[78-L] New book marks Columbia's 125th birthday

[Ryan Barna]

ALREADY!!! I clicked on the link, and ALREADY saw an error-and-a-half on the front cover. "Crazy Blues" and "Aggravatin' Papa" were not recorded by Columbia. They were recorded by the General Phonograph Corporation, which Columbia did not purchase until 1926. Even though Columbia may own the rights to the Okeh recordings, they had no involvement in recording the masters, or producing the discs prior to '26, and should be omitted from the cover as not to mislead readers. I recommend something more relevant, like a Columbia client brand such as Harmony by either Kate Smith, Rudy Vallee, or Annette Hanshaw, or even a late 1920s Okeh by Louis Armstrong, since Columbia was involved with their production by that time. (Columbia and Okeh shared the same Union Square studio, and also pressed Okeh's discs.) Didn't anyone else notice this? (Should I still not judge a book by its cover?) I never heard of Sean Wilentz. I did a quick search on him and learned that he writes a lot on Bob Dylan and the rock era, plus other non-music related subjects. Very, very few writers and historians are able to crossover from modern day music to thoroughly researching the earliest commercial sound recordings, which I've realized over the years, takes a lot of extra time, attention, and specialized consultation from others well-versed in the field. (My particular specialty is in sound recordings prior to 1929, and you will not see me voluntarily write about Dylan, the Rolling Stones, or the Beatles because I know I don't possess the knowledge and expertise to do them justice; I'm leaving those to their actual experts.) I would feel more comfortable if Tim Brooks wrote the first third of Columbia's history for the book, then Sean and perhaps some other modern-day music experts can write about rock 'n' roll as much as they feel suitable for book sales. I don't need another book for my local library (not my personal) that I find completely useless in quoting from, or using as a dependable resource. (I know some of you don't care about this, but just one minor cosmetic detail on the cover -- try and find a "Magic Notes" label without a needle scratch on it, there's probably still thousands of examples out there. Just saying.) Ryan Barna