On 8/14/2010 9:29 PM, Steven C. Barr wrote:
> From: "Michael Biel" <[log in to unmask]>
>> Michael Biel wrote:
>> >> Decca has been thoroughly documented by Michel Ruppli in his
>> published
>> >> discography set, although I do recall there being one sector of
>> classical
>> >> releases of imported masters that I wasn't able to find.
>> On 8/14/2010 3:29 AM, Michel RUPPLI wrote:
>>> Michael has well reported on going work on Columbia and Victor
>>> labels, as well as my past work on Decca label***
>>> *** Mike: all Decca imports were included in my Decca Discography -
>>> Vol. 5 pages 631-736.
>>
> Point beingt that the Decca(US) ledgers still exist (I'm not sure in
> their
> entirety?!).

Unless they were caught up in the Universal Studios warehouse fire.
Nobody is telling us

> And, yes, Decca(US) DID make arrangements (or use pre-
> 1946 matrices?!) to create a series intended to compete with Victor's
> "Red Seal" series(ses) and its Columbia equivalent...?!
>
> There WERE 20***/25*** Deccas, which drew from the above series;
> these series ended c.1935-36, when Decca realized there was more
> money to be made in non-classical trcordings...! Steven C. Barr
>
>

Yes I would assume that a series that you say ended in 1935-36 did use
"pre-1946 matrices". And these were the series which Lennick and I
discuss later on in this posting. We know they exist, we are wondering
if they are included somewhere in the book that we hadn't spotted.

Mike Biel [log in to unmask]

>
>> Does it include issues in catalog number series 20000 and 25000?
>> This came up in March on the 78-L because I only have your volume 6
>> -- the numerical catalog number index -- while David Lennick has the
>> whole set. He brought this up, I assume while referring to Vol 5. He
>> mentions a 10-inch 20000 and 12-inch 25000 Decca Odeon-Parlophone
>> series which also used some English Decca masters. Volume 6 shows
>> these numbers only being reused for a short-lived Plays series (Death
>> of a Salesman and The Council) and a popular Special Series
>> respectively. The ones he was talking about were:
>>
>>>>>> ...cheap red label classical and some Ethnic. "Sounds of
>>>>>> the Orient" (exact title?) was in that series. Handel's Concerti
>>>>>> Grossi nos.
>>>>>> 1-3 conducted by Boyd Neel were on 25655/67, Walton's Symphony
>>>>>> was on 25600/5,
>>>>>> a couple of Betove's records were in the 20000s. No albums
>>>>>> provided. Several
>>>>>> of these and the 10-inch 20000 series were still in the 1943
>>>>>> catalog.
>>
>> I replied:
>>>>> The 1941 POPULAR catalog shows the 20000 and
>>>>> 25000 series in the price list on the inside front cover but doesn't
>>>>> list them in the catalog, along with most of the ethnic series
>>>>> such as
>>>>> Irish, Mexican, Scotch, Race, West Indian, and Hill Billy.
>>>>> Except for a
>>>>> few of these that are numbered in the regular popular series --
>>>>> mostly
>>>>> for inclusion in an album -- those are in separate catalogs.
>>
>> I also mentioned several other numerical series numbers which had
>> been reused and both are included in your book, such as the two K-
>> children's series and the two 29000 series.
>>
>> Lennick also noted:
>>
>>>>>> Ruppli also didn't list any of the Decca custom matrix numbers
>>>>>> used for Commodore, Keynote and private labels in the early 40s
>>>>>> ..maddening, since he did list some that were used in the 30s
>>>>>> for Liberty Music Shops.
>>
>> While we are at it, I found a few items in the preface to Vol 6 that
>> need correction:
>>
>>> "After the war, a new peak in activity occurred. Decca purchased
>>> material from the Signature lanel and started reissuing vintage
>>> material
>>> from Brunswick, using a revised Brunswick logo."
>>
>> I'm not sure of the date of Signature material, but the Brunswick
>> series began during the 1942 strike,in response to the Columbia
>> reissues Avakian was doing. Didn't Milt Gabler do these? You then
>> mention Coral and Vocalion as being started at the same time (after
>> the war) but since Brunswick reissues had started in 1942, this is
>> wrong. Besides. these labels came about quite a bit after the war,
>> closer to 1950.
>>
>> But the biggest error is this:
>> "In the meantime, Jack Kapp, who had headed the label since the
>> beginning, resigned to form his own company and produce recordings under
>> the Kapp label (not included in this set)."
>>
>> Jack Kapp DIED suddenly on March 28, 1949 at the age of 48. His
>> brother DAVE Kapp was the one who resigned a few years later and
>> formed Kapp Records in 1954.
>>
>> Relative small, but nagging problems, is such a great work!
>>
>> Mike [log in to unmask]
>>
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