The Americana and roots music authority

Tom Waits w/78rpm Single, Rec Player

(Blurt Online) Oy, it's enough to make you grab the phone and call up Mom to see if your old drop-down Magnovox record player - the one with four speeds - is still stashed away in the attic.

No less a 78rpm-fan than Tom Waits collaborated last with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on two tracks for the Preservation project, and now "Tootie Ma Was A Big Fine Thing" and "Corrine Died on the Battlefield" are about to be issued as a vinyl 78. It arrives on November 19, and hear are the details per Waits' website:

The two tracks will now be packaged in a special limited edition 78 rpm format record, each signed and numbered by Preservation Hall Creative Director Ben Jaffe. The first one hundred records will be accompanied by a custom-made Preservation Hall 78rpm record player as part of a Deluxe Donation package. The remaining four hundred and four will be available as a standalone record for the Basic Donation package.

This special limited edition recording will be made available in two different tiers, based on the level of donation: Deluxe Donation Tier: $200 - Limited Edition 78rpm record featuring Tom Waits & The Preservation Hall Jazz Band AND a custom-made Preservation Hall 78 record players - and Basic Donation Tier: $50 - Limited Edition 78rpm record featuring Tom Waits & The Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Both packages will be available for in-person purchase at Preservation Hall in New Orleans on November 19, 2010 at 10:00am Central and available for purchase online November 20th here.

Wait - did they say "custom-made Preservation Hall 78rpm record player"?!? That's right; as the photo above details, you can get your very own custom, standalone turntable, just like they used to make ‘em (internal amp/speaker included - although it's hard to tell from the photo if it will also play 45s, 33 1/3 LPs and 16rpm kids' records). Now THAT is entertainment.

And THAT is limited, too. 100 packages plus 404 records ain't much, so don't be a slowpoke on those days it all goes on sale...

Comment by Will James on October 17, 2010 at 1:08pm: Crazy. Stupid. Just crazy stupid. (And that from a vinyl freak.)

Comment by steviedal on October 17, 2010 at 2:42pm: Whazzat , about £130 quid ? Bargain for the ultimate Waits rarity . I know guys who paid £250 just to see him live on the last tour , at least this you can keep........

Comment by Adam Sheets on October 17, 2010 at 7:34pm: Yeah, Will it is far too expensive, but I do like the general concept of it and hopefully artists will give us more of this in the future at a more reasonable price.

Comment by Will James on October 17, 2010 at 8:30pm: @Adam, Just curious, what is the general concept and why do you like it? I must admit to not being an expert on the analog quality differentials of turntable/record rotational speeds. Is 78 better? Will Waits' voice sound good at that speed?

Comment by Adam Sheets on October 17, 2010 at 8:50pm: I just like the "throwback" format, especially if the music is appropriate.

I'm also not an expert on sound quality and technical things like that, but I am somebody who simply "likes" the sound of vinyl over modern and digital mediums. 78 records do have a unique sound, though, judging from the ones in my collection. There was more surface noise on a 78, but the main consideration in the move to 45s and LPs was not sound, but space. The average 10-inch 78 could hold roughly 3 1/2 minutes per side and thus five or six records were needed for an album.

Later formats were also considered "unbreakable" (although, as I've found out, it can be done), whereas 78s were made of shellac and could be broken more easily.

Comment by Craig Young on October 17, 2010 at 8:58pm: I was listening to some original Sun 78's at a friends house about a week ago and I nearly melted...

Comment by Adam Sheets on October 17, 2010 at 9:08pm: I have three Johnny Cash 78s, a Jerry Lee, and, although I've never played it, Elvis- "Milkcow Blues Boogie"/"You're a Heartbreaker." Also have some good '40s blues, R&B, and jazz, although the overwhelming majority of my collection is on 45s and LPs.

Comment by KW on October 19, 2010 at 5:46am: "Later formats were also considered "unbreakable" (although, as I've found out, it can be done), whereas 78s were made of shellac and could be broken more easily."

That's the rub here; it's not a shellac 78, it's a vinyl 78, so essentially it's a big 7" that runs at 78 rpm instead of 45 rpm. Now, if this was a Tom Waits/PHJB wax cylinder....

Comment by Toni H on October 19, 2010 at 9:31am: No doubt about it - this is cool and for a very good cause. 78's sound great and I'm lucky enough to have a hot rodded turntable that will play 'em.

Comment by The Longest Day of the Year on October 26, 2010 at 7:19am: I don't think that is bad at all for a limited edition record player with the record. $200 for what I suppose is a very nice piece of equipment. I can't imagine they would give out crappy record players when the actual record is going to be so damn good.