[78-L] V-DISC Requests.

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Spats" <spats47 at ntlworld.com>
> I've just acquired a couple of V-Discs.
> I've managed to find some of the recordings, but would appreciate it 
> if anyone could provide me with the dates of recording for the 
> remainder of the tracks.
> 
IIRC, a V-Disc discography was complied and publised by Richard
Sears (?!) some time ago! Like virtually ALL discograhies, it was
actually a manually-typed-out version of what COULD/SHOULD
have been a digital database file!!

We lost VAST amounts of 78-related information in the WWII
"paper drives" that saw irreplaceable documents pulped to allow
the printing of countless "official manuals" which explained in
excrutiating detail whether a Lt. Col. (new battlefield promotion!)
would/could/should "out-rank" a WWI-promoted Major! We
have ALSO "lost" huge amounts of 78-related discographic data
which was only "privately-published" by people like the recently-
late Arthur Badrock...meaning it exists currently in the form of
pamphlets which will most likely be discarded in the process of
"closing out estates"...?!?!

Remember that a discographic work, once digitized, becomes
searchable and sortable! Twenty years ago, my then-employer
offered an interest-free loan to purchase a "home computer."
I borrowed/spent almost $2,500.00 to acquire an 80286-based
machine; my employer gave me dBASE III+, which I used to
"digitize" various discographic compilations, like the Plaza
matrix listing (from RR) and RR's "Perfect" listing! Once I
discovered how easy it was to sort these data files on ANY
field (back then this took about one full minute!!), I realized
all 16,000 3x5 cards had been WASTED effort!!

...stevenc