Golly gee! "Compendiumize"? Sound the language inflation alarm! What's wrong with "collect"? DDR On Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 6:28 PM, Clark Johnsen <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > My gosh I hope there's some mechanism at play (at work?) to compendiumize > all these great and detailed conversations about recording history on > ARSClist! > > clark > > On Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 6:03 PM, Dennis M Spragg <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > Mike, > > > > No. > > > > Any discs with BBC labels on them that you would have seen at the Library > > of Congress Sound Lab in the 1970s were definitely not the OWI "Music > From > > America" programs. > > > > The OWI operated ABSIE (The American Broadcasting Station in Europe) in > > London which was their European Service Headquarters. During October > 1944 > > and November 1944, Major Glenn Miller and the American Band of the AEF > (as > > it was rebranded following transfer to the ETO) recorded at least eight > > programs for ABSIE in the German language for broadcast over ABSIE. The > > programs were used for the ABSIE "Wehrmacht Hour" broadcast and targeted > > to German service personnel. They were recorded at Abbey Road Studios > > using EMI discs and were later fully cataloged in the EMI vaults. We > have > > copies of the original paperwork and session sheets for the EMI discs > that > > were made. Most of six programs exist from copies made of the EMI discs > > and circulated as early as the early 1950s in the United Kingdom. Alan > > Mandell (Alan Dell) had obtained one of the (unauthorized) copies and > thus > > the also misleadingly titled "Lost Recordings" issue that was put out > > first by Conifer and later acquired by BMG. Again, these issues came > from > > Mandell's copy of the original discs. At the time of the ABSIE > > recordings, first-generation disc copies of the 10" EMI masters were > flown > > to the United States for broadcast over the leased OWI transmitters. > > Those copies were broadcast by the OWI from over here. Sort of a reverse > > lend-lease. These copies remain today in the United States and are > > superior to what Mandell, et. al. obtained and were later released. We > > have the detailed broadcast dates and times in our files. Again, these > > are EMI-produced discs. The orchestra performs as normal with Miller > > reading from a German-language script and being led by a native German > > speaking OWI female announcer. Ballads are performed by Sgt. Johnny > > Desmond in the German language. > > > > Please do not confuse these recordings with the OWI "Music from America" > > discs which were produced and duplicated by NBC, New York, not the BBC. > > > > ABSIE also recorded Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, Marlene Dietrich, Morton > > Downey, Fred Astaire, Spike Jones and his City Slickers, M1C Sam Donahue > > and the US Navy Dance Band, the Washington, DC AAF Band conducted by > Capt. > > George Howard and others for the "Wehrmacht Hour" while they were on > tours > > in the ETO. Dietrich had zero problems of course with the German language > > introductions. This appears to have been the source for German service > > personnel calling Bing "Der Bingle". There is no known evidence of what > > they thought of Spike Jones and his City Slickers or if they performed > > "Der Fuehrer's Face", which most likely they certainly did not. > > > > Any discs including Major Miller and his ABAEF before or following his > > disappearance with a BBC label on them are performances recorded for > > broadcast by the SHAEF "Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme" (AEFP), > > which was technically operated for SHAEF as the BBC Violet Network by > > mostly BBC engineers and originally using one of the BBC Start Point > > transmitters. Major Miller insisted on being able to record broadcasts > so > > that he and his men could travel around and perform concerts for air base > > and other allied personnel. To this point, BBC were against recorded > > broadcasts and favored live performances only. Later, when Miller's > > orchestra was being transferred to the then-under construction AEFP > > "Forward" studios in Paris, he was able to lean on EMI for discs to fill > a > > six-week schedule of broadcasts by the full orchestra and its sub-units > to > > fill the gap if transmission lines were not available from France to > > BBC-London for their regular broadcasts. Staffing AEFP was the reason > > that gen. Dwight Eisenhower requested the Miller AAFTC Orchestra from > Gen. > > H. H. Arnold and the Army Air Forces. The AAF "loaned" the Miller unit > > to SHAEF and never gave up formal custody of it. > > > > Please do not confuse AEFP/BBC discs with the OWI "Music from America" > > series and discs, either. > > > > AEFP recordings were passed to AFN-London for broadcast over AFN as well. > > AFRS discs flown to the UK and used by AFN were passed to AEFP for > > broadcast as well. The program content of AEFP was supposed to be > > representative of the percentage of American, British and Canadian forces > > within SHAEF's command. AFN relied upon AFRS for programming but > > pre-dated AFRS and operated as a semi-autonomous organization to the end > > of the war in Europe and beyond. Most of the AEFP programming ended up > > being American and included AFRS transcription discs of the AFRS original > > productions and off-network programs. AEFP produced their own programs, > > including the utilization of three "house" bands, the American