quality. It's also a good indication of how well Edison's team managed to apply the relatively new electric recording process. Could someone tell me, please, just when the Edison recording studios switched from acoustic to electric, and was that across the board, or did Edison acoustics also continue to be made during the changeover period?

There must have been significant money invested in the established acoustic production process.

[sanfranphono]

@rupepill Hello sorry to mislead you, this is still an ACOUSTIC recording. I chose it because I think it sounds better than the few electrics I had. Late acoustic Edisons were very good indeed.

They made the cut-over to electric in 1927, it was a clean cut. All after the date were electric, though Blue Amberol cylinders were still acoustically dubbed from electric discs, and only the very latest BA were direct electric recordings (I believe electric dubs from discs)

[rupepill]

Even more astonishing then, this remarkably good quality of reproduction from an acoustic. I wonder, if electric recording had not come along, how much better acoustics might have become. Intriguing possibilities there.

Thank you for your very helpful and informative response to my question.

[sanfranphono]

@rupepill Nah, this is it. US companies were lagging behind in recording fidelity (that's the result when the whole market is only 3 companies), but by the early 20s, new companies entered, and acoustic recordings got very good. So US records from about 1921 to 1925 are the best that could be achieved in the US with the coustic process. Some late Brunswicks and Victors sound even more amazing.

[Zefrenm]

Epic! X-D

[TimBambiStalin]

Wonderful!

[hotsickle]

I hava a banana too...

[poplogan]

Outstanding! I had long thought of buying a trashed orthophonic that was for sale near here,and installing an Edison playback, as I have a fair number of E-DD ((electrical Diamond Disc's) and I notice distortion on my Brunswick and on an older DD machine. You have done a great job with both video's I have seen.

[marklouisjordan]

very nice!