Fred Gaisberg and his brother Will had been sebt to Milan in early 1902 to try to entice the superstar opera singer Enrico Caruso. When he was playing hard to get the brothers headed to Rome with the hope of recording the Pope. That proved impossible but they did get to record the last castratoContinue reading “When Fred Gaisberg set the Vatican on fire”
Category Archives: RECORDINGS
Episode 3 of our podcast is published today – recording nineteenth comedy, pornographic and propaganda records
In the early days of recorded sound, no one can quite figure out the purpose of gramophones. Are they serious bits of kit for replicating music or are they toys? Should gramophone discs play music or comedy or something else entirely? One man trying to work out this conundrum is an American actor called RussellContinue reading “Episode 3 of our podcast is published today – recording nineteenth comedy, pornographic and propaganda records”
Actual record taken on the front line, France, near Lille, 9th October 1918
In honour of all those who lost their lives in the First World War. Actual record taken on the front line, France, near Lille – 9th October 1918. • Recording: Gas shell bombardment • Royal Garrison Artillery • Record: HMV 09308 • Company: The Gramophone Company • Location: Lille, near France • Date of recording:Continue reading “Actual record taken on the front line, France, near Lille, 9th October 1918”
Inventor of Stereo Sound Alan Dower Blumlein to be Honoured with Posthumous Grammy®
Pioneering British Engineer and Inventor of Stereo, Alan Dower Blumlein to be Posthumously Honoured with the Recording Academy® Technical Grammy® Award The ground-breaking work of British engineer Alan Dower Blumlein, inventor of stereo sound recording, is to be posthumously honoured by The Recording Academy® with the Technical Grammy® award at a special ceremony to be heldContinue reading “Inventor of Stereo Sound Alan Dower Blumlein to be Honoured with Posthumous Grammy®”
Mystery Object of the week #13 Answer
A hearty Christmas congratulations to Catherine Crump and Rob de Bie who correctly identified last weeks’ mystery object – The Ivor Novello Award also known as The Ivors. Named after the Cardiff – born entertainer Ivor Novello these have been presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) since 1955. This award was presented to EMI RecordsContinue reading “Mystery Object of the week #13 Answer”
Mystery Object of the week #12 Answer
Congratulations to Rob de Bie, Rolf Christian Holth Olsen and David James who correctly identified this weeks mystery object – Mae Starr by Universal Talking Toys Company – U.S.A, 1930. Mae Starr was made by the Universal Talking Toys Co., and uses the Averill Manufacturing Company’s cylinder phonograph motor. The cylinder mechanism is housed in a well constructedContinue reading “Mystery Object of the week #12 Answer”
Mystery Object of the week #11 Answer
Congratulations to Martyn Dowel, Rolf Christian Holth Olsen and Robert Spencer who all correctly identified this weeks mystery object – The Auxetophone designed by the British engineer Sir Charles Parsons. The Auxetophone was perhaps the most effective attempt, prior to the development of electrical amplification in the 1920’s, of increasing volume. Invented in 1904, it used air pressureContinue reading “Mystery Object of the week #11 Answer”
Mystery Object of the week #10 Answer
Congratulations to Rolf Christian Holth Olsen who correctly identify this weeks mystery object – The Lioretograph Model 2 phonogragh – created by the Parisian watchmaker Henri Lioret in 1898. This particular model – The Lioretograph Model 2 – came in a fitted case dating from 1899/1900. Lioret used his watchmaker’s knowledge to create a machine with a curious mixture of high-class clock workContinue reading “Mystery Object of the week #10 Answer”
EMI are taking a trip down memory lane at Hayes Old Vinyl Factory
EMI are inviting former employees at the Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes, to come back and share their memories of the iconic site. The factory was a major employer for the town and produced records by some of the world’s best-known artists, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Cliff Richard. The reunion will takeContinue reading “EMI are taking a trip down memory lane at Hayes Old Vinyl Factory”
Rare Recordings – From The EMI Vaults #2
Moo! Baa! Oink! Quack! or Happy New Year! We are proud to present another rare recording uncovered by our friends from the EMI Archive Trust. 118 years ago Trevor Lloyd Williams, legal eagle and first Chairman of The Gramophone Company, stepped into the newly established Maiden Lane studio to record his famous party piece of farmyard animal sounds! The resultContinue reading “Rare Recordings – From The EMI Vaults #2”
Sound Of The Hound 