Century-Old Sounds

Edison Wax Amberol Cylinder Records 1908-1913
Despite being only two minutes long, the cylinder held up very well against the three-minute (10 inch) and four-minute (12 inch) disc competition. The wax they were made of sounded quite good and often had less surface noise than the shellac of discs. Being cheaper in price was no small advantage as well! However, double-sided discs changed everything in 1908. One could now have six to eight minutes of music on a format that was much easier to store at a price less than double of the single-sided discs. The cylinder was Edison's baby and he did not want to abandon it just yet. So his response was to double the playing time of his cylinder to four minutes by shrinking the groove. The size of the cylinder remained the same so older machines could be retrofitted with an adapter to play them. Of course though, they remained one-sided so four minutes was the max. The Amberol, as he named the cylinder, had other shortcomings. The new type of wax needed and used for the smaller grooves was more brittle, had more surface noise and wore out quicker. Finding decent Amberols today without skips and significant wear can be a challenge. Edison himself recognized these issues and wanted to use celluloid from the beginning. However, he couldn't secure the patent rights to it for several more years and the events of 1908 forced his hand. Despite their short history, the wax Amberol can yield some great entertainment when in good condition, especially with Victor Herbert as the company's musical advisor at the time.
Encoded Speed: 192 Kbps

Always Gallant Polka

Albert Benzler (Xylophone Solo with Orchestra)

Edison Amberol #34

listed September 1908

New York, New York

On Parade Medley

(The Girl I Left Behind Me, Sweetheart Town, Garry Owen, I'm Afraid to Come Home in the Dark, Benzler's Favorite Reel, Just One Sweet Girl)

National Guard Fife and Drum Corps

Edison Amberol #92

probably November 16, 1908

New York, New York

Note: Only slight wear but several skips during the second half of the recording.

Dance of the Hours (from "La Gioconda")

New York Military Band

Edison Amberol #100

listed February 1909

New York, New York

Note: Slight skips at 0:06 and 3:25.

I've Got Rings On My Fingers

Billy Murray and Chorus

Edison Amberol #218

listed August 1909

New York, New York

Note: Worn, skip at 0:37.

Ange d'amour

New York Military Band

Edison Amberol #260

listed August 1909

New York, New York

Gypsy Airs (Sarasate, op. 20)

Albert Spalding

Edison Amberol #290

listed September 1909

New York, New York

Just Before the Battle, Mother

Will Oakland and Chorus

Edison Amberol #297

listed September 1909

New York, New York

Note: Worn, skip at 0:31.

A Georgia Barn Dance

New York Military Band

Edison Amberol #304

listed September 1909

New York, New York

Note: Slight skip at 4:16.

Prologue from Pagliacci

Thomas Chalmers

Edison Amberol #357

listed December 1909

New York, New York

I'm Glad I'm a Boy and I'm Glad I'm a Girl

Ada Jones and Billy Murray

Edison Amberol #362

listed December 1909

New York, New York

Note: Worn with scratches throughout.

Dream Pictures

American Standard Orchestra

Edison Amberol #466

listed May 1910

New York, New York

Come Along My Mandy

Ada Jones and Billy Murray

Edison Amberol #468

listed May 1910

New York, New York

Slavic March

Victor Herbert and His Orchestra

Edison Amberol #501

listed July 1910

New York, New York

Note: Skip at 3:32.

The Mocking Bird - Fantasia

Charles Daab (Xylophone)

Edison Amberol #564

listed October 1910

New York, New York

Note: Skip at 2:53.

Silver Bell

Ada Jones and Billy Murray

Edison Amberol #576

listed October 1910

New York, New York

Note: Worn with skips and scratches.

Napoleon's Last Charge

New York Military Band

Edison Amberol #620

listed January 1911

New York, New York

Note: Worn, especially at beginning with skips.

Little Annie Rooney

Arthur C. Clough

Edison Amberol #654

listed February 1911

New York, New York

Note: The blank areas before and after the song, along with the lead-in and lead-out grooves, are included to demonstrate the aural quality of the material used in Wax Amberols. Notice how surface noise increases once the stylus finds the groove.