[78-L] It's in the book, etc.

[DAVID BURNHAM]

If I recall correctly, "It's In the Book" was banned from being broadcast in Canada so everybody ran out and bought a copy just because it was "naughty".  Has it ever appeared on CD?

dl's right, you never see the Freeberg "Dragnet" records anywhere but they have been reisssued with excellent mastering from the original full track mono master tapes by Capitol and there's really no need to seek out the 78s.

In fact -

I don't know if I'm the only collecor who thinks this way but I really have little interest in 78s which were pressed from magnetic tape.  The real attraction of a 78 for me is the "performance" nature of the medium, which you get on records which were recorded direct to disc at 78 rpm.  It can't have been edited and this is what gives a 78 recording a unique position.  I know some people will pay plenty for an Elvis Presley 78 but what's the point?  They were all recorded to tape first so an LP or CD issue made from that tape will sound better than a 78 dub of it.  Similarly I have no interest in 2nd generation 78s no matter how pristine the disc looks and I only collect American Decca and Columbia recordings, (which were as a rule 2nd generation right off the bat), if these records have never been reissued and can't be found any other way.  As we've discussed here many times, Sony reissues of Columbia sets which previously only appeared on 78s
 and MCA issues of Decca sets like "Oklahoma" and the other Broadway sets we discussed recently and collections by Russ Morgan, Guy Lombardo and  Al Jolson, all from master sources, are so clean and clear that there is no reason to listen to the 78s.

db