[78-L] Album Images Needed (2.1) Decca w. titles

[Michael Biel]

Before I forget.  Does anyone have a copy of a 1937 un-numbered 3-disc 
Brunswick set "Twenty Minutes with Kostelanetz" ?  The review of it says 
it comes in a handsome red album.  The discs are 7873-75.

Han Enderman wrote:
> Cover illustration on back is also interesting. I do not know when this was introduced (usually I see
> only the front) but it occurs on De albums 74 (Wizard Oz), 114 (Kress), 121 (Chicago Jazz), 
> but I do not know if these are early pressings (maybe first used on 74?).
> I have 96 (Gershwin Songs 1) with wallpaper back, however.
>   

I'm trying to figure this out also.  Victor occasionally also had the 
image on the back as well.  It died out in the mid-war years.  I did 
photograph the back if it had the image or a real interesting paper.  
There are some great paper designs on the back of early Decca albums 
with photo covers.  I'm only showing two for special reasons. 
> Another difference between some early and later printings is the width of the binding on the front.
> Pres. 1st pressings of 70/71 (Whiteman: Berlin Songs v.1/2) have a broad maroon band at the left, 
> thus reducing the size of the cover image to ca. a square, whereas a later release (A-70 on front; 
> label name in black rectangle) has a narrow band at the left.
> A similar wide band near spine also on 60 (Gomez 2) & 63 (Congas), but now spine/band is 
> grey or green, and 100 (Gulliver).
>
> Han Enderman
>   

It can be difficult to gague printings age of the covers without being 
able to compare or see the labels, although the labels don't always 
match the age of the cover they're in.  The wide cloth band is where the 
titling is on some of the early covers, and it is a forgotten attribute 
of Decca covers.  I never knew it was not a manufacturing mistake before 
seeing all of these.  After all, how often do collectors have more than 
a couple of covers to compare?  And how often do you have alternatives 
right there together to compare?  Even in the archives they don't always 
keep duplicates.

I'm going to check my photos against these descriptions of the ones I 
didn't ask for because I already had one.  I can't waste time with too 
much of these differences unless they tell a significant part of the 
story we are discussing in the presentation.  But we do have the subject 
for a good website or a book, don't we? 

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com