[78-L] Lee Wiley/Liberty Music Shop

[David Lennick]

The Lee Wiley Gala labels have GALA in block letters, like many of the 
hard-edged Dwight Fiske discs. Willie Howard and Belle Baker's albums have GALA 
in Olde English style. Both Willie and Belle's albums have marquee artwork on 
the cover and both are conducted by Harley Dainger (whoever he be). Belle's 
album, btw, credits a guest appearance by the world's greatest trombonist, Muni 
Zudekoff (bonus points for anyone who identifies him). Willie's album is Gala 
#1, discs 1000/2. Belle's album is #3, discs 1006/8. I don't know what album #2 
is and for that matter, I've never found the Belle Baker album complete. 
Belle's matrices are 103/108, Willie's matrices are 115/120 and were cut at two 
different studios! #119 is clearly Reeves while the others look as if they were 
cut at Schmuyle's Record-Your-Voice booth on Coney Island (or by Timely) and 
the matrix numbers are machine-cut  with each "1" facing the wrong way, but the 
numbers are not reversed. Willie's album says "Novelty Record Company" on the 
labels. Belle's..no such credit. Rust says "c. 1940" for Belle and doesn't list 
Willie at all. The liner notes to Willie's album refer to him as "now the star 
of the Broadway hit, 1942 Priorities". The Belle Baker album has no notes.

And now I see David Diehl with a review of the Willie Howard album and 
"Favorite Mfg Co"! I think Gala got their stuff cut and pressed wherever they 
could.

Back to Lee. The Gala album has a maroon spine and says "Rodgers and Hart - Lee 
Wiley - Gala Album". No number. Inside liner has notes by Ernie Anderson and 
photos of Mr. Kaminsky, Mr. Bushkin, Miss Wiley and Mr. Freeman, in dark blue 
print on white background. The cover is that hideous underwater thing that Ted 
Ono also used on Devil's Music DM 6003 except that on Ted's, the print is black 
and sepia and on Gala, bluish monochrome. Same cover as on
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B00009QGDZ/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_1?ie=UTF8&index=1
but I can't read the red letters under the pianist's right hand on what may be 
the Rabson's Music Box album.

If the Gala album was pressed in 1944, I wonder why Paul Wetstein's name wasn't 
changed to Paul Weston? The "through courtesy of Tommy Dorsey" credit still 
appears on the labels. Weston was on his own by then.

dl

Thomas Stern wrote:
> Billboard Music Year Book, 1944 lists Lee Wiley recording for Commodore and Gala
>           Sep 28 1946 advert directed to juke box operators Gala 1020 1021  Nan Blakstone with Artie Fields and his Orchestra
>           various mentions of Gala up to 1952
>          
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com
> [mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com]On Behalf Of Michael Biel
> Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 8:57 PM
> To: 78-L Mail List
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Lee Wiley/Liberty Music Shop
> 
> 
> 
> 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  
> 
>