Releases in Archeophone’s Genres series give you a comprehensive overview of significant trends in the early recording industry. Grouping together distinct kinds of music, similar vocal and orchestral arrangements, or even types of spoken word recordings is what we have in mind here. Featuring over 70 minutes of material per disc, our Genres titles give you comprehensive liner notes that tell you about the origins of the genre discussed, detailed notes on the songs and biographical information about the performers.
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Genres · Critical Issues · Labels & Innovations · Pioneers · Anthologies · Jazz, Dance & Blues · Ethnic & Foreign Language · Phonographic Yearbooks · Special Products · Vinyl
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At the Minstrel Show: Minstrel Routines From the Studio, 1894-1926
Various Artists
Released: March 13, 2020 • Catalogue: ARCH 1004 • UPC: 868490000296
For all the vexed issues they pose to us now, minstrel shows were an important part of American social life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the early days of the phonograph industry, the record labels attempted to bring the experience of minstrelsy into consumers’ homes. The records were popular; hundreds of titles and thousands of examples survive to this day.
A few of these records have been issued by modern labels, but never before has an attempt been made to deal authoritatively with the genre as a whole. At the Minstrel Show fills the void with 51 tracks on two CDs and a 56-page heavily annotated booklet by Tim Brooks, author of the new McFarland book, The Blackface Minstrel Show in Mass Media. Disc One features three complete minstrel “shows”—that is, series of discs or cylinders that were intended to be listened to sequentially to give the listener the experience of a whole minstrel show. Disc Two has a number of minstrel “first part” routines (some extremely rare) and songs and skits about minstrelsy, recorded between 1894 and 1926. List price: $28.99
Waxing the Gospel: Mass Evangelism and the Phonograph, 1890-1900
Various Artists
Released: September 30, 2016 • Catalogue: ARCH 1009 • UPC: 868490000203
Before the 20th century, the “sacred” songs of Protestant camp meetings and revivals were as catchy, memorable and personal as the pop songs of that or any other time. Bringing you more recordings from the 1890s than any other historical album to date, Waxing the Gospel is a landmark collection of 102 tracks on three CDs in a 408-page beautifully illustrated hardback book. Commercial recordings go back to 1890 and feature pioneer artists Emile Berliner, Thomas Bott, J. W. Myers, Len Spencer, Steve Porter, and J. J. Fisher—as well as stunning instrumental performances by Baldwin’s Cadet Band, Holding’s Parlor Orchestra, and the U. S. Marine Band. Celebrity recordings by star evangelists include Ira D. Sankey, Dwight L. Moody, and Prof. John R. Sweney. And vernacular recordings taken in the field are by historic evangelical figures such as Fanny Crosby reading one of her poems, Winfield Weeden singing his original songs, and the “Golden Minstrel” of the Salvation Army, Edward Taylor, who accompanies himself on the guitar. It’s a great listen, a fascinating story, a book for the coffee table, and a resource you’ll want to have nearby. List price: $55.00
Debate ’08: Taft and Bryan Campaign on the Edison Phonograph
William Jennings Bryan and William Howard Taft
Released: September 9, 2008 • Catalogue: ARCH 1008 • UPC: 778632901964
A new animal disrupted the political circus in 1908 when the phonograph carried the voices of presidential candidates directly to the people. Debate ’08 marks the centennial of this historic premiere with the first reissue of all 22 Edison wax cylinders recorded by the Democratic candidate, William Jennings Bryan, and the Republican candidate, William Howard Taft. The two-minute duration of these records forced an eager Bryan and a reluctant Taft to excerpt their nuanced speeches and get to the point. Thus began the 20th century’s march to the sound bite . . . and the redefinition of political communications for all time. Includes full-color 80-page wide-format booklet with transcripts of the speeches and original research. List price: $18.99
Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings from the 1890s
Various Artists
Released: May 16, 2007 • Catalogue: ARCH 1007 • UPC: 778632900509
Pioneer recording artist Russell Hunting went to jail for what’s on this CD. 19 cylinder selections (43 tracks) from c.1892-1900 of the rarest of the rare: explicit indecent spoken-word recordings that brought down the wrath of anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock. Actionable Offenses is a critical edition that places these recordings in their original social and historical context. Featuring an oversized 60-page booklet with complete transcripts of the recordings, annotations on slang and out-of-date references, and a groundbreaking historical essay by Patrick Feaster and David Giovannoni detailing the rise of indecent recordings and arrest of Hunting. Also includes recordings by Cal Stewart, James White, and an unknown gentleman of the 1890s indulging his taste for home recordings. List price: $25.00
