[78-L] 10" vs. 12" LPs

[Michael Biel]

-------- Original Message --------
 Subject: [78-L] 10" vs. 12" LPs
 From: Cary Ginell <soundthink at live.com>
 Date: Sat, September 12, 2009 12:52 pm
 To: <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
 
 
 Can anyone briefly explain the history of the first decade of the
long-playing record? These are questions I need to have answered.
 
 
 
 1) Which came first: 10" or 12" LPs? 
 
In all three formats, the Edison LP, the Program Transcription, and the
Microgroove Lp, both 10 and 12 were issued simultaneously in the first
release of each.  Looking at the early catalogs for the microgroove Lp,
every company which issued them issued both sizes right at the start. 
Many followed the Columbia example by using both 10 and 12 for classical
but only 10 for pop and kids.  But even here there were exceptions. 
There were some kids oriented things in the initial Columbia list like
Treasure Island/Peter and the Wolf on 12. 
 
 2) In jazz, why were 10" LPs initially preferred over 12" LPs?
 Look at the early catalogs.  Jazz was not a separate category from pop.
 When Columbia did their earliest 12-inch jazz it was in the ML series
-- Masterworks.  They had to create the CL500 series for 12-inch pop.  
One other reason for companies keeping to 10 inch for pop/jazz at first
is that not all changers could intermix sizes!  Everybody forgets to
factor in hardware in questions like this.  When playing classical on a
changer, it was mainly done for sets, which would be uniform in size, of
course.  Classical single disc albums almost universally needed a
turnover.  Short classical works up to 30 minutes were on 10-inch and
were split in half.  If a work was more than 30 minutes it would be
split on 2 sides of a 12.  At first they mainly resisted putting two 25
minute works on opposite sides of an LP.  But they soon realized that if
a work between 15 and 25 minutes could be put on one side, people WOULD
buy a disc with two different classical works.  That was a new concept
-- and nobody now remembers that!  
 
 
 3) What was the first label to issue a jazz LP and what was the album?
(I'm not including previous experimental or failed attempts, such as the
early '30s RCA Victor "Program Transcriptions). 
 
 Define jazz???  I think there might be some in the first Columbia
release, or at least the first Decca or Capitol releases.  Unfortunately
I do not have my copy of the first Schwann at hand.  That would tell you
-- but you would have to look thru the pop listings!
 
 4) It is my understanding that production of 10" LPs lasted until 1955
or 1956, if you don't count labels like Folkways, which continued them
into the '60s. I'm speaking more of the prevailing release schedule of
popular and classical LPs. 
 
 The Columbia House Party series was their last gasp at a regular
release of 10-inch LPs.  Looking thru the monthly new release listings
in Schwann and The Long Player/Jazz and Pops catalogs in the mid-50s
would answer your question more precisly, and once again I am not near
my sets.  
 
 5) Why did the 45 rpm format fail with regard to jazz in the 1950s?
 
 Most of the pop and jazz LPs were also given a 45 version.  But 45
catalogs are rare.  I recently got a copy of the Harrison 45 catalog Vol
1 No 1 and do not know if there were any further issues.  (Harrison is
mostly noted for the pre-recorded tape catalog and I have about ten
issues of it.)
 
 6) Finally - was the introduction of long-playing records a boon for
bebop, live concerts, and other longer forms of jazz? And did it
similarly spell the death knell for other forms of jazz that did not
need the longer format (swing, Dixieland).   Cary Ginell
 
 Fantasy, Atlantic, and Blue Note were doing these 20-25 minute jazz
sides but I think few others were.  I had a camp counseler in 1957 who
had an album with 25 minute single piece sides he played over and over
and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
and over and over and over and over etc that would put him in a trance
and turned me off avant garde jazz forever.   I don't remember what it
was, but years later I did see a copy of it.  It had a color photo cover
and came out of my sub-conscious when I saw it out of the corner of my
eye.  It brought back many BBBBAAAAAADDDDDDD memories of that summer at
camp.  It was the worst summer of my life, and it had a wailing soprano
sax in it.
 
 Those long-form pieces on LP didn't kill other forms of jazz with
shorter pieces.  Mitch Miller, Hugo Winterhalter, and Elvis Presley did.
 Music moved on.  And the long form jazz pieces didn't get much MAJOR
label interest except maybe Monk and Miles -- who along with Coltrane
completely mystify me.  

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com