[78-L] Transcription question

[Michael Biel]

jeffrey smedbron wrote:
> Found some of these 78 oversize Columbia discs the other day at a thrift shop. What is the story behind this type of record. Were they made by a radio station or an individual for some reason or by a record company as a test or sample recording ?

It is hard to answer this question when we aren't told if this is an 
instantaneous lacquer disc or a pressing.  It has a matrix number, so it 
is either a master or dub for or from a pressing if it is a lacquer.  
The ring in the label area might be the seam marking where the center 
hole of the stamper is fitted into the press.  The HCO pre-fix indicates 
it is a Hollywood master but that number is rather low. 

>  It is single sided 11” Columbia transcription. 

It might be a test pressing rather than a transcription.  Columbia 
Records usually wrote the identification information on the outer rim of 
the  masters, so it is necessary that the pressings be oversized to 
preserve the info.  (There are a  lot of test pressings in the AFR 
Lawrence collection at LC that were made in the mid-60s, where they were 
trimmed at 10-inches and have NO information or matrix numbers on them 
at all!)  Heidt had a record label "Horace Heidt Presents" and this 
might be a test pressing for that label.

> it’s a horrible tune ,sounds like a cross between a saw and a whistler as the main melody instrumentation.  
>
> Label Pic:
> http://merr.com/users/xcentrik/hco773a.jpg
>
> Jeff S  
>
>   
Since you seem to indicate you got several, what are the other ones.


Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com