Monarchs of Minstrelsy: Historic Recordings by the Stars of the Minstrel Stage
Various Artists
Released: June 3, 2006 • Catalogue: ARCH 1006 • UPC: 777215110366
From the research of Allen Debus comes Monarchs of Minstrelsy: Historic Recordings by the Stars of the Minstrel Stage, a collection of rare recordings by the stars who once performed them in minstrel shows. These are real veterans of the blackface minstrel stage, singing the songs they made famous on stage and performing the minstrel routines that have made them notorious today. Monarchs includes 28 tracks and a full-color 24-page booklet. List price: $16.49
Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1891-1922
Various Artists
Released: October 9, 2005 • Catalogue: ARCH 1005 • UPC: 777215109025
Fifty-four tracks by 43 artists, and 60 pages of in-depth commentary and analysis: Lost Sounds is a monumental achievement that stretches back to the faint beginnings of commercial recordings and travels to the brink of the Jazz Age to trace the contributions of black artists on American records. Sometimes noisy and raucous, sometimes quiet and austere, these recordings demonstrate the deep involvement and lasting influence of African Americans in the nascent recording industry. List price: $29.99
Stomp and Swerve: American Music Gets Hot
Various Artists
Released: October 4, 2003 • Catalogue: ARCH 1003 • UPC: 777215105492
27 songs from 1897-1925, 28-page booklet with historical notes, artist bios, and unusual graphics chronicling the rise of “hot” playing in American music over four decades. Rare tracks by banjo virtuosos Cullen and Collins, vocalist Silas Leachman, Jim Europe’s Orchestra, and his proteges in the Versatile Four. The ultra-rare “Sunset Medley” by Haenschen and Schiffer is here released for the first time, along with Edison cylinders by Sophie Tucker and Polk Miller. Companion to the book by David Wondrich, published by Chicago Review Press on the A Cappella imprint. List price: $16.49
Before Radio: Comedy, Drama & Sound Sketches, 1897-1923
Various Artists
Released: April 24, 2000 • Catalogue: ARCH 1002A • UPC: 656605912127
27 tracks from 1897-1923, 20-page booklet with historical notes, artist bios, and rare graphics. Includes monologues, dialogues, sketches, “descriptives,” and much more from the days before radio. Standout stars are Ada Jones, Len Spencer, Steve Porter, Haydn Quartet, Weber and Fields, Golden and Hughes, Cal Stewart, and Will Rogers. List price: $16.49
Real Ragtime: Disc Recordings From Its Heyday
Various Artists
Released: December 5, 1999 • Catalogue: ARCH 1001A • UPC: 656605911724
29 songs from 1898-1923, 28-page booklet with historical notes, artist bios, and rare graphics. Includes two extremely rare Berliner discs. Banjos by Ossman and Van Eps, raggy marches by Pryor and Sousa, vocals by Collins, American Quartet, and ‘Gene Greene, and much more. These are the ragtime records people heard during the genre’s formative years. List price: $16.49
Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings from the 1890s
Various Artists
Released: May 16, 2007 • Catalogue: ARCH 1007 • UPC: 778632900509
Pioneer recording artist Russell Hunting went to jail for what’s on this CD. 19 cylinder selections (43 tracks) from c.1892-1900 of the rarest of the rare: explicit indecent spoken-word recordings that brought down the wrath of anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock. Actionable Offenses is a critical edition that places these recordings in their original social and historical context. Featuring an oversized 60-page booklet with complete transcripts of the recordings, annotations on slang and out-of-date references, and a groundbreaking historical essay by Patrick Feaster and David Giovannoni detailing the rise of indecent recordings and arrest of Hunting. Also includes recordings by Cal Stewart, James White, and an unknown gentleman of the 1890s indulging his taste for home recordings. List price: $25.00
At the Minstrel Show: Minstrel Routines From the Studio, 1894-1926
Various Artists
Released: March 13, 2020 • Catalogue: ARCH 1004 • UPC: 868490000296
For all the vexed issues they pose to us now, minstrel shows were an important part of American social life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the early days of the phonograph industry, the record labels attempted to bring the experience of minstrelsy into consumers’ homes. The records were popular; hundreds of titles and thousands of examples survive to this day.
