nothing really matters

October 14, 2016 5:41 AM

A 100 year old fair ground organ plays Bohemian Rhapsody.

More Bohemian Rhapsody:

10 tenors: these guys seem to have misplaced their electric guitar. These people also replace guitar, this time with meows. (previously)

Lots of versions! The Muppets version, (previously) Very cool ukelele version (previously) Official Version, Wayne's World version, Weird Al Polka version.

Here's a whole Stadium singing, another clip from above (previously)

Not content to cover, we also have parodies: not one but two Star Wars parodies.

Bohemian Rhapsody on metafilter: previously, previously, and others I haven't linked to.

posted by freethefeet (25 comments total)

Freddie would have LOVED that organ.
posted by yhbc at 6:02 AM on October 14, 2016 [10 favorites]

Bad-ass. I saw one of these old fairground organs in person a couple of weeks ago, next to a little carousel. What an awesome piece of machinery, and an absolute riot of noise. I could have watched it go all day long.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:07 AM on October 14, 2016 [2 favorites]

I'd like to hear it play the soundtrack to Carnival of Souls.
posted by NoMich at 6:16 AM on October 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

This reminds me of a pipe organ that I once saw in (or near) Lancaster, PA. 20+ years later, I still wish I had asked the guy to play 'Louie, Louie'.

I am looking at a long day today. This is the perfect way to start my Friday.

Thanks for posting!
posted by dfm500 at 6:22 AM on October 14, 2016

Thank you!
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 6:26 AM on October 14, 2016

There's a similar Fair organ at Walt Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, but the one in the OP is even better!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:34 AM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

Around 45 seconds in, it briefly shows a stack of other songs nearby. What I could read: Anitra's Dance, In The Mood For Love, Valencia, and Mack The Knife.
posted by RobotHero at 6:42 AM on October 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

If anyone's ever in Norfolk (UK), Thursford is worth a visit. They have a good collection of fairground organs, including a few by Marenghi like the one in the video. You'll also get a chance to hear Robert Wolfe do his thing on the Wurlitzer.

Further west, there's also Dingles near Lifton in Devon. They also have vintage dodgems and some great old fairground rides in working order.
posted by pipeski at 6:49 AM on October 14, 2016

I'd love to see the programming process. Someone has to put together those long (heavy paper? cardstock?) sheets and cut the tracks into them. The result certainly doesnt look hand-cut, so there's a keypunch-like machine somewhere. Cool find!
posted by Mogur at 6:55 AM on October 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

You missed the best one.
posted by Literaryhero at 7:08 AM on October 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

I just adored that organ. Bohemian Rhapsody is wonderful and lends itself to entertaining recontextualization, but that first clip would have been a fine standalone FPP, it was a magnificent find. Thank you.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:19 AM on October 14, 2016 [2 favorites]

The organ is awesome. If you like that kind of musical automata, and you're ever in Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley, try to get a tour of the Nethercutt Collection.
posted by 2N2222 at 8:27 AM on October 14, 2016

I built a calliope awhile back. I have not gotten around to making a card reader for it so it sits on a shelf in the back of my shop.
You can see it here before it was finished, (it will never really finished).
posted by boilermonster at 9:29 AM on October 14, 2016 [6 favorites]

I like that it's called the "Ideal Orchestra" — no musicians to pay!
posted by OverlappingElvis at 9:35 AM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

"Garth Marenghi's Ideal Orchestre"
posted by Tesseractive at 12:38 PM on October 14, 2016 [2 favorites]

I watched that organ play and just could not keep this wistful happy little smile off my face. Thanks for this post.
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 2:01 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

I just realized why Guitar Hero and Rock Band song sessions look the way they do after seeing what organ music sheets look like
posted by Hermione Granger at 2:38 PM on October 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

The guys who designed and built that deserves a Nobel prize.
posted by bonobothegreat at 5:36 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

I built a calliope awhile back.......aaaand finger straight to the favourite button.
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:49 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

I also made a guitar/shotgun. A duet is in order.
posted by boilermonster at 10:52 PM on October 14, 2016

Shoulda mounted the pickup elsewhere so the gun part would be useful for an 1812 Overture cover.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:04 AM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

Gun has a PU in the receiver ,if you really neck up on it it sounds like a angry grey whale. the gun barrel does some weird resonance. Can.t really play the gun and the guitar at the same time.
If you slide the pump it comes through the amp.
posted by boilermonster at 9:25 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

MP3s or GTFO
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:08 PM on October 15, 2016

Not a very good guntar video
posted by boilermonster at 11:29 PM on October 15, 2016 [2 favorites]

Nice!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 6:26 AM on October 16, 2016