[78-L] Aeolian-Vocalion Question

[Harold Aherne]

Let's see if I can get this right:
 
1917-1919 (or early 1920):
vertical cut/black shellac/Aeolian-Vocalion/label at 
http://www.denvernightingale.com/labels/aeolian1.html
 
1919-1920:
lateral cut/black shellac/Aeolian-Vocalion/label at
http://www.denvernightingale.com/labels/aeolian2.html
 
1920-1921:
lateral cut/red shellac/Aeolian-Vocalion/label essentially the same 
as in the vertical-cut years
 
1921-1925: 
lateral cut/red shellac/Vocalion/label at
http://majesticrecord.com/_wizardimages/Vocalion_Aeolian_titlebox.jpg
 
And afterwards, Vocalion was always in black shellac during the Brunswick
and the ARC days, although the label stayed pretty much the same as in the
early 20s. For a brief time in 1934-35 the black-and-gold scheme was reversed.
In 1935 the label was finally replaced with, for lack of a better term, a "scroll"
design, and in late 1936 or early 1937 the blue & gold motif was adopted (anyone
know precisely when?). Vocalion was dormant in North America during most of 
the 40s, but Decca brought it back in 1949-ish, in a plain silver-on-blue design.
 
In Britain, the Vocalion name was used from 1920-27, 1936-40, and 1951-54.
The earliest are mostly numbered in an X-9000 series and the design is not too 
dissimilar to U.S. Vocalion of the same time, although "Aeolian" was rendered in 
a plain serif script (and eventually disapperead). The late 30s used a simpler lettering 
style for the Vocalion name, and this series was devoted mostly to jazz. Can't say
much about the 50s iteration. The Vocalion parent company remained active
until 1932, producing the various Broadcast makes, which continued for a while after
Crystalate bought the company that year. Crystalate went to English Decca in 1937.
To make things even simpler (ha!), I think the Vocalion name was active continuously
in Australia during this period, although I don't know much about their activities there.
 
Was English Vocalion included in Brunswick's 1924 acquisition of the Vocalion
record arm from the Aeolian company? I'm inclined to think not, since the two
Vocalions (Vocalia?) have a fairly separate corporate history (the British company
used the "Marconi" electrical process from 1926--I don't know how much longer
American Vocalion masters appeared on the British label). 
 
-Harold
 
 


--- On Tue, 4/14/09, Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com> wrote:


From: Michael Biel <mbiel at mbiel.com>
Subject: Re: [78-L] Aeolian-Vocalion Question
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 7:27 PM

Weren't the Aeolians British recordings?  Is this an American or British 
pressing?

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com 
_______________________________________________
78-L mailing list
78-L at klickitat.78online.com
http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l