Columbia History: Turntable Speeds

Columbia Master Book, Volume I, Tim Brooks, ed.

The speed at which these early discs should be played is less clear. Although we call them “78s,” few were recorded that fast. Berliners had generally been recorded at 70-72 rpm, while William R. Moran, in his books on early Victor recordings, reports that company’s 1900-1902 discs were generally in the 75-76 rpm range.¹⁰⁸ The first Climax and Columbia discs seem to hover in the 74-76 rpm range, and later releases about 76-78 rpm, although there are exceptions. Len Spencer’s minstrel series (e.g., no. 644) seems to be play at about 72 rpm, perhaps in order to cram more in. It is no wonder that most early phonographs came with a speed control.

During the 1910s Victor advertised its records as playing “correctly” at 78 rpm, and Columbia maintained that its records should be reproduced at 80 rpm, although both speeds are manifestly too fast. Only Edison (at 160 rpm for cylinders, 80 rpm for discs) played as advertised. The reason Victor and Columbia gave their customers patently wrong advice about proper playing speeds is unclear. One researcher has suggested that perhaps the heavy tone arms of the day produced so much drag that the turntable had to be set a couple of revolutions too fast in order for the record to play properly when the tone arm was lowered on to the disc’s surface. Another theory is that the records sounded “brighter” when played a little fast.

There were complaints about this state of affairs even at the time. A letter to the Talking Machine World in 1908 asked why speeds could not be indicated on the label. Some European Odeons, the writer observed, were marked with the notation “74R,” meaning play at 74 rpm.¹⁰⁹ But Columbia and Victor weren't listening, and not until the advent of electrical recording in 1925 did speeds settle down (more or less) to 78 rpm, as advertised.

In any event, on modern equipment, for modern ears, the reader is advised in most cases to “slow it down” from the nominal 78 rpm to a speed that sounds right. For standard selections sung from a published score (such as operatic arias), some experts pitch the recording in the presumed key.

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The Columbia Master Book Discography, 4 Volumes, Complied by Brian Rust and Tim Brooks. Reprinted by permission.