[a fool in paradise]

Growing up I had turntables that could play 16RPM records but I never owned one until around 2000 (and don’t have a capable player).

Last year I saw some 7” albums (from the 50s) that play at 8RPM (even the 16 RPM setting would be double speed!).

[Squawk 8888]

There was a 16 2/3 RPM “extended play” format that never really caught on. My dad had one in his collection; it was a 10” disc.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

“Growing up I had turntables that could play 16RPM records”

My parents’ turntable played 16RPM. That’s how I learned to play Doc Watson tunes. Put on the 33RPM record, and play it at 16RPM.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Growing up I had turntables that could play 16RPM records but I never owned one...worked for a couple of years engineering for the campus radio station - as I recall we did have big discs - probably at least fourteen inches - that played at 16 RPM - they were public service announcements - buy bonds and that sort of thing - our station at Penn shared a lot of programming with Temple University, but they somehow were able to run paid commercials while we were non-profit and could run only PSA's - for awhile when it came to a program break, the engineer would have to have the PSA running on one turntable while the commercial (for cigarettes usually back then) would be running on a second and using a foot switch would "split feed" the commercial to Temple while the PSA went out locally - the juggling act ended only when the tech staff got on the ball and installed tape decks that allowed the whole process with the throw of a single switch.

Gotta say I never even heard of 8RPM's - some low-fi recorded talking-book kind of thing maybe.....