In the 1950s and the 60s no voice
recording devices were available to us and music for us meant music from the
radio and the records played on the gramophones /record players. Reel to reel
tape recorders also known as spool type recorders were the only familiar
recording device which were not freely available in the market though. Rare imported sets of brands like
Phillips,Akai, Grundig, Pioneer, Panasonic etc., could be seen in some
affluent/fortunate households. Out of
this, the Grundig spool tape recorders were the most seen. Despite various
sizes of the spools and the cumbersome procedure to play them and record on
them they were still coveted objects of music lovers. As youngsters, who could
ill afford to buy even gramophone records and record players, they remained as
one more item in our long list of gadgets to be acquired as and when our purse could
oblige. The U.M.S. Radio factory at Coimbatore who used to manufacture the popular
brand of UMS Radios under technical collaboration with Grundig, Germany, we thought,
would bring out the Grundig model recorders in the local market at affordable
prices. But our hopes were belied when the UMS-Grundig tie-up was terminated in
1970.
The position remained so till the
beginning of the 70s when there was a
revolution in the Indian music scene with the arrival of compact cassette
recorders. The portability of the device, affordable price, operational
convenience and availability of choice made cassette recorders a huge hit. Panasonic, Sharp, Akai, Bush, Philips and
similar brands made in India were available to the consumers. Soon they totally replaced records and record
players. Since then there has been a sea change in the way people recorded
their music and voice and the recording industry has gained dizzying heights
with the explosion of digital technology.
But the desire to acquire a spool
tape recorder, though latent, remained strong within. Years later it was with
great thrill that I could get an antique
Grundig Reel to Reel tape recorder, the 1970 Model TK.141 made in Germany, in very good working condition. It has a
spool size of 6 inches with four track recording facility. Even after almost
half a century the set looks beautiful without any noticeable scratches inside
or outside the box. Of course thorough cleaning and a bit of polishing along
with servicing by an expert old hand
helped. The famous Grundig logo is very
much there on the box in all its glory. Yes, the Grundig TK 141 is a proud item
on my shelf of old music systems.
Looking at my small collection of
gramophone records, record players, old radios, compact cassettes and cassette
players and so on I often wonder what purpose will it serve and what is
the use of having all of them when clear,
cultivated and enriched music is available at one’s finger tips from anywhere
in the house with a smart phone and a bluetooth enabled speaker system. Occasional
visitors and friends also expressed the same thoughts and a few of them, I
thought, even felt sympathy towards me. I can see them wondering what will
happen to these old gadgets when once I leave the scene sooner than later
though what happened to the equipments then is of no consequence to me. But the
fact remains that more and more people, especially the young generation, is
taking keen interest in collecting these gadgets, mainly gramophone records,
record players and old valve radios as evidenced by the huge demand for them
and the consequent increase in price. People are prepared to pay fancy prices
for them. A visit to some of the sites like E-bay and Amazon will prove the
point. Vinyl records are staging a big revival world over with many music
companies cutting new LP records.
Coming back to the point as to what
drives the young and old to take to radios and record players, etc., the
reasons appear to be different for each. For the young it could be their
curiosity. For those pursuing it as a hobby it probably is a compelling need.
For the old it is nostalgia, the pleasure of walking down the memory lane and
enjoying music as they enjoyed it in the
past. For the lovers of old music in general they offer a number of endearing
features.
They feel that the warmth of sound, especially
human voice, coming from an old radio or record player is nearest to the
original. For them there is no better way of listening to Rafi, Lata,
Talat,Noorjahan, K.L.Saigal, Hemant Kumar and so on, than on the radio or
record player. They point out that, for many, an old wall clock with a pendulum
chiming every hour/half hour is a dynamic presence in the living room. Similarly,
for them, a record player/changer with a LP record turning in circles, filling
the room with music and, at the end of the record the playing arm going
back on its own and resting on its small
pedestal is an enduring dynamic experience.This
is ‘visible’ music for them. Besides, they feel that there is the need for
active involvement of the listener in the process of listening. In a modern
gadget a mere touch of the screen or a click/tap on the pad produces music. But
on an old radio searching for favourite stations and tuning in becomes a
skilled job! On a record player the
process starts from taking out the
record from its jacket, wiping it, placing it carefully on the turn table,
adjusting the speed, switching the set on, lifting the arm and placing the
stylus(needle)gently on the edge of the turning record without shivering of the hand and then adjusting the
volume level. The ardent user took pride in placing the stylus on the record
without the help of the cuing lever which many record players provide. Yes, it
is music hands on! One more point. One can listen to music at random without an option to select the song. A radio offers this. The pleasure of suddenly hearing an old much loved song over the radio is immense. One can also select a favourite song and listen. A record player offers this.
These points may be real and valid.
They may be imaginary and arguable. But the lovable, old music devices
continue to fascinate a whole lot of music enthusiasts even today.
Tail piece:- Grundig A.G., the German
giant in consumer entertainment electronics since 1930 and a very popular household
brand in India went bankrupt in 2003.
The brand GRUNDIG itself has now become memory!
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| 1957 Grundig Ad. |
