Tuesday 24 June 2014

Mr John Sleep Gramophone Engineer

The Arcadia 78 RPM Orchestra has just received back two gramophones serviced and repaired by esteemed gramophone engineer Mr John Sleep. Perched high above Crantock Bay on the north coast of Cornwall, his workshop is a wonder to behold. Mr Sleep also buys and sells vintage gramophones and has a tantalisingly large amount of 78 recordings sitting on his sturdy shelves. If you have a vintage gramophone in need of treatment or indeed wish to purchase one, please contact him below.


Mr John Sleep









Monday 23 June 2014

Pass ! Shoot !! Goal !!!

With World Cup fever gripping the garden shed we thought it a fine idea to place Albert Whelan on the wheel of steel. Albert was considered one of the few Australians able to make an impression on the English music hall stage. Here he monologues away creating possibly the worlds first football record. Released in 1931 on 10" shellac this recording was a favourite of John Peel and can be found on a Trikont CD entitled John Peel & Sheila The Pig's Big 78s. YouTube link below.








                                                                       Albert on YouTube





Tuesday 17 June 2014

Hard, Medium, Soft

For Port Eliot we will mainly be using, what is known in the trade as, the "hard needle" Three grades of needle can be used for increasing or decreasing the volume. A few years ago at the Holifair Festival in Cornwall is was deemed necessary to whip out the hard needles in order to take on the gabba/rave/techno outfit that appeared alongside us. We called it a draw but they probably hadn't even noticed us.

Generally we prefer to relax with the medium but as the beer takes hold by the river we have to be prepared.














Tuesday 10 June 2014

Death of Bing

It happens. It happens all the time actually. Fragile shellac, possibly not heard for 80 years, can mysteriously crack, seemingly of it's own volition. Best not to get attached to any one particular record. Poor Bing Crosby here suffered a slip between sheds. Never liked his version of Danny Boy anyway.











Monday 9 June 2014





 The Orchestra makes an appearance at the Port Eliot Festival this summer. Living members of the Orchestra are Mike Brett, Andrew Marston and Stephen Parker. Those not living are too many to mention, but we honour these lost artists and their souls by placing shellac on steel by the River Lynher on the Caught By The River estuary site.