[78-L] Interesting LP

David Lennick dlennick at sympatico.ca
Sat Dec 5 12:52:15 PST 2009


Michael Biel wrote:
> David Lennick wrote:
>> 25 cents got me the first numbered Westminster LP, WL 50-1. Interesting. The 
>> jacket looks like a Vox/Polydor product from the same period (1950) with a 
>> plain front cover, the company name printed in gold in the upper left and the 
>> titles in black on gold in the lower right.
> What company cut and pressed it?  Columbia?  I've seen a couple of early 
> Westminster with green labels like Columbia Masterworks shows

Columbia, Green label, as you describe.

>>  And the recording details credit 
>> Rangertone Magnetic Tape Equipment, under the personal direction of Col. R. H. 
>> Ranger. I haven't seen these credits anywhere else.
>>
>>   
> 
> Col. Ranger was the third person noted to have been involved with the 
> Magnetophon during the liberation who sent home machines. Jack Mullins 
> rebuilt his machines and got involved with Bing Crosby and Ampex.  J 
> Herbert Orr went home to Opelika Alabama and founded Orradio and made 
> Irish tape which was later taken over by Ampex.  Ranger started a 
> recorder business in competition with Ampex, Magnacord, Stencal-Hoffman 
> and Brush.  I read that he had bid on a contract with a broadcaster 
> around 1948 and his machine worked poorly that day which affected his 
> company greatly. 

Wonder what became of his company? And if Columbia cut and pressed this, what 
was Ranger's involvement, since the tape was recorded in Vienna?

dl




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