[78-L] Wartime importing (Was: Skokiaan was: London -- Made in England?)

[Mark Bardenwerper]

On 8/20/2011 1:21, Michael Biel wrote:
> On 8/20/2011 9:44 AM, Mark Bardenwerper wrote:
>> On 8/19/2011 11:12, Michael Biel wrote:
>>> On 8/19/2011 7:12 PM, Mark Bardenwerper wrote:
>>>> On 8/19/2011 9:05, Han Enderman wrote:
>>>>> I have label images of 1491 stating Made In U.S.A.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Can you imagine people risking their lives in sub infested waters to
>>>> bring them here?
>>>>
>>> There were still sub infested waters in 1954??!!!
>> Eeek!
>> Misread. Dyslexia and ADD at the same time. Saw 1491, read 1941, thought
>> it was the year!
>>
> I figured that but had to tweak you a small bit as well as make sure
> that everyone did realize we were talking about post-war imports.
> Wartime imports happens to be a very important topic itself because this
> was a major point of discussion at the time.  First of all, even prior
> to the war it was rarely done -- we occasionally see HMVs with little
> stickers saying it was imported by the Radio Corp of America, and the
> Brits occasionally see Victors with similar stickers, but this was still
> unusual.  Some specialty stores like Liberty Music Shop did imports, but
> mostly classical.  Classical sets before the 1940 price drop were
> expensive enough, and the imported sets must have been VERY expensive!
> But there WAS a two-way trade in metal parts between the affiliated
> companies -- but during the war much of even this stopped!!!
>
> There are some interesting letters and articles in The Gramophone
> magazine during the war reporting on some of the new releases of
> classical recordings seen by the writers in American record stores, and
> occasionally there were comments about hopes that they might eventually
> get issued in the U.K.  The shellac shortage was discussed as one
> factor, but they did have comments about the lack of shipment of metal
> parts.
>
> British Decca importing classical pressings after the war to sell at
> nearly regular prices was big news.  Of course this was a promotion of
> their FFRR system, but since I have World Western Electric Wide Range
> Vertical recordings from ten years earlier I have never been too
> impressed with FFRR!  The albums were manufactured here and the records
> had normal red Decca labels until there was a falling out between the
> two Deccas and they had to start using the London name.
>
>
Talk about a stumble...
Without getting too far afield (or should I say minefield), I was 
pondering just a while ago whether the issues by Paul Specht on British 
and U.S. Columbia  were recorded here or overseas. Was only one or 
perhaps 2 common to both labels?
Further, were Specht's final issues on British or American Columbias?

-- 
Mark L. Bardenwerper, Sr. #:?)
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