[78-L] 78 album covers (was Album Covers & Sleeve info) (was: Alex Steinweiss article)

[Michael Biel]

Michael Biel wrote:
> the original LP (which I have in front of me) of Carousel has a
> 1949 copyright date on the LP cover, but of course the 78 had
> come out years earlier with the same cover design and the earlier date. 

Have you looked to see if that pressing is by Decca or Columbia?

That is why I had it out, and was still looking for the message
discussing your copy to answer it.  It has no characteristics of
Columbia.  The label is black with gold print, the stamped numbers are
plain, the suffixes are T12 and T5, on both sides there is elsewhere a 4
inside a circle and on side two there is also a 2 in a circle, the
lead-outs are rapid, and the lead ins are about turns.  I presume it is
Decca.  I'm looking to see what other early Decca LPs Leah might have
here. 

>>> And then once the LP era came along, both Columbia and Victor went
>>> back to generic covers for many of their late 78 classical albums!
> 
> I don't see that in the U.S. Maybe they did in Canada, but not here. 

Definitely in the US..I have a number of very late classical sets on
Columbia, 
such as David Diamond's "Romeo and Juliet", which have (as I recall) a
generic 
red and white cover showing something like a music stand with sheet
music and a 
hand holding a baton.

YES, I know what you mean.  I think I have one or two of these with a
dowel box.  These might date from after Steinweiss left Columbia.

> Title info was on the "sheet music", style similar to the tombstone
> cover of similar vintage. Most of these weren't even issued on 78 in 
> Canada.

The problem Columbia had with some of these 78 sets is that there was no
LP cover they could use because these were often only half of the LP.  I
really need someone to find me the Godfrey-Kosty Peter and the Wolf
because I think it is the last MM 78, and is only half the LP.  

> Oddly enough, Canadian Columbia almost never used the Steinweiss covers!
> We got plain covers much of the time and when they did go for artwork or 
> illustrations, they came up with their own. Frederick Stock's recording
> of the Rumanian Rhapsody is one of the few with the same cover.  dl

Get out your camera.  I might need photos of these eventually.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com