A few of these records have been issued by modern labels, but never before has an attempt been made to deal authoritatively with the genre as a whole. At the Minstrel Show fills the void with 51 tracks on two CDs and a 56-page heavily annotated booklet by Tim Brooks, author of the new McFarland book, The Blackface Minstrel Show in Mass Media. Disc One features three complete minstrel “shows”—that is, series of discs or cylinders that were intended to be listened to sequentially to give the listener the experience of a whole minstrel show. Disc Two has a number of minstrel “first part” routines (some extremely rare) and songs and skits about minstrelsy, recorded between 1894 and 1926. List price: $28.99
Before Radio: Comedy, Drama & Sound Sketches, 1897-1923
Various Artists
Released: April 24, 2000 • Catalogue: ARCH 1002A • UPC: 656605912127
27 tracks from 1897-1923, 20-page booklet with historical notes, artist bios, and rare graphics. Includes monologues, dialogues, sketches, “descriptives,” and much more from the days before radio. Standout stars are Ada Jones, Len Spencer, Steve Porter, Haydn Quartet, Weber and Fields, Golden and Hughes, Cal Stewart, and Will Rogers. List price: $16.49
Debate ’08: Taft and Bryan Campaign on the Edison Phonograph
William Jennings Bryan and William Howard Taft
Released: September 9, 2008 • Catalogue: ARCH 1008 • UPC: 778632901964
A new animal disrupted the political circus in 1908 when the phonograph carried the voices of presidential candidates directly to the people. Debate ’08 marks the centennial of this historic premiere with the first reissue of all 22 Edison wax cylinders recorded by the Democratic candidate, William Jennings Bryan, and the Republican candidate, William Howard Taft. The two-minute duration of these records forced an eager Bryan and a reluctant Taft to excerpt their nuanced speeches and get to the point. Thus began the 20th century’s march to the sound bite . . . and the redefinition of political communications for all time. Includes full-color 80-page wide-format booklet with transcripts of the speeches and original research. List price: $18.99
Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1891-1922
Various Artists
Released: October 9, 2005 • Catalogue: ARCH 1005 • UPC: 777215109025
Fifty-four tracks by 43 artists, and 60 pages of in-depth commentary and analysis: Lost Sounds is a monumental achievement that stretches back to the faint beginnings of commercial recordings and travels to the brink of the Jazz Age to trace the contributions of black artists on American records. Sometimes noisy and raucous, sometimes quiet and austere, these recordings demonstrate the deep involvement and lasting influence of African Americans in the nascent recording industry. List price: $29.99
Monarchs of Minstrelsy: Historic Recordings by the Stars of the Minstrel Stage
Various Artists
Released: June 3, 2006 • Catalogue: ARCH 1006 • UPC: 777215110366
From the research of Allen Debus comes Monarchs of Minstrelsy: Historic Recordings by the Stars of the Minstrel Stage, a collection of rare recordings by the stars who once performed them in minstrel shows. These are real veterans of the blackface minstrel stage, singing the songs they made famous on stage and performing the minstrel routines that have made them notorious today. Monarchs includes 28 tracks and a full-color 24-page booklet. List price: $16.49
Real Ragtime: Disc Recordings From Its Heyday
Various Artists
Released: December 5, 1999 • Catalogue: ARCH 1001A • UPC: 656605911724
29 songs from 1898-1923, 28-page booklet with historical notes, artist bios, and rare graphics. Includes two extremely rare Berliner discs. Banjos by Ossman and Van Eps, raggy marches by Pryor and Sousa, vocals by Collins, American Quartet, and ‘Gene Greene, and much more. These are the ragtime records people heard during the genre’s formative years. List price: $16.49
Stomp and Swerve: American Music Gets Hot
Various Artists
Released: October 4, 2003 • Catalogue: ARCH 1003 • UPC: 777215105492
27 songs from 1897-1925, 28-page booklet with historical notes, artist bios, and unusual graphics chronicling the rise of “hot” playing in American music over four decades. Rare tracks by banjo virtuosos Cullen and Collins, vocalist Silas Leachman, Jim Europe’s Orchestra, and his proteges in the Versatile Four. The ultra-rare “Sunset Medley” by Haenschen and Schiffer is here released for the first time, along with Edison cylinders by Sophie Tucker and Polk Miller. Companion to the book by David Wondrich, published by Chicago Review Press on the A Cappella imprint. List price: $16.49
Waxing the Gospel: Mass Evangelism and the Phonograph, 1890-1900
