[78-L] Advent of Electrical Recording

[Michael Biel]

Radio Recorders make perfect sense since they are the studio which
recorded all of CBS Hollywood's linechecks.  Considering the confusing
matter of the CBS takeover of Columbia in Dec 38, the introduction of
16-inch safety lacquers in 1939 at the same time as the possible use of
World starting in 1939 also makes sense -- I've just never heard about
this possibility before.  Seth might know, and I will probably see him
tomorrow.  I do not remember anybody mentioning vertical on the
safeties, but then again, I had not heard that mentioned about Decca
either before the discussion a couple of weeks ago.  As for the payment
of royalties to Western Electric, since as I mentioned World exclusively
used Western Electric equipment, it might not have made any difference
if they used their own WE setups or World's.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com

-------- Original Message --------

From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>


Steven C. Barr wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Michael Biel" <mbiel at mbiel.com>
>> From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
>>> This W actually refers to World, which did the recording for Columbia
>>> for a while in the early CBS period. I don't think Columbia was using
>>> Western Electric after the early 30s. dl
>> I think you have it backwards. Wasn't it Decca where the lead matrix
>> prefix letter W denotes World? Remember the discussion with Doug Pomoroy
>> last week about the Decca vertical masters of the operettas? And by the
>> way, World used ONLY Western Electric equipment. Their labels note that
>> Sound Studios of NY was a Western Electric licensee. 
>>
> A bit of both, actually! On Decca (1948?-when?!).the initial "W" indicated
> the side had been cut at the World facility; on Columbia/Okeh, it indicated
> the recording had been cut using the Western Electric electrical system.
> 
> Steven C. Barr

I'm trying to find the reference..actually I thought it came from David
Diehl. 
Many Columbias from 1939 into about 1941 (?) have W before the CO or XCO

prefixes, and my understanding is that these were recorded by World.
They're 
certainly far superior to any from that period that don't have the
prefix. In 
the same fashion, late 40s and early 50s Columbias recorded in Hollywood
have 
an R before the HCO if they were recorded by Radio Recorders. Decca
bought 
World around 1942 and sold it to Ziv a few years later, but W prefixes
on 
Deccas stay a lot longer.

dl