HIT PARADE STORY - The Legendary WURLITZER Sound

1. MOONLIGHT SERENADE
2. AMERICAN PATROL
3. IN THE MOOD
4. THAT OLD FEELING
5. NATURE BOY
6. SABRE DANCE
7. WASH BOARD BLUES
8. AIN'T MISHEHAVIN'
9. DIZZY'S DILEMMA
10. SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY
11. O SOLE MIO
12. POEME
13. RIVER BOAT SHUFFLE
14. TEMPTATION RAG
15. LOVER
16. BASIN STREET BLUES
17. RHAPSODY IN BLUE

We all have pleasant memories of jukeboxes, and at least once in our lives we have bought a few moments of joy by putting a coin into the slot of one of these magical music dispensers. But only a few of us have really stopped to wonder about how the juke box began - that machine standing silently at the back of the café where we dash in for a quick drink. We sometimes see the forebears of the juke box at antique shows and auctions, or photos of them in books, and above al in old American films. Over the last decade, juke box collecting has become more and more popular; Charlotte Rampling has one in her bedroom and another in the bathroom, John Lennon had one in his New York apartment, Dustin Hoffman's holds pride of place in his living room and other proud owners are Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney. But what are the origins of the juke box and how did it become such a strong part of popular tradition? We can be sure that in 1887, when Thomas Alva Edison invented the phonograph, he could never have imagined this means of spreading the popularity of music. The frenetic activity and intellectual vigour of the early part of this century brought the technological development of the juke box to its peak and in America, at the end of the twenties, the Great Depression contributed to the popularity of this fascinating music machine; night spots and speakeasies which could not afford an orchestra installed a juke box: all you needed was a coin to listen to a song. This era also saw the birth in America of the concepts of industrial design and style, the production of a range of objects where quality ni design was emphasised; top designers applied their creativity to the juke box too. Paul Fuller, in particular, created notable designs for Wurlitzer Co. combining music with light, colour and movement. The cabinets were built ni precious woods and illuminated phenolicresins with art deco friezes, which enticed the luxury nightclub patrons to put a coin in the slot to hear the latest hits. The inspiration for this disc came during a meeting at the Turin Salone della Musica, where the music publisher Giulio Cesare Ricci met us, Elisabetta and Paolo De Angelis, owners of the Turin company OLD. We spent a pleasant evening together listening to music on our juke boxes, and then Giulio Cesare Ricci said: "Why don't we try recording directly from the juke box with the legendary Neumann U47 microphones?" We loved the idea and it led to the presentation of this compact disc. We want to pass on the feeling which sparked our enthusiasm forthe juke box. We live in a highly technological age, music si produced in computerised recording studios using very expensive equipment and the results are undoubtedly excellent, later to be appreciated on sophisticated stereo equipment. But nothing can match the sound of 78s played on gramophones invented specifically for them. We believe there's no better sound than a Glenn Miller 78 played on our 1941 Wurlitzer juke box. Our hope is to infect many with our enthusiasm for this musical tradition, not only collectors and connoisseurs, so that even those who don't possess a Wurlitzer juke box can feel the infinite pleasure of putting a nickel in a slot and listening to are cording of days gone by.

Elisabetta e Paolo De Angelis English translation: Jane Elizabeth Read