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The 1900's --- Music hath charm to soothe the savage beast or Make it RAGTIME!

MY GAL SAL sung by Byron G. Harlan would become a hit in 1907 ----- though recorded by him in 1905. It would be number 5 for '07
 
I DO LIKE TO BE BESIDE THE SEASIDE, is a Florrie Forde record hit of 1907. It was written in 1907 in Great Britain and was popularized by Mark Sheridan in the British music halls.
 
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You may have noticed the photographs shown during the playing of I JUST CAN'T MAKE MY EYES BEHAVE, above.
I thought that I would add that the photo of the street scene with the cars and carriages and the imposing French style building sort of in the middle, is of PHILADELPHIA. I believe it is showing Market Street in Philly. And that fancy building at the end of the street is CITY HALL. This building is of the Second Empire Style, built of brick, white marble, and limestone, it is the world's largest free-standing masonry building and was the world's tallest habitable building upon its completion in 1894. That's "Billy" Penn at the top. 1662729511169.png
 
Now, we feature a song that most people should recognize from the chorus, SCHOOL DAYS. It an American popular song written the same year 1907 by Will D. Cobb and Gus Edwards. The subject is of a now grown couple looking back sentimentally on their childhood together in primary school (one room school house). The song was featured in a Broadway show of the same name, the first in a series of Edwards' school acts. SCHOOL DAYS received immediate popularity with both young and old alike. And Byron Harlon made a hit of it in 1907: Yes, you can hear the faint call of the teacher's old hand-bell. When I was in kindergarten the teacher still used one of those to call the kids off the playground. For me that was 1959 --- only yesterday...
 
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HARRIGAN (spelled H, A, double R, I -- G, A , N). The song (written by George M. Cohan) came out in 1907 for a Broadway show which would come out in 1908 -- titled 50 Miles from Broadway and it flopped. However, this song lingers on. Billy Murray would make it a big hit on VICTOR Records in 1907: For your added information, the machine pictured is a VICTOR III and when new it sold for $45.00. It was a good middle of the road instrument in its day ------ and obviously, 115 years later it still works....
 
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Here is a little ditty sung by Ada Jones and Billy Murray. I love these two artists and they were very popular during the much of the acoustic recording period ---- because they recorded so well. The song is titled, LET's TAKE AN OLD FASHIONED WALK which is yet another from Cohen:
 
Byron G. Harlan had a hit with this 1907 tear jerker titled NOBODY's LITTLE GIRL. Such sentimental ditties were always very popular throughout this time period:
 
At this time period people in the middle and upper classes all had a love for the finer things. This was recorded on 1907 and was very popular with the cultured crowd. Here is Louise Homer and Geraldine Farrar singing "Tutti i fior," from Madama Butterfly:
 
The following was a popular bit of vaudeville that became a big recording hit in 1907. It features CAL STEWART as UNCLE JOSH and his wife. The title is THE WEDDING OF UNCLE JOSH AND AUNT NANCY. It is an eye opening bit of turn of the last century humor. And it takes place in the make believe town of Pumpkin Center. This is an early SILVERTONE recording and this routine would be recorded again by various other companies including VICTOR and HARMONY ---- enjoy some good old fashioned comedy. Please note that since there was no audience --- UNCLE JOSH laughed at his own jokes: https://playback.fm/charts/top-100-songs/video/1907/Cal-Stewart-Wedding-of-Uncle-Josh--Aunt-Nancy
 
Another comic hit for 1907 would be the ditty NO WEDDING BELLS FOR ME. Here is a HARMONY Record version of this tune for that year:
 
In 1905 a melody was written that would remain recognizable to this very day. It was a big hit by 1907 and was regarded as a standard waltz tune from the day of its conception. Here is the 1907 EDISON CYLINDER Recording of the MERRY WIDOW WALTZ -- from the Operetta of the same name The Merry Widow (which was also a smash hit): And here is the flat disc VICTOR Record version from the very same year. This would reach number 19 on the charts for that year: NOTE: that the EDISON cylinder only plays for about 2 minutes in 1907. The 10" disc records in contrast played for about 3 minutes. And that of course seems to have become the standard for singles even up to today. I must say that the EDISON recording is absolutely wonderful for this time period, and really displays the recording possibilities of the acoustic phonograph. Be reminded that these recordings were all accomplished in one take ----- one blooper and the entire recording had to be redone!
 
