'Moonlight serenade'--Count Basie (?), 1939.

[Viva-Tonal]

Here's something that qualifies as an oddity, to me. It's on Conqueror 9295. I found it in the local Salvation Army a couple of years ago, and though it's billed as by Count Basie and his orchestra, it sounds nothing like any Basie record I have ever heard. It was also released on Vocalion 5036, billed as by Count Basie there as well.

Vocal is by Helen Humes.

Matrix number W.24978-A, recorded 4 August 1939. (Notice the take indication is a letter suffix in the ARC-Brunswick manner, not a numerical suffix as was Columbia's practice.) From what I understand the W here (not the capital W in a circle as seen on all those early electric Columbias) stood for World Broadcasting, a transcription producer in New York City. This W prefix is found on many of the last ARC matrices.

At the time this was recorded, ARC had been owned by CBS for about 8 months, and the transition was underway to change over many Brunswick artistes to Columbia. The new popular series on Columbia (starting from 35201) would be introduced in September. And Vocalion was about to become the revived Okeh, with its catalogue numbers simply continuing in their series as running. Later this same month, the first new matrices dedicated to the new Columbia records (and not originally slated for Brunswick, still bearing the B prefix but issued nevertheless on Columbia) would be recorded.

I'm speculating here, but I have to think the reasons for this range of matrices originating from World would have to do with CBS most likely having shut down the ARC studio around January 1939 (when these new W matrices begin to appear), for the purposes of upgrading them, installing new lathes for cutting the 16 inch, 33 ⅓ rpm session discs that became the source recordings for the new Columbia records, among other things. Thus recording sessions would be held at World until CBS had the new Columbia facilities ready.

W prefixed numbers began to appear less frequently after September 1939, as the CBS studios became active.

Anyway, here's this 'Moonlight serenade': http://www.box.net/shared/ae0614fz34

Enjoy!

(Edit: Revised link; glitch at beginning fixed.)

[richardh]

Great tune...makes a refreshing change to hear an alternative version to the Glenn Miller one thats usually heard....I love it

Interesting about what you say regarding the installation of 16" lathes to provide the source of new Columbia recordings....do you mean that after this date all Columbia disks were effectivly dubs from 16" masters rather than being direct pressings? Or have I misunderstood what you mean.

I would have thought that would have been a backward step in terms of sound quality....I wonder if any other labels also did this...

RJ

[Viva-Tonal]

....do you mean that after this date all Columbia disks were effectivly dubs from 16" masters rather than being direct pressings?
I would have thought that would have been a backward step in terms of sound quality....I wonder if any other labels also did this...

RJ

Yes, the 78s were dubs from the 16" discs. From what I understand RCA Victor also began to do so circa 1946 or 1947.

Columbia's 16" discs were also the sources for many of the early LPs.

[Wolfe]

Which is why, in the case of someone like, say, Frank Sinatra, the CD transfers of his Columbia material, taken from the 16" sources, are preferable to the original 78's. At least from a sound quality standpoint.

[Viva-Tonal]

Provided they didn't CEDAR the life out of the CD transfers, yes.

[richardh]

well, thats something I didn't know or even suspect they did. I just assumed that all disks were diredt pressings until the advent of tape. Thanks for the info

RJ

[Viva-Tonal]

You're welcome! Although as I understand it, in the UK, EMI still did direct wax cuts until about 1950 or so, as George Martin remarked in his book ALL YOU NEED IS EARS that they were doing so when he started working there, in 1950. They did have tape by then, using EMI BTR 1 30 ips machines, but they regarded the tapes as a backup.

(I don't know the history or practices at Decca.)

[richardh]

There was an interview with George Martin a few years ago now and he recalled that when he first started working for EMI at their Abbey Road Studios they were still using turntables powered by weights You would have thought that by that time they would have been using cutting leaths powered by electricity!

RJ