[78-L] Reissue 78's...

[Michael Biel]

On 11/13/2010 7:30 PM, Steven wrote:
>> it was my apparent
>> incorrect reference...! Nevertheless, ARC continued at least until early
>> 1939...and its "corporate descendant" (whomever that was...?!) owned
>> the rights to virtually all of the pre-WWII recordings!

Not really, Victor's holdings far exceeded ARC and Columbia.

>> Also, the "legitimate" record industry had been doing little in the way of
>> reissuing noted jazz sides (and NOTHING for other music genres) prior
>> to 1949;

NOT TRUE.  Columbia had a whole series of jazz reissue albums, and both
Victor and Decca were doing a lot of jazz reissue albums and singles. 
There were well over 50 reissue albums put out by the majors in the 40s,
and they were starting to put them onto LPs in 1949 and 50.  As for the
other music genres, what do you consider the gold label Victor Heritage
Series of acoustical opera recordings.  Many of the classic electrical
classical records were still in print and didn't need reissuing.

>> my idea is that the appearance of "pirate" reissues forced
>> them to realize there WAS a market for such records...?!
>> Steven C. Barr

That might be your idea, but that was not the truth as far as 1950 was
concerned.  That IS the case in the 1930s, when they finally turned down
a request for licensing (in 1939 or 40) by saying that they are going to
start doing it themselves and they hired George Avakian and several
other jazz record experts to find things of interest in their vaults.  
 
From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
> Note that no one has referred to the ;ate 40s 78 pirate reissues on Temple, 
> Sentry, British Jazz Society (or some such similar name). 

You didn't mention Jazz Panarama, Jazz Classics, Viking, EMM ESS, ZEE
GEE, Jazz Time, Circle, Special Edition, Biltmore, Paradox, Swing
Society, Rampart, Mouldie Fygge, Castle, Ragtime Jazzdisc, Kornet,
Clambake, Jump, Jazz Record Corner, New Orleans, Shrdlu, Asterdisk,
Decatur, BRS, Knickerbocker, Jazz Record, Century, Vinylite Jazz
Reissue, and several others I see discussed but might not have been
doing unauthorized reissues.  I don't have Geoffrey's books here or else
I could probably name a bunch of other labels of that era.  

> Interesting dubs on those labels and some of them weren't half bad transfers.

Many of them advertised that they were using or looking for new
condition originals to dub from.

> And some of them were atrocious, like Zulu's Ball.

The ad on page 3 of the January 1950 Record Changer announcing the issue
of this record says:
"It is with a great deal of pride that Biltmore Records Announces To The
Jazz Collecting World The release of the rarest of all Collectors Items.
 Biltmore 1028 King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band playing ZULU'S BALL /
WORKINGMAN BLUES.

"Here at last, for all to hear, is the almost legendary missing record
from the great series of New Orleans classics waxed in 1923 by the
greatest jazz band in history.  You've heard about it for years, but now
you can hear it for yourself.  Contrary to our stated policy of
releasing only from mint copies this record was pressed from a poor copy
when dubbed.  But the music is clearly audible and in as much as another
copy is not likely to show up we felt that this at least was better than
nothing."  

> Mae West's "My Old Flame" turned up on two of these labels.

Biltmore was doing some Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Marlene Deitrich,
Helen Morgan and Gertrude Niesen in late 1951 just before the end came.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com