Band of > the > > AEF (Miller), The British Band of the AEF (RSM George Melachrino) and the > > Canadian Band of the AEF (Capt. Bob Farnon). AEFP hosts and announcers > > were American, British and Canadian, including mainly female British > > announcers during breaks and for introductions. We have an AEFP audience > > research study from January 1945 which shows that the American forces > > wanted only American programs but the British and Canadian forces wanted > > their own programs and American programs. The British civilian audience, > > who could received AEFP in and around southeast England and London, > > particularly younger people, favored AEFP over the BBC which certainly > had > > an affect on the BBC. The AEFP signal was readily available whereas AFN > > was restricted to 250 watt transmitters around bases and not generally > > heard by the British public. > > > > As far as union agreements, once program discs got into the field content > > did indeed overlap. As I also mentioned, OWI circulated many programs > > during 1942 and 1943 for the fledgling SSD (Special Services Division) > and > > the AFRS (as rebranded in November 1943). SSD and then AFRS chief Lt. > Co. > > Thomas H. A. Lewis knew from the get-go in May 1942 that he could not > rely > > on shortwave transmissions and developed the now famous 16 inch > > transcription disc program of original AFRS content and off-network > > programs which were distributed worldwide from Los Angeles. However, > > until mid-1944 at minimum, programs such as "Uncle Sam Presents" were > > recorded at NBC, aired by OWI but broadcast to allied service personnel. > > These discs were passed from OWI to SSD/AFRS where the latter had > > facilities, such as those commanded by Maj. Andre Baruch in North Africa. > > There was indeed sharing that occurred in the field and no one ever > > complained so far as extant documentation demonstrates. > > > > As you very correctly point out, the OWI Foreign Division indeed had a > > distinct and separate mission from the United States Armed Forces radio > > mission, in short, foreign audiences as opposed to allied, mainly > > American, military personnel. Carrying the message of the United States > > as "the Voice of America" was certainly different from bringing service > > personnel a touch of home to each and every air base, ship or forward > > ground unit and everyone in between. AFRS Los Angeles did not receive > > copies of the designated OWI recordings made by NBC. However, overseas > > stations run by AFRS and AFN personnel definitely did have them passed to > > them. The music-only discs were not inappropriate to the military > mission > > and in some cases were used for expediency until the AFRS Basic Music > > Libraries became widely circulated. Stations all over the planet > certainly > > had to improvise! > > > > When Major Miller disappeared December 15, 1944, the pre-recorded ABSIE > > German language programs along with pre-recorded AEFP ABAEF programs were > > on the air with Miller's voice included. This presented a touchy > > situation for SHAEF and the BBC as the Eighth Air Force went about trying > > to ascertain what happened to the VIII AF Service Command aircraft that > > Miller was aboard. Upon the public announcement that Miller was missing, > > AEFP edited out his voice as best they could substituting Sgt. Keith > > Jameson (formerly of WMAL, Washington). Due to the nature of the > > programs, ABSIE was not able to fit out Miller's terse and stumbling > > German language voice overs and did not air programs 7 and 8. They > > substituted other pre-recorded items featuring different artists. > > > > Therefore, in addition to the series that I detailed in my previous > > message, please add the following: > > > > ABSIE (OWI) "WEHRMACHT HOUR" RECORDING SESSIONS > > Programs 1-6 (7-8 withheld) > > OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1944 > > EMI ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS > > LONDON, ENGLAND > > > > AEFP (BBC VIOLET) - VARIOUS PROGRAM RECORDINGS FOR BROADCAST > > > > "THE AMERICAN BAND OF THE AEF" ("MOONLIGHT SERENADE") (full band led by > > Maj. A. G. Miller) > > "THE SWING SHIFT" ("AMERICAN DANCE BAND") (no strings led by Sgt. Ray > > McKinley) > > "UPTOWN HALL" ("SWING SEXTETTE") (small groups led by Sgt. Mel Powell) > > "STRINGS WITH WINGS" (strings only led by Sgt. George Ockner) > > "SONGS BY SGT. JOHNNY DESMOND ("A SOLDIER AND A SONG") (full band or > > strings with vocals) > > "PIANO PARADE" (solos by Pvy. Jack Russin) > > > > The ABAEF kept a very busy schedule. Following Miller's disappearance > the > > ABAEF program was conducted by Sgt. Jerry Gray. > > > > It would be very helpful to learn what original discs you saw at the > > Library of Congress Recording Lab in the 1970s. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > Dennis M. Spragg > > Glenn Miller Archive > > University of Colorado Boulder > > > > > > On 6/12/12 4:16 PM, "Gray, Mike" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > > >As I recall, the original discs were recorded by the BBC - and I also > > >recall seeing the originals in the Library of Congress Recording Lab in > > >the 1970s. BTW, I very much doubt that the AFRS would have obtained > > >copies of > > >the recordings from OWI - for one thing, the each organization's > > >contracts with unions and performers and other parties defined the > rights > > >and assumed audiences, which did not overlap. > > > > > > > > >Mike Gray > > > > > > -- Dennis D. Rooney 303 W. 66th Street, 9HE New York, NY 10023 212.874.9626