A nice read about vinyl history and its path today.
The Brief Histories & Modern Journey of a Vinyl Record - The Brooklyn Rail
Steve Jobs was a vinylphile according to this article
vinyl records : NPR
The problem is that is lousy history and wrong.
Those discs cut in 1920 were was masters for producing shellac 78 rpm disc and NOT vinyl discs.
The first disc that I'm aware of, that is anything like a vinyl disc were the 16 inch
WW II Victory discs.
I have had a chance to examine a number of these discs up close. The discs are not breakable and you can bend them a little, but they are not as compliant as the vinyl discs we know. The grooves look closer spaced than the shellac 78 rpm groove, but not as fine as the LP microgroove.
I have not played these discs, as I do not have a 12" tone arm. I have never seen the equipment used to play these.
I was was sent some radio transcription discs cut at a radio station in the 1950s I believe, at a radio station in Fargo ND.
The discs appeared to be made of a similar compound to the Victory discs, may be a bit more compliant. They were 12" and I think 78 rpm. They were microgroove and needed to be played with an LP head. At least I assumed so. I have no idea of the Eq curve, and had to Eq them by ear. Most of these discs I understand were 16", but luckily the ones given to me to archive, were 12". I understand some of these discs were 10".
Apparently there were a number of these direct cut systems used by US radio stations. They were direct cut and used for delayed broadcast. I understand these systems were in use up to circa 1960. The tape recorder gained slower acceptance in the US than Europe. I have been able to find very little good information on these broadcast transcription discs.
They are mentioned here.
In any event I grew up in England, and the only broadcaster in the UK at that time was the BBC. The BBC I know were using tape, from my earliest memories. Believe it or not, but I have very clear memories of audio equipment I encountered, going back to the age of 3!
The modern 33 1/3 RPM microgroove LP as we know it was introduced, by Columbia records in the US in 1948. Decca soon followed in the UK. The EMI group a little later. However new shellac 78 rpm discs were still pressed at least in the UK well into the fifties.
The last new 78 rpm disc I purchased was in 1954 when I was 7, on the UK Columbia black label. part of the EMI group in the UK and not associated with US Columbia. It was a recording of the Polka and Fugue, from Schwanda the Bagpiper, by Jaromir Weinberger. It was purchased at Murdocks record store in Chatham Kent, long since out of business. I paid seven shillings and six pence for it.
Funny how I can remember all that better than last week.
Anyhow there is a corrected history for you.
