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

[Michael Biel]

David Lennick wrote:
> Lp in the circle, LP in the copy..49 times (by my count) in the 1949 catalog. 
> The circle logo appears exactly once. All other times, it's upper case LP.
>
> David "My turn at the horse" Lennick
>
>   

Let me at that carcass.   (We're starting to sound like Sarah Palin.)   
That catalog was printed Sept . 15, 1948.  Maybe after they saw it they 
came to their senses.  I don't have the 1950 or 51 catalogs (they would 
be an important part of this narrative.)  But in the 1952 catalog they 
are putting quote marks around "Lp" every time it is used, and it is 
obviously lower-case p.  This is by the time the labels started to use 
the quote marks in the matrix prefixes.  But there is one use of a 
capitol P in ". . . modern Long Playing record." on page 7.  Looks like 
the legal department took it one step at a time!!! 

Mike (horse-burger anyone?) Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com 

> Michael Biel wrote:
>
>   
>> 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
>> ________________________________