Jan 302011
Here from the Phantom Circuit record vault are two examples of what seems to be called “splatter vinyl” records: a psychedelic mix of hues in the vinyl adds more than a splash of colour to these 78 rpm children’s records made in 1962.
These two examples are labelled as being on the “Happy Time Records” label, an imprint of Pickwick International. They came with a toy gramophone, which gouged the records with a vicious-looking needle attached to a simple speaker.
Google image search shows many other examples of splatter vinyl, mostly aimed at the older record buyer.
Phantom Circuit is a show offering strange and wonderful sound waves: music that is alien, electronic, exotic, essential.
I had a couple of Happy Time records. The best was Boris Karloff telling The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. (Good for me, bad for Boris.) Years later I went back to find the record and there was the sleeve all intact! Unfortunately inside was ‘Tom Jones Live in Las Vegas’.
Spooky.