[78-L] Victor Program Transcription album

[Michael Biel]

From: "Han Enderman" <jcenderman at solcon.nl>
> An unusual early longplay album (c.1932) is available at ebay
> # 370764554565:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/STOKOWSKI-Shostakovich-Sym-1-RCA-Victor-PROGRAM-TRANSCRIPTION-SET-1932-/370764554565?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item56534a2145
> It is STOKOWSKI: SZOSTAKOWICZ, Symphony no. 1 (Victor Program
> Transcription L 11744-6).

It has a reserve -- the dealer knows what he has.  The dealer is, of
course, Dave Weiner.  

> The record label of L-11744-B (12" 33rpm) shows mx 78454, and
> at left: LAM 192-4, which must be the side in the album.
> Some remarks:
> I have a few label images in the L-11600 series (in range
> L-11600-11669). These do not mention mxs or album nrs on the
> labels. Was the L-11700 series a new series or a continuation
> of the L-11600 series?

The price list in the Victor catalogs shows the L-11600 and L-11700
series separately on the same line, both at $3.00.  Most of the albums
have the manual discs in the L-11600 series and the automatic coupling
in the L-11700 series but THIS set has both versions in the L-11700
series as I note below.
 
> What is the meaning of LAM? Is this part of a single album series,
> with the L added for LP albums?

Yes, the album prefix LAM means Long play, (slide) Automatic,
Masterpiece.
  
> Record L-11744 couples sides 1 and 4, evidently (and not 1-2
> or 1-6). Semi-Manual or Semi-Automatic?  han enderman

Slide Automatic couples 1 and 4 on L-11744, 2 and 5 on L-11545, but the
last disc is a single sided disc so it is just side 3 on L-11746-S.  

The Manual album was LM-192 with sides 1 and 2 on L-11749, sides 3 and 4
on L-11750, and side 5 on L-11751-S.  

The 78 RPM versions of this were M-192 (7884-7888-S) and AM-192
(7889-7893-S).  The price of the 9-sided 78 versions was $9.00 while the
LP 5-sided versions were $7.50.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com