[78-L] Early 2LP Album 1950

[Michael Biel]

The one thing that is similar is that these bound albums took up more
space on the shelves than single albums and either stuck out on narrow
shelves, or the singles got lost on deeper shelves.  Gatefold covers
were the ultimate answer, and even three disc sets could be
accommodated. Some used leatherette bindings for the gatefolds and those
were big mistakes. For larger sets, boxes are the answer.  The problem
with boxes are that the can get crushed -- this was the real problem
with the large bound boxes and the dowel boxes.  

Around the time of the dowel, Columbia had an experimental box which
used a patented invention of my old pal Steinweiss.  They discuss it in
his $500 book and I have one example of it for 78s.  I don't think they
were stupid enough to use it for LPs.  It was a box the size of the
records and the records were naked, not in sleeves.  Like a professional
reel of tape they were HUNG from the center hole, but instead of a
cardboard insert with a hefty core for the hole like in tape boxes,
Steinweiss used a record-sized PAPER with a little orange plastic
spindle on a one inch disc.  STUPID.  I have the two-disc Kosty Mark
Twain Suite with this box, and the box is in mint condition (if it were
crushed it wouldn't work) and the records are WARPED from hanging loose!
When that paper tears it is just two discs in the box.  Steinweiss was
no genius.

Mike Biel  mbuiel at mbiek.com

Han Enderman wrote:
>>> Ebay 180850806855 shows a 1950 2LP album (Bruckner on Westminster),
>>> which still has the layout of a 78rpm album. Can't remember if I
>>> have seen such before. han enderman

From: David Lennick
>> Vox and Vanguard also used that format into the early 50s.
>> Columbia and Decca went to box sets with the pages attached
>> to a dowel post by some weird kind of paper that dried out,
>> shrank, cracked, broke, disintegrated or whatever. dl

Thomas Stern wrote:
>> IIRC, An Evening with Will Shakespeare issued by THEATRE
>> MASTERWORKS was in that format as originally released,
>> later as a box set and reissued by Continental.

From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
> Same goes for London operas and lengthy symphonies, albums well
> into the mid 50s. Vanguard was using this format as late as 1953..
> just looked at "May Night", 3 lps in fold-over pockets, 78 type
> album. The libretto was printed in 1953.
> And Mercury and RCA both used DeLuxe padded albums for special
> sets like complete ballets and the Glenn Miller Limited Editions. dl