[78-L] Story of the LP (sic)

[Michael Biel]

>  Actually, none of the pre-1948 items was called "LP". Columbia named it that 
>   
>> and launched it in June 1948, so to be specific, yes it's 60 years for the LP, 
>> an anniversary which didn't seem to get much attention that I was aware of.
>>
>> dl
>>     
>
>   
DAVID BURNHAM wrote:
> By the same token, from what I recall of the few years I spent on this planet before 1948 and from any record related items from that period that I've read, no record was referred to as a "78" before 1948.  So, as I've alluded to in previous postings, this is also the 60th anniversary of the "78".   db

Apparently none of those years you spent on this planet before 1948 were 
spent as a broadcaster,  because since at least 1929 they routinely had 
to determine whether any disk smaller than 16-inches was a 33 or 78. 

And while I am at it, while I hate to beat an old horse, I have noticed 
that where ever Columbia uses a typeface with serifs, the "p" in "Lp" or 
"Long playing" is configured as a lower-case letter, not a lowered 
upper-case letter.  Look on the labels that use quote marks around the 
Lp, as in X"Lp" on 12-inchers or "Lp" on 10-inchers.  While the stamped 
letters in the vinyl are all caps, and so is the matrix lettering on the 
label when the quote marks are not used, that is a lower case p.  
Another example is found on the rear cover of CL 670 "Now We Know 
Series".  The first three records listed that are on different speeds 
including Lp.  The others are indicated as 78 rpm and 45 rpm, but the 33 
is indicated as "Lp".  Compare the p in "Lp" and the p in rpm, and the 
upper-case P in the record title Put Your Finger In The Air.   The same 
holds true on the inner-sleeve for the 10th anniversary where they show 
the photos of needle wear and how to put the records on the changer and 
in the sleeve and cleaning it.  At the bottom of the sleeve are four 
bullet points.  Compare the p in "Creators of the Long playing record" 
with the two p's in "Originators of packaged Hi-Fi Phonographs".  This 
is a sans-serif typeface but it is OBVIOUS that the P in Phonographs is 
very different from the two p's in playing and packaged.   Also note in 
the paragraph next to the photo of the records on a shelf that they 
refer to  Extended Play records with an upper-case P.  That they refer 
to Long playing records with a lower case p shows that they are doing so 
in a way to confirm their trademarked way of referring to their system 
trademark

Thus Columbia never intended their system to be called an LP,  Long 
Playing, or long playing, it was always to be Lp or Long playing.  
Upper- case L, lower-case p.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com