[78-L] Columbia Archive Series

[David Weiner]

I have all three but I don't remember which labels I have them on.  It
seems like Columbia couldn't make up its mind as to what they wanted to
do with these but wanted to somehow get in on the action from Jolson's
comeback and Cantor's early TV fame.  But anything else they had of
these two were probably acoustical (except the Jolson "Used To You"
which wasn't a very good song, and "Hallelujah I'm A Bum" which was a
weird song) and they had no confidence in acousticals being able to
satisfy customers accustomed with how they sounded now.  With the LP
coming in they probably didn't want to put acousticals on this new
format that they were trying to sell on sound quality.  Come to think of
it, what were the first acousticals put on LP?  "The Old Curiosity Shop"
on RCA Victor?   And some Carusos?  

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com 

Aside From the "Bum" song, Columbia also had "You Are Too Beautiful" from
the same film, but that was the only other electrical Jolson in their files,
as he had left the label in 1923.  "Used to You" was a Brunswick, then owned
by Decca.

Cantor left Columbia in 1925, but had done two or three very early
electricals before going - they likely would have sounded as dated as
acousticals to early 50s ears. 

Save W.