Snake Hips (Original Memphis Five, 3-22-1923)

An original wind-up 'Dulcephone' gramophone from around 1910 playing the hot jazz tune 'Snake Hips' by the Original Memphis Five. This was really just a first test to see how well my camera would capture sound & video hence the slight audio distortion (the gramophone was too loud for the crappy condensor microphone to handle!). The speed of the motor is also a little unstable due to a slightly out of alignment govenor weight. The record is the original Victor pressing from 1923.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Gramophone
• Phonograph
• Jazz
• Original
• Memphis
• Five
• 78rpm
• Victor
• Record

[bugsycline]

I hope you don't play that wonderful record too much with that big huge heavy needle.

nothing turns a 78 white qicker!

[Angry5000]

Don't worry, I don't often play my nicer 78s on the wind-up machines (I save the worn out and common discs for that). However, as long as the record is acoustically recorded (i.e. has a limited frequency response and relatively small groove excursion compared to electrically recorded discs) and the soundbox has been properly adjusted and restored with new gaskets, groove wear can be considerably reduced.

I still wouldn't play any of my King Oliver 78s on a heavy soundbox though!

[Squarerig]

I find no fault with either sound ro vsiuals.On the contrary,I am grateful for every old jazz contribution.Thanks.

[Angry5000]

Thankyou for your kind comments! I too love early jazz music - the period between the late 1910s and the late 1920s saw some of the best music ever recorded, IMO. I would have loved to have been able to hear some of these wonderful bands in person!

I will be putting some more videos up at some point in the near future, again featuring 20s jazz records played on authentic machines, so watch out for those!

[gmmix]

Great sound. You should have no concerns in this regard. Your videocam does exceptionally well.  Thanks for this posting.

[Angry5000]

You're welcome! Thanks for your kind comment & I'm glad you enjoyed the video! It's been a while since I posted this one but I'll probably be making some more in the coming months using both this machine and my other gramophone (a papier-mache horned Parlophone).

[1926VictorCredenza]

Awesome little machine you have there! Just the way that record was meant to be listened to. Good job!

[djoutrage18]

I must say I'm guilty of playing my rarer records on the acoustic gramophone, mainly for the sound, it's just so much clearer! It's not warn anything out or made any of them worse though.

a couple of weeks ago i picked up a really battered coppy of last night on the back pawch by these guys, with walk jenny walk on the other side, it skips a couple of times but man does it sound great!

[dumowska]

Great !!!!

[xyrtle]

How cool to find your video! Sound isn't as bad as you think--sounds fine to me. Coincidentally, I just played my 78 of this one last night. LOVE IT! Could just imagine the flappers and their beaus dancing their pumps off!

[bugsycline]

! I must say it's nice to know that I'm not the only person alive that still collects,plays and enjoys 78's...

click on my name bugsycline and see my video about the proper way to store these fine peices of schlack!