Posted on 01/21/2022 4:24:55 PM PST by nickcarraway
A record collector has unearthed a super-rare commentary of an Old Firm match dating back to 1907.
Shane Quentin was stunned to discover the record in a box of discs he bought at an auction for just six pounds.
The 59-year-old, from Carnoustie, has now sent the record to experts to clean up and produce a top notch copy.
At present the sound quality is poor and only a few words can be made out.
The 'International Zonophone Company' recording is of comedian, Jock Whiteford, getting excited describing a Rangers v Celtic derby back in 1907 with crowd noises in the background.
It predates any radio coverage from the time which first began later in the century.
Speaking to The Record, Shane told us of his shock at the discovery.
Dundee City Council announces £880k winter funding boost for locals struggling this Christmas He said: “After listening through I found it was a comedian describing an old firm derby, with crowd noises and all.
“I have also found out from an American collector that it is from 1907 and not 1904 as I originally thought.
“It's still incredibly early of course and this was before radio commentary on matches, it was even before the radio industry was started in 1913.”
There were three Old Firm matches in 1907 with Rangers winning two, including a Glasgow Charity Cup final at Cathkin Park in May, in front of 35,000 spectators.
It is unclear what match the recording relates to or how much it’s worth today.
Shane - who picked up the record at an auction in Auchtermuchty, Fife - is hoping the match details will become clearer once the recording is tidied up.
He added: “I won it for £6 in a box of old 78's and 7" singles.
“I was actually bidding for the singles but do have quite an eclectic collection of 78's too - spoken word, royalty, blues and jazz so when I went through the old shellac disc the football one caught my eye.
“The earliest 78 that I have before I found this one is 'the sound of a captive nightingale' released in 1910 on HMV.”
Wonder if you could hear them rioting.
Nice.
Shocking song title. It’s even on Spotify now (I’m not a member).
Arthur Collins and Byron Harlan “popular comic duo.”
Early one sided original master records of Al Jolson were used to make copies for public sale and each had little boxes for check marks of how many times they were pressed. I think it was 10 each before the originals were thrown out. Some were the last masters left on earth. Lost treasures.
Once in a while a lost Jolson record would be found on a high shelf box in someone’s old garage and would be added to the known song versions of the great singer.
All news to me. If any old NY folk singers and agents are alive maybe their Soviet Communist pals had some.
From Wikipedia:
The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow.
My first SCUBA instructor was a Scotsman, former oil rig diver in the North Sea. You had to pay attention!
Although the fans of Celtic and Rangers tend to come from the Irish diaspora. Celtic is the Catholic team, and Rangers is the Protestant team.
My maternal Grandmother and her two siblings were born in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1900-1910 timeframe. Roman Catholic Irish, they lived in “The Barras” (Irish Catholic ghetto) and assisted at mass at St. Alphonsus parish. That parish was the focus of a lot of Anti-Catholic sentiment, including not-infrequent parades that would proceed right past the front doors if the church building. Those parades would feature raucus protestants freely venting their disparaging opinions to any and all Catholics therein assembled. Among Glaswegian, Catholics were certainly persona non grata at that time, and must have at least felt the heat of threats of violence, even if they were not typically being physically attacked.
I don't understand this English.
It's a dark and stormy night, and a man is clinging to the girders of the Railway Bridge. He shouts, "Ah'm gaun tae jump!" A crowd gathers, and a man steps out of the crowd.
"Dinna jump! Think o' yir family!"
Sullenly, "Ah hae nae fam'ly!"
"Well, then, yir friends."
"Ah hae nae friends."
"Well, then, for the sake o' guid auld Ranger!"
"Ah dinna support Ranger!"
Pause as the good Samaritan thinks. Well, a man's life's at stake: "Then, for the sake o' guid auld Celtic!"
"Ah dinna support Celtic!"
"Aweel, jump then ye bluidy atheist!"
Thanks nickcarraway.
Of course, if you said it was rap, not only could you sell it, you could play it on level 10 while riding around in your convertible.
It’s true. I putting gas in my truck one day and guy drives up blasting a “song” with the lyrics...”NIGGER, NIGGER, NIGGER” an other obscene stuff. He was black so it was OK, right.
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