78recordpicker wrote:
Have never seen a Patti in the wild, very cool
Neither have I--none of the early "Patti" label pressings, at any rate. Occasionally, I've run across her records on a later Victor "patents" or even a bat-wing label. Although relatively uncommon, those later pressings aren't particularly valuable. Even first-issue pressings of most of the original "Melba", "Patti", and Tamagno titles, whether on G&T or Victor, while very collectable and nice to have, aren't terribly expensive, even in top condition.
On the other hand, an original G&T label pressing of Patti's recording of "La Calasera" would be a different story. Has anyone ever seen one? I read somewhere that either just before or after it was published, her husband vetoed it as being "too undignified" and it was immediately withdrawn. LOL
It was released much later in the 78 era as part of a collectors subscription series, then in recent years on Historic Masters in best possible sound on new vinyl copies pressed from the original metal parts. It's my favorite of her records.
Steven