I recall my first turntable purchased for me in the late 60’s. It had adjustable speeds to play 45 rpm singles and 33 rpm albums, and also had a 78 setting as well for those older format records, but what purpose did the 16 setting have? It was a delight to put 45s on 16 speed to hear the comically slow singing, but I’ve never actually heard of a record designed to run at that speed. If so, it must have been from a VERY long time ago.
My second related question is why did they phase out 78 records during (I believe) the 1950’s?
My understanding is that 16 rpm records were used for spoken word recordings. I’ve never actually seen one in all my years, but I always assumed that the low speed wasn’t good for music but OK for spoken word.
I believe the 16 RPM speed was for “spoken word” type records, where sound quality wasn’t important, such as recordings of Shakespeare plays. Camden comes to mind as a label that produced such recordings.
I think 78 RPM was a holdover from the old days of mechanical playback (like old Victrolas with the big horn). The speed provided more energy to move the stylus than lower speeds would. With the advent of electronic amplifiers, the speed was no longer needed. 33 RPM provided adequate quality and allowed long-playing records (LPs) with multiple tracks.
I have an antique console radio from the 1940s that includes a built-in turntable with record changer. 78 RPM is its only speed.
Yes, of the 78 rpm recordings I heard as a child mostly consisted of my aunts big band music. The only advantage I saw in 78 rpm was that the music didn’t last very long.
I remember as a very young kid having a record player with some passed-down 78 records-- one of my favorites was ‘The Ballad of Davy Crockett’.
Kilt him a b’ar when he was only three
A 78 record was the diameter of an LP record but only had the playing time of a 45 single. A 78 LP would have had to be the size of a manhole cover or larger.
Some records were labeled for 16-2/3 RPM, half of 33-1/3RPM. Don’t know if all of them were actually 16-2/3 RPM or that was just a simple way to construct the player. If it was for spoken word recordings only any difference may not have been noticed. I probably wouldn’t notice it myself for high fidelity music played at that low speed but I assume that would be noticeable to others.
I vaugely remember the give away records in magazines and even on the back of cardboard boxes.
I have a strong memory of cutting out the record with scissors.
It was spoken words and probably played at 16rpm. The needle couldn’t track any faster on such a flimsy surface.
IIRC slower rpm allows more recording content? That’s why a 45rpm was good for 3 to 4 min songs. A 33 1/3 could hold almost 25 mins of music on each side. A full album was 45 to 50 mins of music.
Multi-platter 78RPM albums were common because the run time was slow. Recordings of symphonies usually required two records and there were musical collections that would come in box with a lot more records in it. These records were made of shellac, thicker and heavier than vinyl. Old 78s are sometime broken up and dissolved in alcohol to make a simple version of Japan lacquer.
The distance across grooves in records are/were different for 78s - wider distance. 33s and 45s had grooves closer together (“microgroove”), and that’s why there was usually a different needle used for 78s (not mandatory - but you needed it for decent sound).
The term “album” originated when multiple 78s were collected together in an album-like format. Four or six (or more) 78s would equal what you would find on an LP “album”.
Aw, that brings back memories. I was 4 or 5 and was excited to get a record printed on the back of a box of cereal. It was The Archies’ ‘Sugar Sugar’ (nice brand synchronicity, paired with a sugary cereal that probably had ‘sugar’ in its name- ‘Super Sugar Crisp’, maybe?). I played it on my parents’ giant wooden console turntable constantly, until it either wore out or my parents conveniently made it disappear.
Interesting. I also remember 1960’s turntables (and more dimly my parents’ from the '50’s), and I remember the 33, 45, and 78 settings but I don’t remember the 16. Maybe that was already rare at the time?
I think they phased out 78’s because they held less music than a 33 and therefore were less useful for longer pieces and albums, but more than a 45 which was smaller around and was used for singles. My father had some classical music on 78’s and there would be a whole mess of them for each piece; they came together in an outer case holding a batch of cardboard sleeves, IIRC.
Just a minor quibble…78 RPM was not so much because the record needed more energy to move the stylus, it was that the stylus (an material) at the time required a faster linear groove speed to get any higher frequencies. Modern styli are much, much smaller and can follow the modulations in a groove much better, so they don’t require the higher linear groove speed of 78s. I have a couple older Victrolas (ca. 1920) and the needles they use are not very sharp at all.
Yes, I’m sure the rotational speed helped maintain energy in turning the platter, which was important because that was all the mechanical energy available to produce sound. If the manufacturer wanted to build a spring-powered motor to provide adequate torque at 16 RPM, they certainly could have done so.
Music magazines would sometimes include a small, floppy vinyl record called a “Flexi-disc.” I remember purchasing an issue of Guitar Player magazine in the 1980s that contained one. It was a song called Birds of Prey by Tony MacAlpine, and included a bass solo by Billy Sheehan. Here is the song. Reading a bit more on it, it was in the March 1986 issue of Guitar Player magazine. Here is a bit more info on the physical record itself. Also from this link:
Flexi discs are thin, flexible vinyl records popular in the 1970s and 1980s. They were distributed in music magazines, cereal boxes, or special events. Despite the lower audio quality than other formats, they are well-loved by music enthusiasts.
78 rpm singles were phased out in favor of the smaller, more portable and less breakable 45 rpm, though it took about 10 years before enough people had a “record player” that could play 45s. RCA made one specifically for 45s. I used to have one but my parents threw it out in one of their house cleaning binges.
For lovers of classical music, a symphony on 78s required changing the disc every few minutes. Obviously, the 33 rpm LPs were much better, and again, lighter and less breakable.
In the end there was simply no need for 78s. I used to collect them, picking them up for a quarter or 50 cents at flea markets when I found something interesting. I still have dozens of them, dating to the 1930s. I can’t even give them away. Nobody wants them, not even the most rabid record collectors, and I have some real classic single discs and complete albums. I had to move them recently in order to clean the carpet under a record cabinet. They weigh a ton and it was a real chore.
Dave Barry once suggested that the baby boom was an indirect side effect of longer-playing records: it’s harder to get amorous with your partner when you’re constantly jumping up from the couch to change the disc.
Kilt him a b’ar when he was only three 