Crazy Calliope

Organist Meinert, whose RCA records are equally interesting, here tackles an 1895 Wurlitzer steam calliope. According to the LP, it was the last of its kind still operating ("courtesy of Horn's Cars of Yesterday, Sarasota, Florida"). The calliope sounds like breathier, more demented version of merry-go-round music, or a cross between recorders and a pipe organ. There are other sounds as well. Selections are suitably old, such as "Tiger Rag" and "Chinatown, My Chinatown." This is not a hip record, but fans of organ, quirky music in general, and nostalgia should appreciate its novelty or uniqueness.