When the Ford Motor Company introduced its new Edsel line for 1958, it expected a winner. What it got was a catastrophe.The Edsel (named for a son of Henry Ford) quickly became another word for failure - a product scorned for its inability to live up to its advance promotion as a new kind of car. It turned out to be a fancy Ford with an ugly snout, overpriced and unreliable. Within three years it was dead.
This 10-inch record is a souvenir of the pre-release euphoria. An Edsel fan site explains, "In August 1957, Edsel Division staged the Dealer Introduction Show for Edsel dealers. Presented in five regional cities (and later in 24 more performances with touring companies) the production was billed as the first all-musical automobile introduction. The program cost $250,000 to stage and featured a 12 member chorus. Holding together the various presentations by Edsel Division executives, was a thin story line about 'Adam and Eve', the first Edsel customers. Looking back, the lyrics are quite ironic, depicting, as they do, unbridled optimism and visions of great success for the Edsel automobile."
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| "Once you've seen it, you'll never forget it": how true |
Don't expect much of a story. "Adam and Eve," perhaps reflecting FoMoCo marketing confusion, don't have much of an idea of what they want in a car, nor what the Edsel offers them. Side two switches perspective; we hear from a proud Edsel dealer, as well as his wife, who celebrates the status attached to being the spouse of an Edsel retailer. Their hauteur that would be short-lived, to be sure.
I enjoy industrial musicals and have a number of examples of the genre. This is one of the rarer items, although mp3s can be found elsewhere on line. My transfer is lossless, if that makes a difference to you.
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| Back cover: scenes from the Edsel spectacular |
