"In My Merry Oldsmobile" by Jean Goldkette

The Jean Goldkette Orchestra recorded "In My Merry Oldsmobile" in Victor's Camden, NJ recording studios on May 23, 1927. The record was privately distributed by General Motors at the 1927 Detroit Auto Show. Bill Challis wrote the arrangement for the band, which features cornetist Bix Beiderbecke freely improvising over the final 32 bar chorus of the song.

The record player is an Orthophonic Victrola model VE4-4X, or "Granada". The "E" in the model number indicates that the Victrola is fitted with a synchronous A/C motor instead of a wind-up motor. The machine has a full "orthophonic" playback system (for electrically-recorded records) including the special orthophonic sound box with a duralumin diaphragm and a folded exponential horn inside of the cabinet. Although the gigantic Credenza Victrola produced deeper bass, the Granada had the most accurate overall frequency response of all the acoustic Orthophonic Victrolas. The serial number indicates that this machine was probably manufactured in 1926.

I shoot my video with a Sony Digital 8 format camera. For audio, I use a Shure SM-57 microphone on a stand placed about 4 feet in front of the Victrola horn. I use "soft tone" needles to keep from overloading the microphone. The mic is plugged directly into the video camera. The videos are edited with Windows Movie Maker. I use Sound Forge 9 to clean up the audio, but don't worry -- you're hearing the record exactly as the Victrola plays it!

For more great music, videos, and trivia from this era, please visit my website, http://www.virtualvictrola.com.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Merry
• Oldsmobile
• Detroit
• 1927
• Jean
• Goldkette
• Bix
• Beiderbecke
• jazz

[altoalto1]

As a recordcollector i'm looking for this 78 rpm record for a few years now. Is it safe to use this kind of antique equipment?

[mlaprarie]

You generally have to buy rare items like this from professional record dealers. Occasionally they show up in auctions or on Ebay, however.

Yes, using a Victrola is a perfectly safe way to play an Orthophonic Victor record, as long as the turntable is in perfect working condition, the soundbox has been restored, and you use a new steel needle every time you play a record.

[CycolacFan]

Sound quality on this is incredible, I've got vinyl 40 years newer that doesn't sound half as clear.

[lukegeisz]

I hope you don't mind me using this audio in my history of cars presentation!

[1fornone]

I have a Victor Orthophonic "Granada" model just like yours. I'd love to get o copy of this record to play on it.

[OldsVistaCruiser]

I was at the Oldsmobile Homecoming car show in Lansing, MI on Father's Day weekend 2007 and they had about a half-dozen of those Curved-Dash Oldsmobiles, produced from 1901-07. The oldest one at the show was a 1903.

At the end of the show, they then rode around the show grounds in motorcade - UNDER THEIR OWN POWER! Impressive for cars over a century old.

I also saw an 1897 Olds at the R. E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing, as well as the last Olds ever built, a 2004 Alero.

[Arkady63]

Yes, that's the one.

Thanks very much!

Btw, judging by the name you use on this website, I'd think you were an Olds enthusiast? Well, the oldest car I've ever seen was when I was about 13 and it was in the parking lot, on display, at a gas station in Babylon, Long Island. It was a chain driven 1902 Oldsmobile. An open carriage and steered with a rod, not a steering wheel.

She was beautiful.

[OldsVistaCruiser]

It's called "In My Merry Oldsmobile", and it was done in 1932 by Max Fleischer Studios, the same cartoonists that did the early Popeye shorts.

[Atticus70]

The same song but Waltz. Not jazz relevant.

[1276epr]

what's on the flip side?

[mojoman4147]

Where on earth did you get this record from? Isn't it incredibly rare to obtain?

[Musicman543210]

im going nuts looking for a victrola like that.

and my uncle great uncle has been driving the same heap oldsmobile cutlass for 25 years and he'll proudly tell you its got 300,000 miles on it