[78-L] Lee Wiley/Liberty Music Shop

[Michael Biel]

Thanks for the help.  I would really like to find an exact recording
date for the Music Box recordings but early early Feb could be possible.
 These two albums were reviewed together in April 1940's American Record
Guide: "Liberty evidently set a precedent when it brought out the
Gershwin album for shortly thereafter Rabson issued the Rodgers and
Hart."  The two reviews that followed on that page are for Rodgers'
R&Hart Columbia C-11 and Pinocchio RCA P-18.   

Han Enderman wrote:
>> Was the Rabsons' release also issued in 1940, parallel with Gala? Label is not in ARLIE.
>> The Music Box Album is pres. identical to the Gala Album.

My research shows that it is obvious that the original issue was Music
Box. Since it seems the Gala discs are also numbered 1-4, they might be
the first Gala issue.  When did Gala go into business?

>> And Rabson is incorrect; label name is Music Box, released by Rabsons' Music Shop.

I've seen the records and have photographed them.  Yes the label name on
the Rodgers and Hart is Music Box, and the store which commissioned
them, and whose name IS on the label, is "Rabson's Music Shop, 111 West
52nd St. New York City".  It is easy to miss the label name Music Box at
the top of the label when the store name and address takes up most of
the lower half! 

> I'm pretty sure the Gala issue is later. Both sets appear to be Decca-type pressings.

This seems to be the only issue that Rabson made on Music Box.  There is
no indication as to what distribution they had to other stores beyond
their own store, likewise Liberty Music Shop and Gramophone Shop
Varieties.  We know that Commodore was widely distributed.  Geoffrey
Wheeler can probably provide the answer.  The reason I bring this all up
is because the Gala issue might be a replacement for national
distribution.

> I have both but the Music Box is in a substitute 
> album, so no info from the liner of that one.

I can send the photos of the cover and liner notes.  Also, the cover is
one of the alternate photos on the Amazon page for the CD, Vol 3. except
that the two Music Box copies I photographed had a binding with vertical
candy striped pink and purple cloth binding rather than the black
pebbled paper that is in the photo, and the title printing is a much
darker red-purple.  What does the Gala cover look like?  Is this photo
really the Gala, not the Music Box?  
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B00009QGDZ/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_1?ie=UTF8&index=1

>> All Galas (1-4) state "Recorded by Ernie Anderson".

> As for LMS, my set consists of 3 laminated pressings and one
> non-laminated, and get this..Ernie Anderson's name appears
> on the laminated pressings only!   dl 

Interesting.  Makes it seem obvious that the non-laminated are later,
and the pressings I saw at R&H were laminated with Ernie's credit.

Thanks for the discographical info, making it obvious the Liberty
session was earlier than the Columbia sessions with Rodgers, but that
Columbia was blindsided when the plans also included a R&Hart album
issued simultaneously if not earlier.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com