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Aren't lacquer masters destroyed by making the father? Malcolm ******* On 12/4/2013 12:56 PM, Roger Kulp wrote: > I wonder what percentage of the lacquer masters got saved.Wasn't it standard policy later on to transfer them to tape? > > Roger > >> Date: Wed, 4 Dec 2013 10:24:53 -0500 >> From: [log in to unmask] >> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] metal parts- was Barr >> To: [log in to unmask] >> >> As a friend of AFR Lawrence at the time he was advising Columbia on the >> metal parts issue, here's what I recall. >> >> Larry was asked by Goddard Lieberson to analyze the various matrix series in >> their Bridgeport vaults. He compiled a list of prefixes and determined >> whach were owned by Columbia and which by others for whom Columbia hade made >> custom pressings. This later group included various 16" metal parts. >> >> Planning was underway for the Pittman, NJ plant to which the masters were to >> be moved. Lieberson felt there was no point in building a storage space >> large enough for all the metal parts if a significant number of them were >> not Columbia's property to be considered for commercial exploitation by >> them. Space to hold only company-owned materials was to be included in the >> new building. (This sounds like good management to me.) The new facility >> was opened in 1961. At that time, there were very few sound archives in the >> U.S. I believe NYPL didn't want them- Phil Miller was a friend of Larry's >> and mine and knew about this research. Phil was in continual touch with >> Harold Spivacke, head of the Music Division at the Library of Congress >> (there was no separate sound section as yet.) Yale's "Historical Sound >> Recordings Collection" had no space and a tightly defined colleting misson >> that put a large, non-classical metal parts accumulation out of bounds. >> Neither Syracuse nor Stanford had operating sound archives at the time. I >> don't know if the Vitaphone-type masters were offered back to the film >> companies who owned them but I recall mention that most owners of the >> non-Columbia stuff could not be traced. >> >> Decisions about the fate of then-surviving Columbia-owned masters were made >> within the company. Larry's job was as "indentifier-in-chief." >> >> Remember that there was a constant combing for various reusable metals >> during both world wars in all countries, survival of the country being a >> fairly important consideration. In my opinion, it is far preferable to be >> able to bitch freely about this loss than to be buying superb copies with >> Nazi currency. >> >> Steve Smolian >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Gray, Mike >> Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 9:45 AM >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] steven barr - metal parts >> >> Without stepping on this thread, here is what I understand to be the status >> of metal parts in company hands: >> >> >> Sony Music - Holds Victor parts + some HMV; disposal of Columbia, et al. >> metal may be related to the closure of the Bridgeport plant (cf. AFR >> Lawrence papers at LC) >> Former EMI - Holds primarily classical parts - most pop metal and most of >> Columbia was destroyed during World War II. Also had virgin pressings of pop >> material. Vault inventory exists. Note: for metal trasnferred for the Great >> Recordings reissues of the 1950s, metals were destroyed; >> Former EMI-France - Holds selected metal parts, primarily 12 inch classical. >> An inventory was made in 2005; >> Universal Music France - Donated metal parts to the Bibliotheque nationale - >> most consist of 45/LP metal, though the donation did include on previously >> unknown Edith Piaf side; >> Former Electrola - All metal destroyed during World War II - company >> solicited metals from affiliates to restore catalog after 1945; >> Deutsche Grammophon - Holds ca. 5K parts pre-1914 from the 'Gramophone' >> catalog - many DG/Grammophon electrical metals survived in the pressing >> plant but were destroyed thereafter; >> Warner-Teldec - 78 Telefunken metals currently survive - other metals >> survive in Japan; >> Nippon Columbia - Some metals survive. >> >> >> A further note: Because Columbia 78 metal work after ca. 1939, and at >> Capitol and Decca, were recorded from lacquer session masters, the lacquers >> represent the original recordings and (hopefully!!) are still being >> preserved. >> >> >> Mike >> >> >> P.S. I don't believe the Universal deal with LC set a precedent for future >> donations ... >