The Gramophone Cabinet


the records heard on the street, catalogued as they arrive

Records in Sweet Street are collectibles, not a menu: found in the attic, in Pettigrew’s occasional stock, in the post from a housemate. Each one is a real 78 rpm recording, and this page is the cabinet’s catalogue — the labels are the credits.

No.1
The Merry Widow WaltzVictor Dance Orchestra · after Franz Lehár
Recorded
1907
Label
Victor
Found in
an archive.org collection

found: through the party wall from No. 3 — the street’s own waltz, most evenings

No.2
Gems from The Balkan PrincessVictor Light Opera Company · Rubens & Wimperis
Recorded
1911
Label
Victor 31821
Found in
an archive.org collection

found: in the post from a housemate — a whole chorus singing in the next room

No.3
Imperial Edward MarchSousa’s Band · by John Philip Sousa
Recorded
1903
Label
Victor
Found in
the Great 78 Project

found: in the attic, the day you moved in — bright brass, dedicated to the King himself

No.4
Stop Yer Tickling, Jock!sung by Mr. Harry Lauder · Scotch comic
Recorded
1904 · London
Label
Gramophone Concert Record V.42573
Found in
the Great 78 Project

found: Pettigrew’s occasional stock — for close up in the parlour, never through the wall

All four recordings were published before 1923 and are in the public domain in the United States and the United Kingdom, recordings and compositions both. The transfers come from the Great 78 Project (the Internet Archive with George Blood L.P.) and from independent collections on archive.org. Nothing is owed; crediting the collections anyway is the point. More records join the cabinet as each one is cleared.