Among my mother's things, I've found an album of about eight 45 rpm>records -- transparent red -- by Horowitz, Iturbi, Lanza, Bjoerling, and>Fiedler/Pops.>

I've never heard of classical 45's, and I've very rarely seen clear>records.

"Peter T. Daniels" <grammatim@worldnet­.att.net> wrote:>

Around the time the LP was introduced (replacing 78s, which had a 5-minutes> -per-side time limit), RCA proclaimed that people _liked_ having their> music stop every few minutes, and invented the 7-inch 45 rpm record, which> preserved the time limitation plus had the advantage (in RCA's eyes) of> having that large hole in the middle. If they could sucker you into buying> one of their record players, which had a trehugeous spindle that only 45s> would fit on, you couldn't play those nasty LPs (nasty because they were> invented by Columbia, not RCA).>

So, RCA issued box sets of their classical recordings that were essentially> mini versions of their 78 rpm albums. The clear red plastic was an> extension of their "Red Seal" brand image--they had done clear red 78s as> well. It had the disadvantage that all clear plastics do (in terms of> recording): high noise. And the grooves themsevles were not highly> modulated (read: low volume level) which made the noise problem worse.>

And, a pet peeve of mine, the center holes were often grossly off-center.>

So, your records have something of a curiosity value. And they might be> usable as a suncatcher, if you like red. Plus, some of the cover art might> be cool, if you have a taste for cover art from that period. But I don't> know anyone who actually wants to listen to them. If they've been played> more than twice they probably don't sound very good and most of the> recordings have probably been reissued on CD.

The most valuable aspect to 45's, especially the RCA's, is the fact> that many box sets featured items on the "odd" side that were never> subsequently issued anywhere else. The complete-ists among us are> painfully aware of this. There are perhaps 4 or 5 individual quartet> movements recorded by the Paganini Quartet, an encore or 2 by Mischa> Elman, a Beethoven piece with Munch/BSO, etc., etc., all ONLY available> in the 45RPM format. The best reproduction of the 45's can be obtained> by using a 1 mil stylus.>

Gary Stucka> Cellist, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The best reproduction of the 45's can be obtained> by using a 1 mil stylus.

Among my mother's things, I've found an album of about eight 45 rpm> records -- transparent red -- by Horowitz, Iturbi, Lanza, Bjoerling, and> Fiedler/Pops.>

I've never heard of classical 45's, and I've very rarely seen clear> records.

Don't tell me eBay. I already get enough spam about updating my> (nonexistent) eBay and PayPal accounts.

Among my mother's things, I've found an album of about eight 45 rpm> records -- transparent red -- by Horowitz, Iturbi, Lanza, Bjoerling, and> Fiedler/Pops.

As you know, I find the vast quantity of spam I receive in> various oriental languages particularly annoying, although I> also receive it in Russian, Greek, and unidentified> languages which my computer translates into what appear to> be mathematical symbols. (Also French, German, Spanish and> Italian, but those I can recognize - and could probably> manage to decipher, if I thought them worth the trouble.)

Peter T. Daniels (or somebody else of the same name) wrote thusly in message> <427E1620.531C@worl­dnet.att.net>:>

I'm glad to see somebody using the word album, in the context of records, to> refer to a case or similar holding a *set* of records. A single LP in its> sleeve has never properly been an "album".

Interesting. Nope, no cover art, just a leather(ette)-cover­ed,> heavy-paper sleeves album; and I doubt they were played more than once,> if that.>

And collectors of "collectibles" aren't interested in how well they> perform their original function ...>

I do, though, have a 7" 78s album of Victor Borge, with the same cover> art as on the LP version of the same album.

Prai Jei wrote:> >

Of course it has. For decades. "Pet Sounds is the greatest concept album> ever.">

It's conceivable that the semantic transfer happened because the same> set of tracks could now be had on 1 LP that used to be on a whole> album-ful of 78s, so you went to the store to get a record album; but> that ambiguity would have lasted for maybe even less time than there> were dual releases in mono and stereo, or in LP and CD.>

What's tricky is how to refer to CDs that combine two LPs. Almost all> the Beach Boys LPs (issued as single disks) are now sold two-per-CD. Are> these double albums? Yes and no, because a "double album" is also one> comprising two CDs.>

Classical LPs were always more generous than pop LPs, so classical CD> reissues tend to hold only 1 1/2 LPs.

Koussevitzky (or rather his EMI engineers) fit 5'08" onto a single> side.>

It was 1934, and they were recording the Eroica with the London> Philharmonic. The piece had already had seven complete recordings, but> only one -- Mengelberg, 1930 -- had played the Scherzo with all> repeats, which then required an extra side. (That recording took the> first-movement repeat as well.)>

In article <1115566612.849542.­43810@f14g2000cwb.go­oglegroups.com>, "GMS"> <slidemaster1@aol.c­om> wrote:>

Is it necessary to use a steel penny on the tonearm, or will any old> penny do?

Peter T. Daniels <grammatim@worldnet­.att.net> wrote:>

I have a vague recollection that c. 1970-4 "album" referred to the> cardboard sleeve of some rock/pop LPs (and a very few classical,> including the quadraphonic Walton's Belshazzar's Feast with Previn and> the LSO) where the sleeve opened out to make a landscape format like a> book or album.