OFF is becoming real life

[Stiffy]

OK so I'm begining to thing my real life is begining to get absorbed by OFF...

 

 

While rummaging through some old 78rpm gramophone records in a local charity shop i saw that there was a broken one at the bottom of the box... I gave the confused shop assistance 50p for it an went on my way!

 

 

 

 

 

But why do i need a broken record I hear you ask!

 

Because it is Adagio for Strings!

 

 

 

 

For those who don't realise Adagio for strings is the secondary theme music in OFF... the mournfull classical one.

 

And here it is on a record using more or less WW1 technology! Although this record is most likely from the 40s the only difference in WW1 would be the type of microphones used to create the original recording.

 

So the music from OFF.... as it would have been heard by a WW1 pilot.... couldn't resist bying it!

 

Now here comes the tricky bit....

 

 

Although I can play 78s on this little number from my collection...

 

 

 

 

 

....the record is clearly in two pieces.

 

So I need to repair it! and try to minimise the clicking from the crack once it is finished..... and then record it somehow to share with the OFF community.

 

Wouldn't it be cool to have a recording of this playing sometimes in the ambient background of an aerodrome?

 

 

 

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Edited January 1, 2010 by Stiffy

[Pappy55]

Nice piece of history there on that player..

 

My old man has litrally 1000's of LP's

[Von Paulus]

Great!

There are at least 3 versions of Adagio for strings.

That's the version conducted by Toscanini (in 1938?).

It was initially composed for a string quartet by Samuel Barber. I'm not sure if it was Toscanini who had the idea to take it to a full string orchestra.

Personally I prefer the choral transcription, called "Agnus Dei", it chills up my spine every time I listen.

So yes, that's a really historical LP and probably a historical recording.

Congratulations Stiffy.

Edited January 1, 2010 by Von Paulus

[ConradB]

Stiffy, what is the record made from? My grampa used to repair his old 78s from the 20s 30s and 40s if they broke. Also, is it a thin or thick disc? The thinker ones mend easier and hold up better.

[Pappy55]

Stiffy, what is the record made from? My grampa used to repair his old 78s from the 20s 30s and 40s if they broke. Also, is it a thin or thick disc? The thinker ones mend easier and hold up better.

 

To me at a glace it looks like vinyl

 

The real old stuff is quite heavy and brittle

[ConradB]

Yeah the real old ones I think were made of acetate.

[Von Paulus]

It's a 1942 or 1945 record. Maybe it's not vinyl.

Here is a review: http://www.jstor.org/pss/935515

 

If you want another a copy: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:0sYtA63Ovu0J:www.schallplattenwelt.de/78-N.htm+d.b.6180+adagio+vynil&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pt&client=firefox-a

[Stiffy]

No its not vinyl, its a thick heavy (brittle) 78 rpm, as with most pre 1950s records it is made from shellac resin.

[Stiffy]

I wouldnt try to play it on a 1930s gramophone if it was vinyl.... the metal needle would tear it to shreds :)

[ConradB]

If it's the old shellac resin, that nasty, stinky old glue should work for repairing it. Just used it sparingly so it doesn't ooze out the edges.

[Rickitycrate]

I would think that if you are not heavey handed with the glue that you should lay out some wax paper on a flat surface and place the record with the side that you want to preserve face up. Use an adhesive like Gorillla glue on one surface then slide the two pieces together. Somehow try apply a steady pressure toward the crack from opposite edges of the disc. After allowing it to dry hopefully there will not be excessive glue at the joint. If there is a bit that causes a skip you might find that playing the record and the action of the needle may improve the playability after a few go 'rounds. This may be doable depending on the thickness of the disk and if the two parts lay flat in relation to each other. Do they match-up well?

[+MigBuster]

Great!

There are at least 3 versions of Adagio for strings.

That's the version conducted by Toscanini (in 1938?).

It was initially composed for a string quartet by Samuel Barber. I'm not sure if it was Toscanini who had the idea to take it to a full string orchestra.

Personally I prefer the choral transcription, called "Agnus Dei", it chills up my spine every time I listen.

So yes, that's a really historical LP and probably a historical recording.

Congratulations Stiffy.

 

It was remixed and released as a dance track believe it or not in several versions by some bloke called William Orbit in the 90s - was a big hit at the time too

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRqndwCqa5g

[Von Paulus]

It was remixed and released as a dance track believe it or not in several versions by some bloke called William Orbit in the 90s - was a big hit at the time too

That is the nature of the classics. It will survive time and there will always be someone who'll try to add something.

Usually the original concept it's better.

Thanks for sharing I didn't have the faintest idea that someone hast tried to turn this into dance music.

[Stiffy]

I've done a bit of research and it seems people have had good results with epoxy resin, especially as excess can be removed easily without damage to the surface. It's been pointed out that adagio wasnt actually written until the 1930s! so a WW1 pilot would never have heard it.... but it will still be interesting to hear OFF music played with WW1 technology!

 

Now if only I can find an old record press to record the main theme to 78... or is that going too far? :)

[Rickitycrate]

Good luck Stiffy!

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Very neat Stiffy. I have a large stack of 78's that came from my father-in-law. Some are the very old thick variety while others are a bit newer like the one you are showing. I have had success doing a temporary repair by simply taping the pieces together from the back side with narrow strips of duct tape, (after carefully cleaning the record surfaces). If you then are mindful of getting the record placed just right on the turntable so the crack is forced tight, which may take a paper shim or two under the record, you can then play it through and record onto a different medium. The plus of doing it this way is you will have no risk of glue residue gumming up the grooves.

 

Good Luck.

 

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