Homemade Fiber Records by my Grampa from my Dad's Loft

[diamone]

As you all know, my father passed away at 77 three years ago next month after his nearly 40-year battle with Crohn's and Colitis.

He owned a cottage up at the lake around three hours drive from the house - and between me being out here and my sister's recuperating from her car wreck (not serious just needs repeated chiropractic care) and my brother and B-I-L crazy truck driving schedules at their jobs - nobody's been able to go up and clean it out til this past weekend.

Among the expected huge pile of flotsam and jetsam jammed shoulder-high in the loft - we found an old steamer trunk of stuff my Great Uncle Earl sent back from Korea - including about 20 white-fiber (and a couple acetate) home records.

Acetates played fine and were interesting - but the fiber ones all played crooked. For those of you who don't know - it's very tough to see the grooves on a white fiber home recording disc. I got the bright idea of taking it off the player and using the drive hole as the center hole to see what I'd get.

Although it was at least centered now - it didn't do much for the reproduction. Apparently wherever they were stationed had a Home Recording booth somewhere in a bar off base that he and his buddies would frequent anytime they got a pass.

Almost all were dated - and you could almost tell by listening how far into the night each record had been made - because the guys got louder and more off key and out-of-tempo between lines etc.

We laughed so hard that by Saturday night the boys and I decided to sing some of the same early-20th-century music hall songs that were on the records after we had presumably consumed close to the same amount of alcohol in our systems as our Uncle Earl and his buddies over 60 years ago.

My cousin Charlie got the bright idea of making our own records on the blank sides and discs of the ones that were there - so now when somebody discovers all this stuff in my SISTER'S loft when SHE passes in 50 years or whatever - a whole new generation can get a laugh out of TWO different generations of drunken guys that can't sing nevermind one.

[piaptk]

I've never seen a white fiber home recording disc. Can you post photos?

[audiosteam]

Cool story! thanks for sharing and great idea to perpetrate the recordings.

[diamone]

I've never seen a white fiber home recording disc.
Can you post photos?

Videos with content will have to do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RUqHfGuwWE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TErvXmAtw0M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4eiECif4ss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC9NuAqz-to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2qdRM994vM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqbgMR_3w1s


``She-ooot. Tom moth hank bud a war rum gwan said oaf te-oo wah jis but bid dar.''
(By the time I think about where I'm going to set off to, I'll just about be there'')
Sounds like everybody's Mountain Granddad I grew up around.
I think I know where sitcom writers get their dialogue at anymore.

[piaptk]

Oh! Ok, I only knew those as cardboard based blanks. Fiber makes sense. I've rarely come across one of those that still played... in shocked how good that sounds.

[tragwag]

WOW this is amazing, really happy that you have this sort of momento. and I love the idea of making more to find later!

[diamone]

WOW this is amazing, really happy that you have this sort of momento.

Don't forget the segundos and horarios.