The Iconography of Recorded Sound, 1886-1986
The Iconography of Recorded Sound, 1886-1986
by Michael Corenthal
When one thinks of a world-changing hotspot of recorded music, few think of Wisconsin. Michael Corenthal shows us otherwise, tying together the history of Wisconsin record manufacturers, regional collectors, and the crossroads of traveling musicians, radio, and recording methods into an intriguing and useful book.
Not that Wisconsin is the sole topic of the book (unlike another of Corenthal’s other books) — Corenthal knows his topic, and uses it to the best of his ability; the book would be half as interesting if the personal anecdotes about Wisconsin were left out in preference of bland, factual information. The book is not particularly contiguous, but breaks up the content in three major parts. First, the Introduction, is a collection of short Corenthal anecdotes, supplying a witty and engaging look at his collection and collecting. The introduction is almost post-modern in its lack of a linear story, but this is to the book’s advantage. It does an excellent job of explaining Corenthal’s collection, his interest in creating a book about the history of recorded sound, and what it is to be a real record collector in Corenthal’s eyes. He holds no restraint in calling an unscrupulous record dealer a “pirate,” considering big-money record collecting conventions distasteful, and gently ribbing on young record collectors’ amassed vinyl LPs as insufficient. The expression of love of the hunt and his passion in finding obscure and rare recording shows through as well, giving a view inside the collector’s mind.
The second major section of the book are the interviews and profiles of master record collectors. Five people are described and interviewed: Phil Balistreri, Dr Allen G Debus, Dr John Grams, Ford Porter, and Larry Wing. If I could give you further links, I would, but these record experts do not appear any other place but this particular book. All are in, or very close to, Wisconsin, and sound like Corenthal’s friends and acquaintances in collecting. While pulling together five Wisconsin collectors risks finding five indistinguishable people whose stories are nearly identical, Corenthal instead pulls together five quite different men with engaging life stories. The connection of recorded music to their lives is a strong component of each interview, but hearing each person talk about how their live intersects their collection is both interesting and informative.
Feeling somewhat like an afterthought, the rest of the book consists of black-and-white photos of prime examples of various recording methods and technologies (which completely puts my article to shame). These parts of the book, however, are expansive but insufficient. Each example gets barely a paragraph of description, and while some are entertaining many fall short of explaining the relevance of that particular item’s inclusion in the book. Corenthal does make some interesting statements when looking at modern technology, such as his inclusion of VHS and its impact on recordings, and by considering the CD to be the logical extension of disc recorded rather than an unwelcome replacement. The book could easily have been five times the size and included more of these examples, or these could have been cut completely and Corenthal could have written more about the topic and included more interviewers.
Despite the duality of the book, the reading sections are entertaining and engaging, while the historical photos and notes are quite interesting to scan through and look for things that haven’t been seen before. It also includes several pages of bibliography, a discography of referenced music, and a useful but incomplete index. The book was originally published in 1986 and can probably be considered out-of-print, but my copy was purchased for me by my daughter only a few months ago at a new bookstore, and new and used copies are available online through various outlets.
The Iconography of Recorded Sound, 1886-1986
by Michael Corenthal
ISBN: 0318215659
Paperback, 8-1/2″ x 11″, 243 pages
Published by Yesterday’s Memories, Milwaukee WI