Various Artists
Released: September 30, 2016 • Catalogue: ARCH 1009 • UPC: 868490000203
Before the 20th century, the “sacred” songs of Protestant camp meetings and revivals were as catchy, memorable and personal as the pop songs of that or any other time. Bringing you more recordings from the 1890s than any other historical album to date, Waxing the Gospel is a landmark collection of 102 tracks on three CDs in a 408-page beautifully illustrated hardback book. Commercial recordings go back to 1890 and feature pioneer artists Emile Berliner, Thomas Bott, J. W. Myers, Len Spencer, Steve Porter, and J. J. Fisher—as well as stunning instrumental performances by Baldwin’s Cadet Band, Holding’s Parlor Orchestra, and the U. S. Marine Band. Celebrity recordings by star evangelists include Ira D. Sankey, Dwight L. Moody, and Prof. John R. Sweney. And vernacular recordings taken in the field are by historic evangelical figures such as Fanny Crosby reading one of her poems, Winfield Weeden singing his original songs, and the “Golden Minstrel” of the Salvation Army, Edward Taylor, who accompanies himself on the guitar. It’s a great listen, a fascinating story, a book for the coffee table, and a resource you’ll want to have nearby. List price: $55.00
Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings from the 1890s
Various Artists
QuickviewActionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings from the 1890s
Various Artists
List price: $25.00
At the Minstrel Show: Minstrel Routines From the Studio, 1894-1926
Various Artists
QuickviewAt the Minstrel Show: Minstrel Routines From the Studio, 1894-1926
Various Artists
A few of these records have been issued by modern labels, but never before has an attempt been made to deal authoritatively with the genre as a whole. At the Minstrel Show fills the void with 51 tracks on two CDs and a 56-page heavily annotated booklet by Tim Brooks, author of the new McFarland book, The Blackface Minstrel Show in Mass Media. Disc One features three complete minstrel “shows”—that is, series of discs or cylinders that were intended to be listened to sequentially to give the listener the experience of a whole minstrel show. Disc Two has a number of minstrel “first part” routines (some extremely rare) and songs and skits about minstrelsy, recorded between 1894 and 1926. Read more
List price: $28.99
Before Radio: Comedy, Drama & Sound Sketches, 1897-1923
Various Artists
QuickviewBefore Radio: Comedy, Drama & Sound Sketches, 1897-1923
Various Artists
List price: $16.49
Debate '08: Taft and Bryan Campaign on the Edison Phonograph
William Jennings Bryan and William Howard Taft
QuickviewDebate '08: Taft and Bryan Campaign on the Edison Phonograph
William Jennings Bryan and William Howard Taft
List price: $18.99
Real Ragtime: Disc Recordings From Its Heyday
Various Artists
QuickviewReal Ragtime: Disc Recordings From Its Heyday
Various Artists
List price: $16.49
Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1891-1922
Various Artists
QuickviewLost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1891-1922
Various Artists
List price: $29.99
Monarchs of Minstrelsy: Historic Recordings by the Stars of the Minstrel Stage
Various Artists
QuickviewMonarchs of Minstrelsy: Historic Recordings by the Stars of the Minstrel Stage
Various Artists
List price: $16.49
Stomp and Swerve: American Music Gets Hot
Various Artists
QuickviewStomp and Swerve: American Music Gets Hot
Various Artists
List price: $16.49
Waxing the Gospel: Mass Evangelism and the Phonograph, 1890-1900
Various Artists
QuickviewWaxing the Gospel: Mass Evangelism and the Phonograph, 1890-1900
Various Artists
List price: $55.00
| Title | Artist | Catalogue | Price | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings from the 1890s | Various Artists | ARCH 1007 | $25.00 | |
| At the Minstrel Show: Minstrel Routines From the Studio, 1894-1926 | Various Artists | ARCH 1004 | $28.99 | |
| Before Radio: Comedy, Drama & Sound Sketches, 1897-1923 | Various Artists | ARCH 1002A | $16.49 | |
| Debate '08: Taft and Bryan Campaign on the Edison Phonograph | William Jennings Bryan and William Howard Taft | ARCH 1008 | $18.99 | |
| Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1891-1922 | Various Artists | ARCH 1005 | $29.99 | waitlist |
| Monarchs of Minstrelsy: Historic Recordings by the Stars of the Minstrel Stage | Various Artists | ARCH 1006 | $16.49 | |
| Real Ragtime: Disc Recordings From Its Heyday | Various Artists | ARCH 1001A | $16.49 | |
| Stomp and Swerve: American Music Gets Hot | Various Artists | ARCH 1003 | $16.49 | |
| Waxing the Gospel: Mass Evangelism and the Phonograph, 1890-1900 | Various Artists | ARCH 1009 | $55.00 |