Back in the olden days (mid 20th century to be exact) and long before email / texting, if you needed to send someone a special message you could simply plop a quarter into a Wilcox-Gay Coin Recordio machine and actually record / cut them a hardboard disc record with your voice etched right there inside the grooves. Played on any type of phonograph, this was seriously cutting edge stuff at the time-- you'd just say what you had to say into the phone, and the machine would spit out the record to you. For another 5¢ you could even purchase a handy envelope to put the recording in from the same machine. I love how the record is a picture disc showing a girl making her own recording right into the Recordio-Gram. Anyway, I'd heard of this 50's technology before, but it's really fun to actually find one too!
CLICK HERE to listen to one-- it's freakin' hilarious...
3 comments:
That's just neat. I kind of had an inkling these things existed once upon a time, but I've never in my life seen one. I wonder if there really is anything recorded on this demo disc, or it was just for looks? Have you tried playing it? Would it still be possible to play lo these many years later? I know with proper care, vinyl can last--but even that is pretty fragile. Lord knows what time does to grooves in (waxed?) cardboard.
The woman on the disc is super cute, she can "handy" my "mailing envelope." *sigh*. This is why I do so poorly at bars! :)
Joking aside, I love the recording on YT -- scratchy, alien sounding, but so mundane! And the "dad" I suppose can't wait to get back on the phone and mention that the women can't stop "flapping their gums." Yeesh!
That machine looks like it could double for one of those amusement park mold-a-rama machines!
>Have you tried playing it?
Currently without a working turntable again :(
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