[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."

[simmonssomer]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Biel" <mbiel at mbiel.com>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 4:54 PM
Subject: Re: [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."


> 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
>
>
>
I find that some of those academics are not really interested in the musical 
content but rather the  discograpical  paperwork.
It takes all kinds.

Al S.