[78-L] The Plot Thickens: More About The Mystery Of Bill Broonzy And His Connection to Grayson and Whitter's "Going Down The Lee Highway."

[Michael Biel]

From: Richard Blaustein <rjblaustein at gmail.com>
> As I said before, errors in authoritative sources can set off a
> chain of errors that perpetuate misinformation and misunderstandings.
> A little bit of incorrect knowledge is a dangerous thing.

I just participated in a big argument over on ARSCList where a noted
archivist and cataloger refused to admit that it made any sense to
determine alternate takes by actually listening to and comparing the
actual records even when they are right in front of you.  He preferred
to rely on paperwork.  He actually said this: 

> The only way to determine for certain if a record is an alternate
> take is to have access to the original documentation (or a
> discography that used it) and understand the system the company
> used. Everything else, A/B comparisons, "golden ears," micrometer
> measurements, or my marks on pieces of paper are speculative to
> varying degrees. In the absence of concrete information on how
> a company marked takes in the wax (information I don't have for
> Emerson) it's all just "Bixing."

I know that this will bring guffaws of hysterical laughter from the
collecting community, but I fear that this is the tip of the iceberg of
academics in the archival and librarian community having an undue faith
and reliance in what is on paper than what is in the grooves.  Those of
us with actual experience with the records and the paperwork know
otherwise, but I fear that academic training in cataloging and
librarianship is trumping the real world in some institutions.

I invite you to take a look at this thread on ARSCList between 6/19 and
6/26 "take numbers on emerson records".  You can google it.  You will it
find it very entertaining and exasperating. 

Mike (still recovering from the effort to induce sanity) Biel 
mbiel at mbiel.com