[78-L] Phil Harris on OKeh and Harmony

[David Lennick]

agp wrote:
> At 03:23 05/02/2010, dl wrote:
>> The Harmony label was a short-lived budget label c. 1948-49, pressed by
>> Columbia but actually marketed by Eli Oberstein.
> 
> Thanks for the info. Now I have to get a Vocalian pressing, anorak that I am.
> 
> But - I thought that Harmony was also a Columbia imprint until 1933 or so.
> 
> BTW -- the Harmony pressing, while looking very nice from the 
> scratches and use standpoint, has a dull finish. The OKeh one is nice 
> and shiny. I wonder if floor sweeping were an integral part of the 
> material used by Columbia for the Harmony re-issues :-)
> 
> T
> 
Columbia probably still owned the Harmony name, since they used it for budget 
LPs in the 50s and 60s. David Diehl could probably come up with specifics, but 
the late 40s Harmony was both a reissue label and a budget label for untried 
artists, comparable to Victor's revival of "Bluebird Series". It was pressed by 
Columbia from their own masters but sold by Oberstein's concern (Wright Record 
Corp?) and Obie also had some Varsity 78s pressed by Columbia at this time. I 
think Columbia decided to claw back the line when something by Rosemary Clooney 
or Pearl Bailey suddenly became a hit.

Any late Harmony 78s I've seen have been comparable to contemporary Columbias. 
That is, sorta tolerable till they've been played once.

dl