16rpm

The never-used speed on the radiogram. Or was it?

Did you have any? Did you have any use for the speed setting?

What personal rememberances do you have of it....

only thing that comes to mind is the 16 rpm version of "heavenly music corporation"

which is mind-blowing fyi

Used mostly for spoken word records as I recall, although I think I tried playing a Swans record at this speed once.

There's some spoken word on Hendrix' "Third Stone From The Sun" recorded at 16rpm that, at 78rpm, reveals a "starfleet" dialogue.

Also, Moby Grape's "Just Like Gene Autry" on Wow was recorded at 16, to be played at 78.

How do you mean, 'recorded at 16'?

Studying the brilliance of Dave Seville.

Ah, sorry, had that wrong. That one song on Wow has to be played at 78 to reveal itself (as anything other than drawn-out sludge which, after you hear the song at its correct speed, is preferable). I don't think it was pressed at 16rpm (and wasn't recorded at 16rpm -- dunno why I said that, as I'm pretty sure it's not possible unless you're cutting direct to disc, which they weren't).

xp

iirc this speed was mostly used for radio transcription discs in the 40s and 50s

I remember seeing the 16-2/3 setting on cheap, old record players when I was a kid; higher-quality turntables on stereos had only 33, 45, and sometimes 78. Apparently 16rpm was used mainly for either audiobooks (then marketed to the blind and sight-impaired, not being widely sold to everyone else until the Sony Walkman era) or specially-formatted 9" vinyl discs with 2" center holes used by some Seeburg jukeboxes intended for continuous background music. The Seeburg disks were produced from 1959 until the late '80s. The ill-fated in-car record players available in late-'50s Chryslers also used 16rpm disks (8-tracks and cassettes hadn't been invented yet).

The only mainstream label that seems to have issued 16rpm records is Prestige, who had at least 7 releases in that format in 1957, which allowed an entire LP to fit on one side of a record.

Miles at 16rpm:

http://www.sweedeedee.se/archives/prestige_lps/images/3.jpg

that's very interesting, did not know about any of those

(except the Chrysler thing)

More info on the Prestige 16's:

http://www.jazzdisco.org/prestige-records/catalog-new-jazz-1100-prestige-16-2-3-rpm-series/album-index/

There was an Earth bootleg of Ourobouros Is Broken pressed at 16 RPM. I have it but have never listened to it at the correct speed.