Collectibles

Item Description

This 12-inch two-sided record was apparently made as a Paul Robeson "mix disk" or reference material collection by, or for, a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada radio station during the period where Robeson's music may have been difficult to obtain for political reasons. In addition to the custom record labels from radio station CKNW in Vancouver, it has a home collection label on one side from a Mr. F. Pollock. I have contacted the radio station (which still broadcasts) to find out more about the history of this disk, but they have not replied to any of my e-mails.

It was recorded on a Presto Recording Corporation (http://www.televar.com/grshome/Presto.htm) one-off disk cutter and seems to consist of a selection from other recordings that cover the whole range of Robeson's work, from his early "minstrel" songs to later politically oriented materials. The running time is quite short, as can be seen from the fact that there are only three songs on each side. The record was probably made before May 1951, since it seems to have an aluminum core disk, and Presto shifted to glass cores after that date.

Although both sides of the disk are still playable (at 33 rpm with a standard needle, not an LP needle), there is moderate to very heavy surface noise throughout. This may be lessened if the disk is professionally cleaned, something that I have not ventured to attempt. The record and its jacket have a rather musty smell, and it appears in places to have been rubbed or pressed with some force, as if kept under a pile of other records for a long time. The volume of the different songs varies somewhat, which is one reason I think each song may have been copied from a different source. Thus, some surface noise may have been present on the originals being copied rather than deriving from the state of this particular disk.

I do not think that any material can be found here that is not accessible at much better quality elsewhere. The item is chiefly interesting as a very early example of a "mix" disk bringing together potentially "politically incorrect" material, done before cassette tape recorders and later CD players made that format practical for ordinary people.

The tunes on the two sides are as follows.

Side One (moderate surface noise):

1. Carry me back to green pastures.
2. Song of the Fatherland
3. Song of the Plains

Side Two (mostly heavy surface noise):

1. River Stay'Way from My Door
2. Lazy Bones
3. Rocking Chair

Item Special Note

• Unique item recording the works of a well-known and (at the time) politically controversial figure
  
• Very early example of a type of compilation now found everywhere
  
• Recorded onto a Presto aluminum-core disk with hand-typed labels from CKNW Vancouver
• Covers several different periods of Paul Robeson's career