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Music

Journal ryanr's Journal: One of those poll things all the cool kids are doing 40

Journal by ryanr

So, I was playing around in Mr. Butcher's journal and I got to thinking...

What's the oldest piece of music on your favorite daily music playing device? (iPod mini for me.) It would have to be recording date, since I've got a bunch of classical interpretations (not by the original artists.) :)

Looks like the oldest in my regular playlist is "It's Not Unusual", Tom Jones. Google says 1965.

Heh.

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One of those poll things all the cool kids are doing More

One of those poll things all the cool kids are doing

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  • I suspect it is the Paul Whiteman Orchestra performing Rhapsody In Blue with George Gershwin on piano, recorded in 1924.

    With all of the old jazz, blues, rock, and pop I own over half of my music collection was probably recorded before 1968.
    • Wow, that's back there a ways. The oldest wax cylinders that Edison did are late 1800's, tight?
      • Wow, that's back there a ways. The oldest wax cylinders that Edison did are late 1800's, tight?

        Correct. The sound quality on almost anything recorded before the mid-20's is pretty poor though. Microphones and electronic amplification made a huge difference in recording quality. I have some recordings made in the late 20's that rival some of the best mono recordings of the 60's. Kind of amazing when you think about it considering the difference in availible technology.
  • I have the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs soundtrack on my iPod. That would be 1937.
    • You listen to that on a regular basis? ;)
      • Probably 10-20% of my iPod content consists of Disney soundtracks, Raffi, The Wiggles, etc. so whenever the kids want to hear something in the car, it'll be there.

        I am a big Disney fan though, so that's why we have the soundtracks in the first place...
        • Ah ha. Smart man. I need to arrange an iPod hookup in the cars, still. Once done, that's an excellent idea.

          Actually, I recently put an MP3 CD player in the van for the wife. I should make a kid's CD for her.
  • It would have to be recording date, since I've got a bunch of classical interpretations (not by the original artists.)

    And I was all excited I could say 1100 A.D.

    Based on the recording date, I'd have to say my collection of Glen Miller.
  • 1986, Computerwelt, by Kraftwerk.

    • Pfft. I was almost graduated from high school by then. Limited selection? What do you listen to music with, most of the time? (Besides your ears. :) )
  • Vault album, a "greatest hits" compilation 1980-1995.
  • Some Beatles stuff from the early '60s
    • I would have thought the Beatles would have been the oldest I have on there.. but all I've got on at the moment is Sgt. Pepper's, which is like 1968 or something, right?

      I have a couple of older things... A couple of Glen Miller recordings come to mind. Music pretty much starts with Rock and Roll for me, though.
      • If you like rock (and especially the Beatles) Chuck Berry's Chuck Berry is on Top (1959 Chess) is a must have.
        • You know, I've never been a big fan. But to be fair, I probably only know a handful of his songs from the radio. Mabeline, My Dingaling, Johnny B Good, etc..
          • You know, I've never been a big fan. But to be fair, I probably only know a handful of his songs from the radio. Mabeline, My Dingaling, Johnny B Good, etc..

            You probably won't like Chuck Berry is on Top then. It has Maybellene, Johnny B. Goode, Roll over Beethoven, and several of his other early hits.

            To each his own I guess. But how can you not like the guy that every rock guitarist stole his licks from and who wrote the songs that almost every rock band including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones cover
            • I'm spoiled. I've thought about this before... I started my interest in music with 80's metal. Say what you like, but there were some very technically proficient guitarists. Later when I investigated some of the roots, the older stuff always sounded overly simplistic.

              You hear about how groundbreaking "Pet Shop Sounds" or "Sgt. Pepper's" were, but I think you had to be there. I can't hear it at all. Even with Hendrix, he sounds sloppy to me. It took me a long time to appreciate his melodies, and then
              • You hear about how groundbreaking "Pet Shop Sounds" or "Sgt. Pepper's" were, but I think you had to be there. I can't hear it at all. Even with Hendrix, he sounds sloppy to me. It took me a long time to appreciate his melodies, and then usually through someone else performing it, or how it sounds in my head.

                I have to agree with you about Sgt. Pepper, Revolver or Rubber Soul are better albums anyway. The Beach Boy's Pet Sounds is nice for it's own merits but I don't see the groundbreaking part. Hendrix is
                • I like Clapton and Led Zeppelin very well. Well, there are many Clapton songs I don't particularly like, but that's true of any band. But he's a good guitar player, and I enjoy him for that reason. I like the majority of Zeppelins stuff.
  • I have a recording of the background radiation noise supposedly produced by the big bang I d/led from NASA on my computer at home. Does that count? :-)

    Just kidding I don't really have that, but you can imagine what it would be like if I did, huh, huh? NO YELLING ON THE BUS!

  • As I went through my faves I found these candidates:
    1. Cusader, Chris de Burgh, 1979
    2. Shadowplay, Joy Division, 1979

    But then I gave my head a shake, and asked "Not when did I first hear it, but when was it _available_?"

    Magic Man, Heart, 1975. I first heard it on a dbx record, which, aside from skips (which are user-preventable via careful handling, IMHO), had a mindblowing S/N. I still can't understand why CDs took over. My brother had the volume on his stereo at maximum (120W amp, 92dB/Wm speakers) an

    • What's a dbx record? Never heard of it.
      • dbx was an analog compression scheme - IIRC, amplify all signals below 0db, the lower the signal the greater the amplification, and attenuate all signals above 0db, the stronger the signal the greater the attenuation.
        It came out around the same time that CDs came out, and required extra processing of the master recordings before pressing (or extra processing during production), whereas CDs just needed playback of the masters. My guess is that record companies felt like hyping the product that would requir
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • I'm not a huge Chuck Berry fan, though the occasional Johhny B Good is acceptible. I don't recognize the others you mentioned. I mean, I know the song "Ain't Misbehavin", but never heard of Grapelli.
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • I may have to check out Pizzarelli. I like covers and new versions of songs. Says his recording deut was 1983, though. :)

          You're not into the old blues players like Blind Belly Lemon or whatever? :)
          • Comment removed based on user account deletion
          • You're not into the old blues players like Blind Belly Lemon or whatever?

            I think you mean Blind Lemon Jefferson or Leadbelly.

            And yes I'm into the old blues players. ;-)

            (FWIW an awful lot of the early blues players do seem to be called "Blind". Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind James Campbell, Blind Boy Fuller, etc.)
  • I've got some Alan Lomax recordings on mine...circa 1950...there's some old blues from the 20s and 30s floating around this place too.
    • What kind of music is Alan Lomax?
      • He did recordings of folk songs, ballads, hymnals, and the like from indigenous populations. I'd describe him as an audio-anthropologist, but most call him an ethnomusicologist. Pretty interesting stuff.
        • Interesting. So he's not performing the music himself, in these cases? Or his music is inspired or mixed with what he records?
          • Nope, in what I have he's just recording other people. He released a couple folk and bluegrass albums himself though, but I haven't heard them.

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