[78-L] Need Decca numbers

David Lennick dlennick at sympatico.ca
Tue Mar 16 14:18:34 PDT 2010


Ruppli didn't list the classical 20000s or 25000s at all, dammit! The 1943 
Canadian catalog lists what few were actually pressed domestically (most are 
imports). And there's a Gramophone Shop supplement in '42 that lists those that 
were still available from them, since I think the series had been discontinued 
by that point.

Ruppli also didn't list any of the Decca custom matrix numbers used for 
Commodore, Keynote and private labels in the early 40s..maddening, since he did 
list some that were used in the 30s for Liberty Music Shops.

I left the 1944 reissue of "Ten Famous Rumpots" at Graham's this afternoon. He 
may not know it yet.

dl

Michael Biel wrote:
> I see what the problem is.  The 1941 POPULAR catalog shows the 20000 and 
> 25000 series in the price list on the inside front cover but doesn't 
> list them in the catalog, along with most of the ethnic series such as 
> Irish, Mexican, Scotch, Race, West Indian, and Hill Billy.  Except for a 
> few of these that are numbered in the regular popular series -- mostly 
> for inclusion in an album -- those are in separate catalogs.  Try and 
> find THEM.  However, in Ruppli's numerical he dies include all of them 
> EXCEPT 20000 and 25000!  Those are missing.  I suppose he had a 
> numerical for them in Volume 5 where the classical have been separated 
> along with the Hill Billy.  But the 5000 Hill Billy numerical is in Vol 
> 6.  It looks like classical had to be in the 23000 and 29000 to get into 
> the pop catalog or into an album.  And Calypso in 18000 instead of 
> 17000, etc.  The discs in the  four Ethnic series albums, Armenian, 
> Turkish, Caucasian, and  Persian are all in the 2800 to 3050 range. 
> 
> There are other reused number series, including one with a prefix!  K-1 
> thru 29 were kids 3-disc envelope sets in the 30s mostly by Frank 
> Luther, and then they started again at K-1 for the single record kids 
> envelope series in the post-war years.  They could have started with K-30. 
> 
> I'm trying to find the exact date of the first Decca albums. 10 and 11 
> are in the August 38 supplement, and that supplement also has a listing 
> of all of the records issued since the catalog.  It shows all the albums 
> except 1 and 2 but it does show 3.  Since 2 and 3 were both Beethoven 
> Sonatas by Lilli Kraus, the catalog probably lists the first of them  
> but not the second -- which would be in the next supplement.  Does 
> anybody have that catalog or supplements around that catalog??  The 
> catalog would be late 37 considering that the records listed in the Aug 
> 38 supplement go back to around 1547 Fate/Way Down Yonder in NO by H. 
> Roy's Tiger Ragamuffins.  Those are English masters from early in 37, so 
> it might make more sense to date the catalog around 1552 Veini Veini Bob 
> Crosby or 1554 When the Organ Played by brother Bing which were recorded 
> in Nov 37.
> 
> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com
> 
> 
> David Lennick wrote:
>> Michael Biel wrote:
>>   
>>> Thanks for the info.  And for the sarcasm.  I'm sure you know that 
>>> recording hum was one of Decca's specialties!
>>>     
>> Especially in the 50s.
>>   
>>> David Lennick wrote:
>>>     
>>>> Indeed, Decca didn't waste much time reusing that 25000 series which was 
>>>> originally 12" red label classical, reissued mostly from Odeon-Parlophone but 
>>>> also from English Decca (still leaving Odeon Parlophone on the labels).
>>>>       
>>> Don't you mean the 29000 series, not 25000? 
>>>     
>> Nope, 25000 and 20000..cheap red label classical and some Ethnic. "Sounds of 
>> the Orient" (exact title?) was in that series. Handel's Concerti Grossi nos. 
>> 1-3 conducted by Boyd Neel were on 25655/67, Walton's Symphony was on 25600/5, 
>> a couple of Betove's records were in the 20000s. No albums provided.
>>   
>>>>  Several 
>>>> of these and the 10-inch 20000 series were still in the 1943 catalog.
>>>>
>>>> dl
>>>>   
>>>>       
>>> Don't you mean the 23000 series?  The only 20000 series I see is the 
>>> short-lived use for the discs in Death of a Salesman (DAU-774), The 
>>> Council, and one Renata Tabaldi single 20016.
>>>     
>> As above. I have The Consul, never seen Death of a Salesman on 78.
>>   
>>> By the way, there are a couple of howlers in Ruppli's introduction to 
>>> Vol 6 and I wonder if the appear in the other volumes. 
>>>     
>> As I said in a previous message, who reads prefaces?
>>
>> dl
>>   
>>> "After the war, a new peak in activity occurred.  Decca purchased 
>>> material from the Signature lanel and started reissuing vintage material 
>>> from Brunswick, using a revised Brunswick logo."
>>>
>>> I'm not sure of the date of Signature material, but the Brunswick stuff 
>>> came during the 1942 strike, in response to the Columbia reissues 
>>> Avakian was doing.  Didn't Milt do these?   He then mentions Coral and 
>>> Vocalion as being started at the same ti e (after the war) and then 
>>> commits the error of the century:
>>>
>>> "In the meantime, Jack Kapp, who had headed the label since the 
>>> beginning, resigned to form his own company and produce recordings under 
>>> the Kapp label (not included in this set)." 
>>>
>>> Jack Kapp DIED suddenly on March 28, 1949 at the age of 48.  His brother 
>>> DAVE Kapp was the one who formed Kapp Records in 1954. 
>>>
>>> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com
>>>     
>>>> Han Enderman wrote:
>>>>   
>>>>       
>>>>> I have a single label image of these issues,
>>>>> De 25058 (A-525-2) Duchess (Under The Double Eagle),
>>>>> which lists mx DLA-1421 on label.
>>>>> Normal labels in this second 25000 series have one-star De labels, with 3 horizontal lines
>>>>> surrounding the star.
>>>>> My image is a later label type, with a single line next to the star and a complete line below 
>>>>> this trademark, and all text in sanserif font.
>>>>> The first De 25000 series was 12'' with maroon block labels.
>>>>>
>>>>> Han Enderman
>>>>> ===
>>>>>     
>>>>>         
>>>>>>>> Just got a cover image from Dan Nelson of Decca Album A-525 which is a 
>>>>>>>>           
>>>>>>>>               
>>>>> 1947 re-issue of #18 Ye Old TIme Dance Party by Byron Wolfe & Orch.  I 
>>>>> know that the original set were discs 2090-2094 and the re-issue had 
>>>>> discs 25058-25062.  If someone has the Ruppli Decca set, the masters are 
>>>>> listed on page 86 of volume one.  Are both sets of numbers listed with 
>>>>> the masters?  What's the recording date(s) and location (probably LA).  
>>>>> What are the original matrix numbers and are there new matrix numbers 
>>>>> for the re-issue?  And what recordings of hum are listed on page 98?  (I 
>>>>> have Ruppli Vol 6 which is the numerical and index.)
>>>>>
>>>>> And I am especially now looking for an image of the original issue on 
>>>>> #18  to show both versions, and 18 is the lowest number non-classical 
>>>>> set I am missing. 
>>>>>
>>>>> Mike Biel
>>>>> <<<
> 



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