End of June Potpourri

Before I get to this week's posting, I wanted to share with everyone that, as a result of the collecting passion reflected every time I post here - the collecting and sharing of interesting recordings found on reel to reel tapes - I have now been featured on a major podcast called Ephemeral. The story in question is about Merigail Moreland, who I featured at WFMU many years ago. The show is about 40 minutes long, and can be heard here. Please give it a listen when you have the time. I think you'll find it worthwhile.

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And I also thought I would use this last day of June, 2019, to share a few tapes which demonstrate some of the extreme variety I come across when I grab a bunch of tapes for review. These are four fairly distinct recordings, all interesting in their own ways, although perhaps not the most pleasant to listen to at times.

Let's start with the one which is, perhaps, less pleasant to listen to, shall we. I've simply labeled this "Some truly idiosyncratic singing", although you may choose to define it somewhat differently. This segment - less than ten minutes - was virtually the only thing recorded on full length tape (1200 ft - 60 minutes recording time at 7 1/2 IPS) in question. No extra points for getting through the whole segment.

Download: Unknown - Some Truly Idiosyncratic Singing
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Next up, a true moment in time, a moment unlike any we're likely to experience in 21st Century America, or that any of us are likely to have experienced in the last 30 years, I'd venture to say. You see, it's the 1950's, and a new Nestle factory is going to be built in White Plains, New York. A Nestle representative is there from Europe, and the local Catholic Priest is going to offer up a prayer for the event, which is the laying of the cornerstone for the factory. AND: It's being covered, live, on the radio. Those were the days, huh?

Download: Coverage of the Laying of the Cornerstone at a Nestle Factory
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The third tape I've served up for you is another in a series of tapes I acquired some time ago from various local Bell Telephone companies. In this case, it's the Ohio Bell Telephone company, taking us back to the 1960's (I would guess, anyway), when we all had landlines, and they were all from the same company. Here's an internal training tape demonstrating the many ways that phone service could be... less than adequate:

Download: Ohio Bell Telephone Company - Transmission Impairments
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And finally, for all of you who need a heat pump this week, here is an indication of who you should call. At least, if you're in Arkansas.

Download: Three Arkansas Heat Pump Association Ads
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