Cook Records was a quirky label of the 1950s and 60s that was known for good sound and esoteric repertoire. If I think about the Cook releases in my own collection, I can come up with recordings of steam locomotives and steel bands - and this collection of the sounds of antique music boxes.
 |
| Emory Cook |
Emory Cook was also a very early experimenter with stereophonic sound, even to the extent of inventing his own "binaural" system with two grooves on the same record. (He is demonstrating the binaural system in the photo.)
 |
| Regina music box |
The record at hand is not a binaural LP. It is an atmospheric mono recording of music boxes in the collection of George and Madeleine Brown. True to his code, Cook did not edit out the mechanical noises of these devices, and the clacking and clunking is a little distracting for those of us listening at home and not watching these machines in action. But the tunes are nonetheless charming - even though some of them have little to do with Christmas ("Stabat Mater"??).
On the back of the record, there is a key to what music boxes you are hearing, but the descriptions are inexact and there are no photos. So while I have included photos of several of these boxes in the download, I am not certain that these are the exact models you are hearing. But least it will give you an idea.
