[78-L] Non-Transcription OTR on 78 (was Decca Specialty Series(DAU-x))

[David Lennick]

Elizabeth McLeod wrote about these some time back..I'm sure they were for sale 
in regular outlets, but I'm also sure that they were gone by 1948 because 
that's when my parents bought 3 of the albums in Buffalo, each with the price 
marked down from $4 to $1.99. I understand that the project was a cooperative 
affair with the performers owning the rights to the recordings. No idea why 
there were only 7 albums when the series was called Top Ten, and who might have 
been in line to make up the 3 remaining ones..maybe Fred Allen, maybe Bob Hope 
who'd already put out his own set on Capitol (which didn't stop McGee and 
Molly), maybe they couldn't come up with a full ten.

dl

Bill McClung wrote:
> Can someone tell me more about "Top Ten."  I have all seven albums.  I have
> it in my head that they were done as some kind of premium and may not have
> been for sale everywhere.
> 
> 
>> [Original Message]
>> From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
>> To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>> Date: 7/5/2009 10:06:15 AM
>> Subject: Re: [78-L] Non-Transcription OTR on 78 (was Decca Specialty
> Series(DAU-x))
>> There was a series issued in 1947 called "Top Ten", which for some reason
> only 
>> had 7 issues. 4-disc albums, mostly of sketches running 3 to 6 minutes (1
> ran 9 
>> and the Cantor album contained a complete story line). All were recorded
> for 
>> these albums, not taken from broadcasts. Amos 'n' Andy, Jack Benny, Edgar 
>> Bergan & Charlie McCarthy, Fibber McGee and Molly, Duffy's Tavern, Eddie
> Cantor 
>> and Burns & Allen. There was a "Breakfast In Hollywood" set which I
> believe DID 
>> use excerpts from broadcasts, there was a "Truth or Consequences" album
> on 
>> Mercury, there were a couple of dramas like Archibald McLeish's "Air
> Raid" and 
>> Corwin's VE Day Salute "On A Note of Triumph" issued by Columbia, there
> was 
>> "The Lonesome Train" on Decca, and Mike Biel will likely step in and add
> to the 
>> list.
>>
>> dl
>>
>> agp wrote:
>>> Thanks everyone for info on the Decca Specialty Series (DAU-x) 
>>> releases. I was particularly interested because of the content as -- 
>>> and it sorta goes hand in hand -- I am an old time radio fan too. 
>>> Being that the records of Sorry Wrong Number are OTR-ish, I was 
>>> interested in finding out if there were similar records issued. I 
>>> know that there is the Fibber McGee and Molly Christmas show album 
>>> (on Capitol) , and some Amos and Andy records on Victor. But I wonder 
>>> what other shows/ episodes proved so popular that albums where made 
>>> of them for the general public. And by that I don't mean the later 
>>> issues on vinyl lps, but rather issued contemporaneously.
>>>
>>> T
>>>
>>>