[78-L] Gene Autry Okeh set

[Han Enderman]

I saved (part of) the discussion 2 years ago, as given below.
Is there an explanation for the unusual album no. 5987 ?
han enderman
-----
We discussed this album last year when I was doing my album cover 
history, and I am trying to remember if I had seen anything about this 
in print before Cary mentioned it.  Well, I scored a copy of the album 
on Saturday and am still wondering exactly when it was issued and what, 
if any, records were supposed to be in it.  Cary indicated that there 
had been records in his copy, and I'll list the records that were in mine.

The title on the spine is "GENE AUTRY Ballads"  and on the cover 
"BALLADS OF THE WEST / SUNG BY//Gene Autry / CONQUEROR"  
with his name in larger italics.  If the records are not pre-selected, are any 
and ALL the recordings of Autry on Conqueror "western ballads"??  
It is not titled "Gene Autry Sings", it is titled "Ballads of the West".

My copy had three Conqueror records and one purple label OKeh the dealer 
put in to fill the album and because he thought that the OKeh was even 
earlier (it's not, of course). There's no guarantee that the Conqueror 
discs came with the album, but if these are found in other copies, it 
might be an indication.

Conqueror
8629  Mexicali Rose  C-1194-1
            Nobody's Darling But Mine  DAL-125-1
8968  There's A Gold Mine In the Sky LA-1530-B
             Sail Along, Silv'ry Moon LA-1531-B
9388A El Rancho Grande LA-2176-A
9388B The Singing Hills LA-2174-A
OKeh  (purple)  (not a part of the original album)
6728 Don't Fence Me In  H-1143-1
           Gonna Build A Big Fence Around Texas  H-1145-1

There is significance about the spine printing.  It is vivid silver 
which is indicative of ARC, although not exclusively so.  Al  What might 
be more important is that there is a number on the spine, 5987, and 
under that it says Four Records and has the Conqueror crown and C in a 
silver circle at the bottom.  Could that number 5987 be a Sears catalog 
order number?   There are Autry Conqueror releases right through 1942, 
but this album has more of an ARC look than a CBS look. I'd love to have 
more details of its date and content.

Mike Biel
---
The first three records on your list are the IDENTICAL ones that are in mine! 
The fourth disc (for which someone replaced in your set with an OKeh release) is 
Cq 9389 (Goodbye Little Darlin' Goodbye / When I'm Gone You'll Soon Forget), 
which is probably the one that was supposed to be in that fourth slot.
Cary
---
This is fantastic news.  Short of finding a listing in a Sears catalog, 
this would be the only way to determine not only the specific contents 
but that there actually WERE specific contents.  Now, if we could only 
find out about that Jimmie Rogers album!  For those who haven't checked 
out my ARSC album cover presentation, I did determine the three specific 
records in the 1926 Victor Mother's Day album, the specific records in 
the November 1926 Orthophonic sampler album -- and that you could 
request your dealer change any or all of the contents -- and that the 
1926 Christmas album was empty to be filled IN THE STORE  by your 
choices which did not have to be Christmas records.  I still feel that 
the Jimmy Rogers album had specific records in it.
Mike Biel
---
The four records in my copy of the album are same as the ones that Cary reports.
- Jack Raymond
---
I have images of front covers of 2 different Autry Conqueror albums (and of no other Cq albums).
Text on unnumbered covers (4x78) is:
- Ballads of the West / Sung by Gene Autry.
- Gene Autry / Cowboy Songs [with his name in larger italics].

About the contents of these albums when on ebay I noted:
Ballads - no info. [= 8629, 8968, 9388-89 according to the discussion]
Cowboy Songs - Cq 8191, 8465, 9058, 9544.
Cowboy Songs - incl. 9544.

About the date:
9388-89 recd 12 Mar 1940; not released before ca. Sep 1940 (9372 Memphis Minnie recd 27 June).
9544 recd 20 Aug 1940; not released before ca. Dec 1940 (9531 Ginny Sims recd 16 Oct).
(he)
===
>>> I have the 5987 set as well. The fourth disc in my set is CQ 9389.
Cary Ginell

> From: mbiel at mbiel.com
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2013 19:20:47 -0700
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Gene Autry Okeh set
> 
> And Jack, while you are at it, can you get out your copy Conqueror set
> 5987 Ballads of the West Sung by Gene Autry which I seem to remember was
> the confirmation of the four Conqueror records in the set.  I am missing
> one of them and didn't print out our discussion at the time.  The three
> discs I have are 8629, 8968, and 9388.
> 
> I haven't been able to dig up an OKeh catalog which lists the disc
> numbers, but I do have the June 1941 Columbia/OKeh popular supplement
> which shows K1 for the first time.  During those times they had a
> recording artist "narrate" the supplements, and that month it was
> Hiorace Heidt.  Here is how he describes K-1 (not knowing that there had
> been two(?) Conqueror Autry albums in prior years: "This is Gene's first
> album and it's a corker.  You'll enjoy, as I did, this collection of
> Gene's most popular Western songs, including 'Old Buckaroo Goodbye' and
> 'The Last Roundup'." 
> 
> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  
> 
> -------- Original Message --------
> 
> From: "J. E. Knox" <rojoknox at metroeast.org>
> Jack Raymond wrote:
> 
> > For what it's worth, my copy of Okeh Set K-1, which I acquired in 
> > virtually new condition, has the same eight sides you mention.
> 
> That's good to know; thanks! Goes a long way toward answering the
> original question, which I think you can answer since you own the set:
> What are the catalog numbers of the records? The original Vocalion
> numbers, or four 5xxx- (above 5622) or 6xxx-series numbers in sequence
> as one would expect in an album set? Do the labels sport "K 1-<side
> number>" left of the hole, again as would be expected? If the original
> issue numbers were used, and no album number is present on labels, it
> represents the only instance I've ever encountered of a "Decca-style"
> reissue from CBS; very curious!
> 
> Thanks, Joe
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