RCA Electronic Synthesizer Sounds orig 4x45rpm box 1955

$

265

The Sounds and Music of the RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer






RCA Victor ERD-1922 Experimental USA 1955 4x45rpm 7" Vinyl: all 8 sides are in the vg+ to ex range
Cover: ex (box fully intact with some minor wear and wrinkles) Ultra rare 45rpm box set version of this amazing artifact, released around the same time as the single lp version, with which it seems to share an identical track listing. But, this issue is a higher-quality audiophile pressing and is also more attractively packaged and includes several inserts - a treasure to find, as few collectors even know of its existence! This is the first album ever to feature a synthesizer. It is also generally regarded as the first album of electronic music (though there were also some early musique concrete recordings which were released around the same time). It's a demonstration of the then-unbelievable capabilities of the RCA Synth, with explanations of the technology and science behind the punchcard-fed, room-sized machine (spoken in a stereotypical 1950s nerdy announcer voice, interspersed with synthesized example sounds), as well as actual music produced by the synth. There are classical works by Bach and Brahms, folk songs ("in the style of a Hillbilly Band"), and pop and jazz (including Irving Berlin's Blue Skies "in the style of a dance band"). The RCA Synth would a few years later be installed at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, where luminaries Vladimir Ussachevsky, Milton Babbitt, Otto Luening, and Charles Wuorinen all composed seminal experimental works using it. The lp was produced by Dr. Harry F. Olson, director of the RCA Acoustical Laboratory. It includes extensive illustrated notes, with essays and diagrams on subjects like "The Physical Properties of Musical Tones, " "Synthesis and the Musician," etc. "Introducing the RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer - a system capable of creating any sound which has ever been produced, and any sound which can be imagined by the human mind..."

This lp should be heard by anyone interested in electronic music and instruments like the Theremin, Oskar Sala and his trautonium, Robert Moog, Donald Buchla/Morton Subotnick, Clara Rockmore, ondes Martenot, Ondioline, Arp, Raymond Scott, Bruce Haack, Jean-Michelle Jarre, Paul Beaver, Bernie Krause, Pierre Henry, Max Mathews, Jean-Claude Risset, Bernard Parmegiani, Herbert Eimert, Robert Beyer, Gottfried Michael Koenig, Jean-Jacques Perrey, Gershon Kingsley, Tom Dissevelt, John R. Pierce, Newman Guttman, James Tenney, Mu-Ziq, Aphex Twin, Autechre, etc... Check out my other auctions this week for more avant garde, experimental, early electronic, electroacoustic, synthesizer, 20th century classical, space-age pop, psych, sound sculpture, and sound effects records. Shipping - US shipping is 4.20 for 1-2 single records by Media Mail, then 0.50 for each additional (Priority Mail, other expedited shipping options, and insurance are all available on request). International shipping for 1 12" lp to Western Europe/UK/Scandinavia is 8.00 surface or 13.00 air; to Japan/Taiwan/Australia is 8.00 surface or 14.50 air; to Canada by air is 7.00; other international destinations vary. 7" and 10" records will cost less; heavy box sets will cost more. Combine multiple items to save on shipping. Note: I can now offer international buyers the super-cheap M-Bag bulk mail rate for orders of 7 or more lps; to most destinations this starts at 21.50 for surface mail or 33.50 for air for up to 17 lps, a huge per-record savings over standard rates for smaller parcels! Feel free to email with any shipping questions. Payment - I prefer Paypal (which allows for fastest possible shipment) and also accept cash, money order (from US financial institutions only, including BidPay, US Postal, certified US bank check, etc., international bidders please take note!), and Western Union money transfer. If you are paying by Paypal and have won multiple items, please use a single Paypal payment. I will send an invoice email to all winners shortly after my auctions close, and another email after payment has been received to confirm item shipment. Packing - I pack professionally using new record mailers exclusively from Cameron Packaging (which I have determined are the best and most protective). For used lps, I remove the lp and inserts from the jacket, cover it in a layer of bubble wrap, and then reinforce it with a cardboard insert. All records are shipped with poly plastic sleeves. All packages are completely sealed with strong packing tape covering all openings. If you'd like your package done any differently, just let me know. Feel free to email me if you have any questions (need more info, want more pictures, etc.); you can use the 'ask seller a question' link above. My condition rating scale is -G+/-VG+/-EX+/-NM/M (only sealed records are M). Satisfaction guaranteed; if you have any problems with your order please contact me directly. Check out Ebay[track], my free realtime ebay auction tracker (currently in beta), which can refresh multiple auction statuses every second, alert you when bids are placed and when auctions end, let you place bids, and more. It's a useful tool for bidders, snipers, sellers, watchers... This item description is (c)opyright 2006 keymap records; please contact keymap records for permission before reproducing any text.