One collector's eclectic flexi disc collection
Welcome to a peek inside Michael Cumella's collection of flexi discs, phonosheets, cardboard discs, and oddity records, acquired by many years of music collecting and many years of hosting WFMUâs The Antique Phonograph Music Program.
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By Michael Cumella
Welcome to a peek inside my collection of flexi discs, phonosheets, cardboard discs, and oddity records, acquired by many years of music collecting and many years of hosting WFMU’s The Antique Phonograph Music Program. These records have a long and mostly undocumented history, spanning the early 1900s through the 1990s. The products of such forgotten manufacturers as Durium, Auravion, Rainbo, Eva-Tone, and American Audiographics, they are made from metal, shellac, celluloid, or flexible materials like plastic or cardboard. The people who made these records would be astounded that we’ve saved them; far from being pop hits, these recordings were meant to have short lives, to tell, sell, or compel us to take action. Fortunately for us, these wonderful objects—and sounds—live on. Take them for a spin!