[78-L] Did The English Take Better Care Of Their Records?

[Michael Biel]

The Brits on the list might be in the best position to add to these
comments because they are the ones that see ALL of the records in their
junking.  Maybe only the best make it across the pond!

It has been discussed here before that the British had a fetish for the
use of fibre needles, so this might be a large reason for the condition
differences noted here, yet generally I feel U.S. classical records are
found in as good a condition as British classical records are.  I am not
sure how much this fibre fetish reached into the lower classes playing
popular records.  A further factor might be that the middle-class
generally taking better care of their pop records and that there was not
as much use of phonographs in lower class British homes compared to that
in the U.S.  Not meaning to be elitist or racist at all, we all know
that country, hillbilly, blues, and race records are on the average
found in much, much worse condition that the average pop, band, or dance
record.  Records might have been more universally used by the entire
population in the U.S. than in England.  

When it comes to jazz records in England, in the reading I have done
recently it seems more and more evident to me that jazz was considered
by British fans as much as an art form as classical, and that record
care was of similar importance.  It was ephemeral music here in the U.S.
and the records were more likely to be played to death.  While I came
across a 1938 article in the American Music Lover describing a Summer of
record shopping in England by an American who marveled at the lower
prices of classical records in England, records might have been more
expensive to the average Brit, and thus they might have taken better
care of them.  Also note that many British record stores sold their
records in those heavy stiff sleeves with stitched sides, thereby
creating an inherit feeling that the records were important.


Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  

  


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [78-L] Did The English Take Better Care Of Their Records?
From: "Robert M. Bratcher Jr." <bratcher at pdq.net>
Date: Fri, June 04, 2010 6:38 pm
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>

At 02:39 PM 6/4/2010, you wrote:

>A lot of them were probably imported to North America because the 
>originals were long out of print. I turn up nice HMVs and 
>Parlophones in radio station collection and at jazz conventions. Of 
>course the ones you really want to get are the Australian laminated 
>pressings, which are extraordinary..even of run-of-the-mill 12" 
>Deccas like the Paul Whitemans.
>
>
>
>dl
>

I've noticed that the big band, pop, & rock 78's (of US artists) that 
I buy in English pressings on Ebay are often in better shape than 
the US pressing of the same records. Either they weren't played as 
much or they were better taken care of by a past owner or owners. 
Where I find both US & English pressings in the same great shape is 
mid to late 50's pop & rock 78's as here in the states the 45's were 
played much more than the 78's (of the same record) were. Often I've 
found a near mint to very good condition 78 rpm of a record where the 
45' is often in poorer shape but still playable until a better one 
comes along. At least thats how I've found many 50's era US issues to 
be. The English 45's might be in better shape but I honestly don't 
know if they are or not as I really don't look for English 45 rpm 
issues of American records although I do own a few from the 60's & 70's.

> > From: malcolm at venerablemusic.com
> > To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> > Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 15:34:40 -0400
> > Subject: [78-L] Did The English Take Better Care Of Their Records?
> >
> > I swear, after listing and grading several thousand records, 
> every time I run across English (or other European) issues of 
> various jazz and country records, they are nearly always in 
> pristine shape compared to their American counterparts. Most every 
> Parlophone or HMV I come across is in E to E+ condition! In fact, 
> I'm trying to remember ever having an English issue record in less 
> than VG shape? I'm not always sure how the English issues got back 
> here to the States (other than the obvious years of trading), but 
> surely they would have been enjoyed just same on the other side of pond?
> > Is it just that Europeans understood the importance of a fresh 
> needle? What gives?
> >
> > Malcolm