UKC

It seems widely accepted that Son of My Father by Chicory Tip was the 1st single to feature a synthesizer. The duo Silver Apples made electronic music in the 60's and released an album in 1968, but they had live drumming. What was the 1st record released that featured music that was fully electronic? 

I had a record (a single on floppy plastic rather than vinyl) of electronic music back in the late 60s which was free with a copy of Practical Wireless. There were also pieces of music from the BBC's radiophonic workshop dating back to the early 60s or maybe earlier (eg the Dr Who theme) but don't know if any where released as records at the time. There were also several 'modern classical' composers (maybe not the best term) working on electronic music in the 60s

Is there an early Theremin record that features only the Theremin?  If so I reckon that could be the one?

see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_music , much depends on which definition of 'electronic music' you use. The wikipedia page seems to concentrate on composition & performance rather than recordings so doesn't quite answer your question

Very quick research indicates the first such release to be The Fascinating World of Electronic Music, released 1959

https://www.discogs.com/Tom-Dissevelt-Kid-Baltan-The-Fascinating-World-Of-E...

which can be heard at

youtube.com/watch?v=bVl2_MSwmSA&

No, whilst that's described as "arguably the first electronic pop record ever made" it's not the first all electronic music ever recorded.

That's why I was thinking about the Theremin, that's been around since the early 20th century, there must be an early solo recording knocking about?  

EDIT: Does this count?   youtube.com/watch?v=w5qf9O6c20o& 

Wasn't George McCrae's hit Rock Your Baby the first electronic record? Or was the the first drum machine?

An early drum machine record (Roland??) but features conventional instruments (as well as voice) so not fully electronic.

Off topic a bit but I believe Rip It Up by Orange Juice was one of the first singles (probably the first that charted) to use the Roland 303.  Weirdly, it was used as was originally intended as a bass synth... It was a few years before people learnt to turn the LFOs up and make the thing scream!

What did Telstar use?

The question of the OP's is what's the first ever record released...not simply music recorded

No, he wants to know what was the first record that featured only electronic instrumentation (hence discounting the Silver Apples as they had live drumming).

That's why I'm wondering if it's a Theremin solo record as they were invented so early.

The first record released, i.e. the first music recorded would be way, way before that - 1860 google reckons.

according to wikipedia it featured a Clavioline,  an early  form of synthesiser, alongside guitars, bass & drums

That's exactly what I'm looking for. The contribution from Flinticus was interesting though, looks like an album worth hearing.

Interesting. For the 1st use of a synthesizer that seems to beat Chicory Tip by 10 years.

Yeah that does sound good that album, hadn't heard of it before...

This was released on LP in 1957, but I would be surprised if there weren't something else earlier that decade.

youtube.com/watch?v=H4QaMwpVXVM&

It's broadly accepted that the first work of electronic music is Halim El-Dabh's The Expression of Zaar (c.1944) which predates Schaeffer's musique concrete by a few years. This is a recording of a public exorcism ('Zaar') subsequently processed, rather than being synthesised. The Studio für elektronische Musik in Cologne opened in the early 1950s, and this is regarded as being the most important centre for 'pure' electronic music.

Institutional electronic music really begins with Schaeffer's Etude aux chemins de fer, which was broadcast by Radiodiffusion Française (RDF) in 1948.

It's interesting to note that after Wagner's Tannhäuser was performed in Paris in 1861, music was 'reimagined' with some pretty incredible and ridiculous electrical musical instruments in some of the popular French comic journals of the late nineteenth century.

The Forbidden Planet (1956) was, I believe, the first feature film with a wholly electronic score.  (Shakespeare in space, Robbie the robot, monsters from the id etc., cracking film!) 

I don't suppose they did, but if any of the sound track was released as a record that might qualify?

The score was quite Stockhausen-y iirc, but with the addition of a fair bit of noodling on a Theremin.

I was thinking that.

Is there a prize involved in this quiz?

First ever good electronic record?   youtube.com/watch?v=Nm-ISatLDG0& Donna Summer, I feel Love.  Sorry for brow-lowering.  Good track but.

Yeah absolute banger

those were the days!

We were played some electronic/computer music in lessons about 1965 - some of it sounded like the futuristic music played in the opening titles of the puppet TV show "Space Patrol" which was brilliant and rather creepy at times

FC Judd, also well known in Practical Wireless was featured in the credits, also well known in Practical Wireless

Oh come on, you can't talk about 1960's kid's TV without a hat tip to Delia Derbyshire!  It's practically the law.  (Or it should be.) 

I know it's a horrible cliche, but if you haven't listened to it in a while:  youtube.com/watch?v=75V4ClJZME4&
No synthesizers, just samples and loops manipulated with razor blades and sticky tape and still superior to the 2020 version imo.

Really interesting post, thanks. 

'Getting Away with It' was the first ever Electronic record.

Well done! They were great, I liked the 1st album a lot.

Rolf and his Stylophone

Not sure what, if anything, came of this but interesting none the less-http://120years.net/the-free-music-machinepercy-grainger-burnett-cross...

of course, but iirc space patrol might have been a little earlier

Thats a coincidence. This morning I was listening to a lathe cut 12" reissue of Silver Apples "Oscillations" with an Andy Weatherall remix of "The Edge Of Wonder" on the B side. It has lino cut artwork by Simeon Coxe and Weatherall as the sleeve. 

As an aside, DJ Shadow - Endtroducing was allegedly the first ever album entirely constructed from samples.

Preceded by several years by John Oswald's Plunderphonics.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plunderphonics

This was on my A level music syllabus back in the day...

In 1964 Stockhausen composed MIXTUR (MIXTURE) for orchestra, 4 sine-wave generators and 4 ring modulators, work number 16. 

This is just analogue rather than sampled. 

I think Switched on Bach was all Moog synthesisers in 1968.

He admitted that there's a couple of non-sampled bits here and there, I think it's still something like 90% samples though.

Amazing album though.