Many of us remember, and many of us still own, 45 records. While all vinyl records went out of vogue in the 1980s thanks to the popularity of digital media sources, vinyl records are still manufactured and sold though mostly for use by disc jockeys and certain types of music.

The earliest known recorded sound was in 1860, recorded by what was called a phonautograph, and wasn’t even fully appreciated by its inventor. He wanted to study sound and see it represented, but had no interest in playing it back. Thomas Edison, however, used that phonautograph to build a machine in 1877 that would playback the sound. The sound was recorded on tinfoil with this device that was actually designed for purposes like office dictation. Edward Guilliard improved on the device, though his achievements were absorbed by Edison’s patent, stemming a 26-year fight for the credit. These early inventions were still years away from 45 records.

During the 1880s, this cylinder became a standard in recorded sound. Discs were created bearing sound that was used in toys, then in 1912, discs were created that would play for a solid 4 minutes. The patent for lateral-cut discs expired in 1918, and many companies produced them, making the disc recording much more popular than the cylinder recording. These discs, which were later produced as albums and 45 records, were the primary sound recording medium until the Compact Disc began taking over the marketplace in the 1980s.

The speeds of early disc recordings ranged from 60 to 120 rpm and came in several different sizes. The hand-cranked Victrola’s of the earliest recorded sound playbacks were improved with spring drives over hand drives a regular speed of rotation could be monitored. Apparently, one of the earliest spring-driven Victrolas spun at 78 rpm, and that’s the best guess by most industry insiders as to why the 78 rpm record became the standard speed by 1925. Though there was a variation between America and other parts of the world in the exact speed. 45 records created later had a speed of 45 rpm, thanks to their smaller size.

The 33 1/3 rpm record was introduced by the Columbia Record Company in 1948. The first 45 records were introduced in 1949 by RCA Victor. They were smaller, 7” to the LP’s 12”, and with a large center hole instead of a small one that just fit the spindle on most turntables, to allow them to be used with an automatic changer. A small plastic “spider” was created later that popped into the center hole and allowed the smaller records to be used with an ordinary spindle.

It’s rare to find 45 records in great condition, as many will be scratched to some degree. Thrift shops and online auctions like eBay are great places to find old, popular songs on 45 records. If the original paper or cardboard sleeve is intact, they’re even more sought out by collectors, as often those bear original artwork much like album covers.

Originally posted 2008-11-03 14:00:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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