[78-L] What's the story on Victor 17959?

David Lennick dlennick at sympatico.ca
Wed Mar 4 20:05:34 PST 2009


Hey.."I'm Glad My Wife's In Europe" bordered on the sick, too.

dl

Taylor Bowie wrote:
> Just seems odd to me that, after the sinking of the Lusitania,  how anyone 
> could issue any sort of comic song about U-Boats...more than 100 Americans 
> lost their lives when she sank.
> 
> 
> Taylor
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "simmonssomer" <simmonssomer at comcast.net>
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 6:39 PM
> Subject: Re: [78-L] What's the story on Victor 17959?
> 
> 
>> Turns out the Lusitania was indeed transporting munitions sub rosa.
>> But it wasn't the U-17 that did her in. It was the U-20.
>>
>>
>> Al Simmons
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: <davdieh at aol.com>
>> To: <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 8:49 PM
>> Subject: Re: [78-L] What's the story on Victor 17959?
>>
>>
>>> On May 7 1916 the NY Times ran a picture of the "Goetz medal," a German
>>> propaganda piece designed to justify the sinking of the Lusitania one 
>>> year
>>> previously. It was reprinted in many periodicals and stirred up a lot of
>>> anti-German sentiment. Probably torpedoed Billy's little joke.
>>> David Diehl
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I was browsing the EDVR and came across a song by Billy Murray entitled
>>> "Down in the U-17", subtitled in the ledgers (but possibly not on the
>>> record)
>>> as "A Musical Torpedo". Curiosity piqued, I looked up the catalogue 
>>> number
>>> it was issued under: Vic 17959, issued in April 1916 and deleted just a
>>> month
>>> later! I found a recording of it at
>>> ?
>>> http://turtleservices.com/downu-17.htm
>>> ?
>>> The fact that it's about a German submarine crew having a merry old time
>>> could certainly have ruffled enough feathers to make Victor have second
>>> thoughts,
>>> but does anyone know for sure? Did Victor themselves make the decision, 
>>> or
>>> were there complaints from record buyers? I guess I've wondered the same
>>> thing
>>> about Jan Garber's recording of "How Could Red Riding Hood?" that was
>>> also apparently withdrawn, even though?quite a few?other bands and 
>>> singers
>>> recorded it without much apparent fuss.
>>> ?
>>> -Harold
>>>
>>>



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