Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Billy Williams sings "Giving A Donkey A Strawberry", with a backing band, on an Edison Blue Amberol cylinder (23219), recorded in London, c. November 1913.
These Edison Blue Amberols were superbly recorded; electrical reproduction allows the full range of the original recording to be heard. Selection of an appropriate equalisation setting when carrying out the transfer is a key aspect in this respect. I have also carried out light restoration, such as declicking, dehissing and de-rumbling. There is a lot of rumble, due to the playing surface not being entirely even (I suspect this is due to uneven shrinkage of the plastic cylinder during cooling, following the moulding process, though warping of the plaster core over time may play a part).
Billy Williams sings "Giving A Donkey A Strawberry", with a backing band, on an Edison Blue Amberol cylinder (23219), recorded in London, c. November 1913.
These Edison Blue Amberols were superbly recorded; electrical reproduction allows the full range of the original recording to be heard. Selection of an appropriate equalisation setting when carrying out the transfer is a key aspect in this respect. I have also carried out light restoration, such as declicking, dehissing and de-rumbling. There is a lot of rumble, due to the playing surface not being entirely even (I suspect this is due to uneven shrinkage of the plastic cylinder during cooling, following the moulding process, though warping of the plaster core over time may play a part).
