Edison Amberol Record

Brand produced and marketed by Thomas Edison's National Phonograph Company between 1908-1912. These records were developed in response to market pressure for records that held more than 2 minutes of material. Because Edison had rejected celluloid as a molding medium in the 1890s, competitors including Thomas B. Lambert were able to patent processes for producing virtually unbreakable cylinders (see Lambert Indestructible Record and its successor the Indestructible Record). Instead, Edison's engineers developed a longer playing cylinder with finer grooves than those on 2 minute cylinders, but these records were quite fragile and prone to premature wear, breakage and low volume. Following several years of complaints from customers and dealers alike, the brand was abruptly discontinued and replaced by the vastly better Edison Blue Amberol Record in late 1912, which was made possible by the expiration of Thomas B. Lambert's patents. Trivia Earliest issued Amberols (the first 60 ones [with New York Military Band's "[I]I'm Afraid to Come Home in the Dark[/I]" being the last one]) featured introduction speech (like many other phonograph cylinders made before the end of 1908)