[78-L] Tops and Top 10 and so on

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill McClung" <bmcclung at ix.netcom.com>
> When I come accross a Tops or Top 10 or other multitrack "hit" 78 I never 
> recognize the artists.  The only ones I've bought have songs sung by 
> Scatman Crothers on Top.
> Are there any of these artists that I should know or were there any done 
> under a pseudonym?
>
These are, to me, the "last unexplored frontier" of 78rpm discography! I 
have tried
to keep seperated my holdings of  "multi-track" 78's...what I have learned 
so far:

1) The tracks seem to have been mastered individually. I have seen MT's with
identical single tracks which are parts of different track groupings...?!

2) Since the artists were otherwise unknown, I doubt if we shall EVER know
if the credits are actual artists or "noms du disque"...?! The only 
exception I
have run across is "Preston Sandiford" (a band leader on several MT's). I
searched that name on the Internet, and it seems to have been the real name
of an actual bandleader!

As noted, one group of these labels appears to have involved Enoch Light...
who is usually credited on most if not all the labels. These often have 
"Artie
Malvin" (IIRC) as vocalist...another apparent REAL performer, Further,
a lot of these were pressed in NJ...very probably by "Synthetic Plastics"
(a rather oxymoronic name) who pressed MANY post-WWII 78's.

What we need (I think?!) is to assemble a database listing as many MT's
as possible...with titles and the names to which they were credited. I have
often wondered if the same tracks show up using different credits on
different issues; I do have two MT records which feature the same track
with the same credit, but do NOT use the same three tracks on the
records...!

Steven C. Barr