My Robot Is Pregnant theme song!

The concept of a record album comes from these old 78 rpm discs. Each side of the record held about four minutes of music, enough for one track. To capture the whole recording session, a folder of three or four records were combined into an “album”, like a photo album.

Later, as technology allowed for skinnier grooves and thus more music on a single side, 33 rpm’s were still (somewhat*) erroneously called albums.

*Footnote to self – A 33 1/3 Long Play LP can be considered in album in a different sense, because there is a collection of songs contained in a single place. An LP is a condensed album. CD’s contain “music files”. Interesting that a collection of music is no longer called an album unless we slip into the slang of our parents. Like calling a cd a record. It is a recorded piece of music, but record has a more visceral connotation of black vinyl to most of us.

78′s made in the 1920′s were usually this sepia/brown color

EXREMELY RARE ALBUM – ONLY ONE COPY IN EXISTANCE!!!!!

This little seven inch was marketed by victor records for amatuer singers to record themselves. The problem was, it required special needles to hear them, so people couldn’t send their recordings to their friends with a regular 78 rpm record player. By limiting the ability of the owner to share their music, the technology quickly failed. This ought to be a lesson to Microsoft and their Zune player. Turns out proprietary equipment is not a new concept to big business.

My friend the veteran record collector who owned at the height of his collection almost 40,000 78′s threw this home recording on his brass horned Victrola and we could just faintly hear a woman singing a capella beneath a wash of static. It was kinda magical.

I’m selling the last of the chemistry stuff I found in a dumpster. Be sure to check ebay for any burettes, boiling flasks or urinometers you may need.

By the way, MacDonald put up a little video of Red Simpson.

The 101 is a dusty road in November, the farthest point from rainy season until any day now when the clouds get black and start crying over brushfires. Of course water can be trucked in and lots is, so the dry golden hills have swatches of verdure patchworked on the flatland at their feet. This particular pattern is called broccoli.

Sean MacDonald and his first child, Briar. Sean is about to get on the 101 and head south to Oildale via Bakersfield. The destination is Trout’s, a good ol’ bar where Red Simpson plays every monday evening from 7 till 10.

The dry dusty highway we told you about.

It holds surprises.

A whole different way of life than what we’re used to.

Even the people look different.

However, the sun will rise and set the same all over the world.

Yes, even in Bakersfield.

In a little town on the outskirts of Bakersfield a man named Merle Haggard was born in the abandoned boxcar his family lived in. Years later another man, Red Simpson, wrote songs for Merle to record and had a string of hits himself. Truck driving country western songs, a genre that exploded in the CB radio 1970′s. This little town is called Oildale and Red was here onstage at Trout’s to play for all the folks who cared to listen.

Happy Birthday Sean!