<<   >>  February 25 / Flexo / Flexi

     In addition to the regular procession of unrelated entries, I'm going to try and do a sort of 'theme' every so often. The point of this is to force myself to post bits of larger topics that my brain usually tries to sit on until I've followed up every loose thread (Which never happens). There will probably be no rhyme or reason to the the 'themes,' and some will be more exhaustive than others. This time around it's going to be Vinyl Anomolies. Let me know how it all works out for you.

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     Over Christmas, I impulsively bought a book called Vinyl Junkies, without ever having heard of it. It's another 'fast' book, with each chapter focusing on the record collector theme from a different angle. Some chapters lay on the 'old guy romance' a bit heavy, but there are enough really interesting chapters (The 'professional record hunter' chapter in particular) to make it worthwhile.

     One of the sections of the book deals with R. Crumb and his collection. In the quoted interviews, he mentions the Flexo record company of California, who manufactured flexible records:

     "Living in the Bay area at the height of the psychedelic explosion, Crumb let those records and that movement pass him by. Why go after those records when you can find something as exotic as records on the Flexo label - a short-lived San Francisco outfit that made 78's that actually bent? "Nobody knows what they're made of, because they kept the formula a secret. It was a small company in the 20's and 30's who actually made unb reakable, flexible records, and they've held up pretty well over the years. And there's some really excellent music on them - San Francisco jazz and dance bands who have only been on Flexo. Over the years I lived out there, I only ever found two or three of them. Terry [Zwigoff] beat me on that one - he looked in the phonebook and found that one of the band leaders was still alive. And somehow I never thought of using the phonebook. "

     My interest was piqued, so I did a bit of internet research on Flexo records. A little searching with google turned up this company profile, written by director Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World) in the liner notes for 'San Francisco Jazz - The Flexo Recordings 1930-1932:'

     "Flexo Records were the brainchild Of Jesse J. Warner. Originally manufactured in Kansas City starting in 1925, the "flexible" record that Warner designed and unsuccessfully tried to patent came in a variety of colors. Used originally for private custom records in sizes ranging from 3" to 16", and playable at speeds of 78RPM or 33 1/3RPM, the "New Flexo" rcords, as they became known, also included a handful of commercial sides by the Johnnie Campbell Orchestra, a black band which recorded tunes including "Tin Roof Blues" and "Jimtown Blues".

     By 1929, the Kansas City company had moved to San Francisco with Warner as recording engineer. "The Pacific Coast Record Company" was located at 1040 Geary Street. Many West Coast bands recorded for Flexo...including Jack Coakley's Tait at the Beach Orchestra, Lew Reynolds Flexo Recording Orchestra, and George Druck's Sweet's Ballroom Orchestra.

     Jack Coakley served as "musical director" for Flexo until 1932. His band recorded at least a dozen popular tunes of the day. Flexo continued to specialize in private recordings as well.

     None of the musicians present at the various recording sessions remember how or where "Flexos" were sold. They don't recall selling or giving them away at band performances.

     One clue to the marketing of Flexos comes from a four page Pacific Coast Record Catalog that lists Flexos #100-134. Numbers 100-122 are ten inches in diameter and play from the inside out @ .75 each. Numbers 123-134 are eight inches in diameter and play from the outside in @ .40 each. Here's how the catalog touts "unbreakable records":

     "Phonograph manufacturers have beeen searching for years and the record buying public has been looking forward to obtaining a record that is UNBREAKABLE AND EVERLASTING. The new FLEXO RECORD meets these requirements. It cannot be BROKEN OR CRACKED; is of light weight for easy mailing and does not mutilate or mar easily. The new FLEXO RECORD is constructed of a specially processed material sufficiently delicate to produce the finest and natural tone qualities. The new FlEXO RECORDS have been put through the most trying and extraordinary tests, they have been thrown in the streets, run over by automobiles and trucks for hours at a time, they have been layed out under the burning rays of the hot summer sun without materially affecting their rendition qualities. They will wear almost indefinitely and are a permanent and lasting record. The PACIFIC COAST RECORD CORPORATION, in the production of the new FLEXO RECORD, has also developed the recording of sound waves by an entirely new process of phongraph recording, giving you a true reproduction of all sounds from the blare of a brass band to the whispered word. Only use the ordinary, new steel needle for the reproduction of the FLEXO RECORD.

     It seems Warner was more the inventor type than a marketing genius, and by 1934, the Pacific Record Company declared bankruptcy. Another company started up at the same address called Titan Productions which continued to produce mostly advertising records and radio transcriptions --and employed J.J. Warner--until 1939."

     I also found a great site called The Internet Museum of Flexi / Cardboard / Oddity Records that includes images and sound clips form an original flexo record.

     These pictures are a start, but I'm most interested in the 'flexible' properties of these records. I was unable to find anything else online about the flexo label. I've yet to see a flexo record come up for auction on eBay, and I'm sure if one ever does the bidding will be way beyond what I'm willing to pay to satisfy my curiousity.

     The rest of the Flexi / Cardboard / Oddity Records site, however, is interesting in its own right. Among the well-remembered cereal box and other food related promotional records are some true anomolies. These include playable records that were used as POSTAGE in Bhutan, a Psychedelic Furs 7" that had the song pressed onto the 7" AND the sleeve itself, and a Brian Wilson-penned flexidisc that was included with certain Barbie dolls.

     For the technically inclined reader, there is a discussion of the flexi (not flexo) manufacturing process here.