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1907 would bring us one of the most popular "American Indian" topical songs that were sweeping the nation in the early 20th century. Here is a disc VICTOR Record of RED WING sung by Dudley and Macdonough. I must admit that from the first time I heard this song I really enjoyed. I have it on a INDESTRUCTIBLE CYLINDER made of Celluloid:
 
The 1907 year would hear yet another revival of Scott Joplin's MAPLE LEAF RAG from 1899. This one was orchestrated and played by the U.S. Marine Band. It is and was a rip roaring TWO STEP.
And here it is played by an Orchestra and featuring Vess Ossman on the banjo that very same year: ----- Ragtime was fast becoming the craze
 
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Here is a song that really has a bite. Even in 1907 --- being a hypocrite was never actually respectable ---- not even in the old days. And the great Billy Murray is here to put the song across on this EDISON Cylinder Record. HE GOES TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY:
 
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Ada Jones, Billy Murray, and Steve Porter had a hit in 1907 with the clever comedy tune titled WHISTLE IT. You may note that this Zon-o-phone record has a hole drilled in it. The likely reason is that some of the early talking machines had a pin that stuck up from the turntable to prevent slippage of the record while playing and that their own records had a hole designed for this purpose. Other records had to be retrofitted.... This was due to the weight of the horn and soundbox of some of the early machines. By 1907 the "newer" machines had alleviated this problem with the invention of the TONEARM:
 
Without a doubt the number one hit of 1908 was a song that would come to be recognized by everyone who watches baseball to this very day. TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME. It has been sung and recorded over and over: Of course like all songs of the period there were verses, and it's only the chorus that is truly remembered. This song would remain number 1 in 1908 for 16 weeks ----A HOME RUN I'D SAY! The sheet music flew out of the music stores. The song was heard everywhere!
 
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Nat M. Wills was a popular American stage star, vaudeville entertainer, and recording artist at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for his "tramp" persona and for performing humorous or satirical musical numbers and parodies of popular songs of the that time period. Wills was famous for his version of "No News," an old and much copied vaudeville routine. Wills played both a wealthy man returned from a doctor-ordered vacation and a servant reporting the news upon that return. The routine begins with the servant assuring the master there is nothing new to report, "except for one small thing..." which culminates ever growing tragic news.

I find that this routine --- far from putting the servant down ------ rather reveals the such troubles are likely common place to the servant and simply accepted as a part of life in comical way. The reality is that all the calamities are related and yet to the servant the death of the Dog is the focal point or the icing in the cake sort to speak. So, here's a wonderful comic skit from the American Vaudeville era. It is called
NO NEWS, or WHAT KILLED THE DOG:
 
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Here is one of those melodies you simply cannot hate. It lilts along and the words are clever. The song is THE GLOW WORM (some would call it a firefly). This melody became so very popular after it's introduction in 1902 from Paul Lincke's 1902 operetta Lysistrata. It became big popular hit and would remain a standard for many years. It is more than likely that this melody was played aboard the Titanic in 1912. It was the easy listening of its day and also a pleasant tune for dancing. Here is the VICTOR Orchestra 1908 HIT version of THE GLOW WORM: The MILLS BROTHERS would revive this songs chorus in 1952. And here also is the tune played on an INDESTRUCTIBLE Cylinder record of the day:
 
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Harlan would bring the US yet another popular recording in 1908 titled ARE YOU SINCERE, Here it is recorded on an EDISON RECORD:
 
1908 was a great year the Italian song O SOLE MIO. Here is the 12" one sided VICTOR Red Label Record, recorded in March of that year by Emilio de Gogorza:
Click to expand...
 
George M. Cohan would have a hit in 1908 with THE SMALL TOWN GAL:
 
Billy Murray would wow the audience with another big big hit in 1908 titled UNDER ANY OLD FLAG AT ALL: INDESTRUCTIBLE CYLINDER EDISON CYLINDER: VICTOR Record:
 
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