ROBERT CONRAD -- 10-Inch 33 RPM Private Pressing -- NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY BAND

$

123

This unnumbered and privately pressed 10-inch 33 RPM record has typewritten labels and was pressed by Custom Sound Studios in Evanston, Illinois, home of Northwestern University. The content - as labeled and as verified through playback - is "Tubby the Tuba", Parts 1 and 2, played by the Northwestern University Band, with the narrator identified on the labels as Robert Conrad. It is undated, but the 10-inch 33-rpm format suggests the 1950's. Custom Sound Studios were better known for their series of parakeet training records. Their releases listed on Discogs are all dated 1953.

According to Wikipedia, Robert Conrad (later the star of "Wild Wild West", "Hawaiian Eye" and other TV and movie productions), studied Theater Arts at Northwestern, graduating in 1955 with a B.S. degree. Since I have found no reference to this recording on any of the websites I've visited, I have to assume this recording was a low-profile student production, probably released only in this privately pressed format, and presumably created while Conrad was still an undergraduate. 

So how scarce is it? Well, the relevant questions are: How many copies were pressed? And how many of those copies still exist? I've looked online, and I can't find the answers to either of these questions. Nor can I find any other copies in existence, so forgive me if I set the starting price protectively high.

Unfortunately, the record is not in very good condition. Both sides look beautifully shiny, but with some troublesome looking scuffs and scratches and needle digs, as well as a slight warp at the edge. Both sides have some typical background hiss and crackle, as well as some clicks and pops and passages of ticking or thudding. Additionally, Side One starts off with the needle skipping forwards a couple of times, and Side Two opens with the needle repeating after just a few revolutions - the rest of the side plays through fine. Because of variations in tracking ability, filtering technology and needle weights, I can offer no guarantees as to how well it will play on your equipment.

Oh, and I'm not sure how significant this is, or who wrote it, but the name "Conrad" is handwritten on both labels.

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