[78-L] War/peacetime souvenirs?

[goldenbough at arcor.de]

(Thanks for clarifying that you can see the text. For me, my message on 78-L is blank.)  


The thing is that you would not even notice that such a record was only sold in PXs. 
These records had genuine German M-G-M, or RCA (not RCA-Victor!) labels, 
or Capitol, but were never sold in German record shops. 

We collectors in Germany were wondering for a long time in the 1960s and 1970s 
why we were able to import from the USA German pressings of records that we 
wanted so badly and could never find when they were popular. 

It was only much later, when the interviews with record company staff were made, 
that we found out that such records were pressed in German plants and sold 
exclusively in PXs!   

You may know that only 'allied' military was allowed in PXs, but I had a friend who took 
me to the large PX in Berlin a couple of times, and I spent all my pocket money on 
records. Some of the records that I still have were either genuine US pressings (like 
Columbia a.o.) or British pressings (e.g. Parlophone)! 

BTW, the two Hank Williams 78s on German M-G-M were indeed sold in German record shops. 
The man in charge at Electrola confirmed that he had 5 copies pressed initially, then 5 again 
as soon as the first ones were sold, and lastly another 5.  One of these turned up on German 
eBay about two years ago and went for only $30.  Richard Weize of Bear Family Records 
bought it. This much for 'low pressing runs'. 

Benno 



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