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Old 19th Jul 2017, 12:23 pm   #59
Hartley118
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Cambridge, Cambs. UK.
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Default Re: King's speech unedited BBC recording. Value?

I knew I had a copy of this record somewhere, and I've now managed to find it. Mine suggests that it was recorded in the USA. I've attached photos of both sides. The pencilled title is my addition. I bought the record a few years ago in a Cambridge bric-a-brac shop for a few pounds. It's not uncommon to find the odd interesting American item in this area - it quite possibly arrived here with a USAF family at some point after WW2.

One or two interesting points about the record:

It's marked 'Speed 80' rather than 78 and indeed sounds right at that speed.

The label, with its 'broadcast period' and 'program no' suggests that it was recorded specifically for broadcasting. The 'Liberty Music Shops' label sections have been stuck on top of the original 'Sound Reproductions Corp' label, presumably when they found that customers wanted to buy copies of the speech.

It's a pressing rather than a lacquer. The two sides are scratch-labelled on the master by hand 1045 and 1046 respectively.

It has no run-in or run-out grooves.

The sound quality is good, though of more limited bandwidth (4kHz?) than the BBC online archive. Incidentally, the latter is an interesting reminder of the high quality produced by a BBC OB 80 years ago.

It begins, prior to Lord Reith's introduction, with Big Ben striking 6.

As well as the limited bandwidth, there are hints of some 'phasey' distortion, suggesting that it may have been recorded from the BBC Empire short-wave service which carried the live broadcast. Presumably the recording was then rebroadcast at appropriate times for the different timezones in the USA. The original disc for rebroadcast would presumably have been a direct lacquer, there being no time for processing and pressing.

Suzyperth - You may be able to tell if your record is an original BBC lacquer disc by looking for the edge of the 'core' aluminium disc which lies under the lacquer and is sometimes visible. I guess that the BBC would have cut several discs of such a momentous broadcast, both for security and for subsequent broadcast on the Empire service. AS discussed, I guess that the first step is to play it and verify what's on it!

Martin
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