1948ZenithCobramatic

This 1926 release is on the French 'Pathe' label and has the very unusual splatter (red and black) shellac platter.

This 1926 release is on the French 'Pathe' label and has the very unusual splatter (red and black) shellac platter.

This 78 RPM shellac record was released in 1926.

This 78 RPM shellac record was released in 1944.

This 78 RPM shellac record was released in 1919.

This single-sided 78 RPM, shellac, Ireland-themed record was released in the USA in 1915 for 75 cents...that's $23 in 2024!

This 78 RPM shellac record was released in 1922.

This shellac 78 RPM record was originally released in 1924. It features The Trubadours playing 'I Wonder What's Become Of Sally' on the B-side.

This 78 RPM record was released in 1923.

Early 20th Century 78 RPM recording of Scotch melodies by Arthur Pryor's Band.

78 RPM shellac record from 1924: the Hilo Hawaiian Orchestra playing 'Moana Chimes.'

Classic WWII-era 78 RPM shellac record

This video demonstrates the capacity of this obsolete record player to play an iconic song on old vinyl. Led Zeppelin's 1969 album was recorded in stereo, which doesn't come through on this old mono Cobramatic, but the song still sounds good!

My 1948 Zenith CobraMatic is playing Side 1, Album 1 of Legendary Singers – Peggy Lee, a 2 Record LP / Box Set that also came with liner notes discussing the music. Time Life Records released this compilation of 1950s work in the mid-1980s.

My 1948 Zenith CobraMatic is playing Side 1, Album 1 of Legendary Singers – Andy Williams, a 2 Record LP / Box Set that also came with liner notes discussing the music. Time Life Records released this compilation of 1950s work in the mid-1980s.

My 1948 Zenith CobraMatic is playing Side 1, Album 1 of Legendary Singers – Ella Fitzgerald, a 2 Record LP / Box Set that also came with liner notes discussing the music. Time Life Records released this compilation of 1950s work in the mid-1980s.

My 1948 Zenith CobraMatic is playing Side 1, Album 1 of Legendary Singers – Harry Belafonte, a 2 Record LP / Box Set that also came with liner notes discussing the music. Time Life Records released this compilation of 1950s work in the mid-1980s.

My 1948 Zenith CobraMatic is playing Side 1, Album 1 of Legendary Singers – Nat King Cole, a 2 Record LP / Box Set that also came with liner notes discussing the music. Time Life Records released this compilation of 1950s work in the mid-1980s.

My 1948 Zenith CobraMatic is playing Side 1, Album 1 of Legendary Singers – Frank Sinatra, a 2 Record LP / Box Set that also came with liner notes discussing the music. Time Life Records released this compilation of 1950s work in the mid-1980s.

My 1948 Zenith CobraMatic is playing Side 1, Album 1 of Legendary Singers – Perry Como, a 2 Record LP / Box Set that also came with liner notes discussing the music. Time Life Records released this compilation of 1950s work in the mid-1980s.

My CobraMatic is playing Side 1, Album 1 of Legendary Singers - Bing Crosby, a 2 Record LP / Box Set that also came with liner notes discussing the music. Time Life Records released this compilation of 1950s work in the mid-1980s.

This video demonstrates the capacity of this obsolete record player to play a great song on old vinyl: Wedding Bell Blues by The 5th Dimension. This LP was played a lot back in the day, so the sound isn't as crisp as it was when new. But it's a half-century old, so I'm not complaining! I get goosebumps listening to this song. Marilyn McCoo’s voice is incredibly powerful. The production was just right. The back-up singers were spot on. But then, as I was putting the video together, it dawned on me that the “Bill” she’s singing to was her band mate, Billy Davis Jr., who McCoo married in 1969. I’ve since learned that there’s more to the story than that, something having to do with a scandalous public affair involving the heiress to the John Deer fortune back in the Summer of Love (1967), but who cares…it’s a great song.

This 10-inch, 78 rpm shellac (not vinyl!) Victor disk features the Victor Band playing a 1919 rendition of Heroes All, a march. Check out the B-side of Victor 19425, where the same band plays the Freeland Kendrick March: https://rumble.com/vdajqp-freeland-kendrick-march-1924.html

This 10-inch, 78 rpm shellac (not vinyl!) Victor disk features the Victor Band playing the Freeland Kendrick March in 1924. Check out the B-side of Victor 19425, where the same band plays Heroes All, which is also a march: https://rumble.com/vdakv9-1948-zenith-cobramatic-plays-heroes-all-1919.html

My CobraMatic is playing Side 1 of Disneyland Records’ The Wizard of Oz. The record and illustrated book was released in 1969, but it plays like it’s brand new.