45's and other: The Scoop
Now, you may be wondering why this page is titled 45's and other. In reality, the "other" type of record I'm talking about is an Edison Disc record: they spin at 80 RPM, rather than 78 RPM (as the name for Shellac records suggests). In my collection, I have several 45's, which were actually introduced as competition for the LP (they were to be released as box sets for each album, since 45's hold only two songs. This proved to be costly and impractical, and thus the 45 instead became the format for distributing singles, much like the 78's (also held two to three songs). Since the 45's have a bigger hole in the middle, an adapter is required to play them (turntables usually come with them). The Edison Diamond Disc record I have is most likely from the 1920's, and since I don't have a 78 stylus, I cannot play it on my equipment. Also, unlike 78's, Edison records are filled with wood flour or China clay, rather than Shellac. But nonetheless, these records are an important part of Edison, New Jersey's history, and they serve as interesting artifacts from the past.