Wobbly US Decca 800, Duke Ellington's CHICAGO version

[Inigo]

My old record of Ellington's orch. playing Chicago is an US Decca (sunburst) pressing no 800. Original matrix is UK Decca GB-6041-1D-2C of 1933. The sound is horrible, with a wobbly quality from start right to the end of the record. Is this a problem from the original UK Decca recording, or it is a problem of the US pressing?
The other side, GB-6039-1D sounds perfect! Compared to it, the Chicago side sounds horrible. And also tinny...
Can anyone help?
If the problem is on my pressing alone, I could try to locate another copy; if it is consistent in the US Decca pressings, then will try to locate another label. If the problem is in the original UK recording, there's nothing more to do except trying to locate a different matrix, if Ellington ever recorded it at another session...
That side is a bit off-center on my copy, but this does not justify the terrible wobble; the recording turntable seems to have some problem.

[Wolfe]

If your pressing is centered, then the "wobbly" quality is baked into the recording. Unless your record is a dubbing from another 78, then all bets are off.

[Inigo]

Pressed from original matrix (the typical British Decca small capital letters), with an added -2C after the matrix no. in those curly big italic typos used by Columbia and by Decca on te first years.
Was my copy defective only? Anyone has this record that could put some light on this mystery?

[Wolfe]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTuJTjsHYY[/youtube]

Sounds like the recording lathe on this was malfunctioning. Lotta flutter and wow. It would be on any 78 rpm copy.

Sounds like an old Berliner record.

[Inigo]

So no way... it's the original recording! (Or the cd people transcribed a copy from the same pressing run...)
If any British colleague in the forum has the original recording on an UK Decca pressing and may want to check the sound of it and see if it sounds wobbly...
Supposedly recordings were checked before issue, and if the defect was in the recording, a test pressing would have 'sung' its defects, very noticeable as soon as the piano starts... So they have decided to press the records despite the horrendous sound!
Being a 1933 recording, originally made in Great Britain, it likely should have been recorded during first Duke Ellington visit to Europe, a short visit to London only, which was arranged by Jack Hylton, not less. Rust's JR says they cut these sides in July 13th 1933, only four songs, six trials in total. For Chicago they cut a second take, issued on Decca M-438, Y-5113 (Australian issue) and Odeon 284058 (French or German issue?) Maybe if someone has a copy of this second take, he could check if the sound was better. The Harlem Speaks side of Decca 800 hasn't these problems.
The session was:

IMG_20190622_155000.jpg

and then the other session of 14/15 July for a promo record.
By August 15th they were again recording in NY, so maybe there was a rush on getting these recordings (the very first ones of Ellington in Europe) and they decided to issue them anyway? By this time Hylton was a major asset of UK Decca, and being him the promoter of the Ellington visit, could have Jack pressed Decca to issue the recording despite its defect? Ellington produced only four songs (two takes each of only Harlem Speaks and Chicago, one only take of Hyde Park and Ain't Misbehavin').
Please, I insist... Sorry. If anyone in this forum has access to the other take of Chicago, I would love to know if the defective recording lathe persists, or if it's good.
Thanks anyway...

[Wolfe]

So no way... it's the original recording! (Or the cd people transcribed a copy from the same pressing run...)

Whatever the pressing run, if the 78 is sourced from that matrix, that take, the problem will be on any copy. It's not a pressing defect.

[Wolfe]

U.K. Decca. Same take. Same issues.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeK7wz9hkNQ[/youtube]

[Inigo]

Thanks, Wolfe. So the list of records in Rust JR is for both takes... Who knows if they ever used take 1... Or if they finally issued take 2, was it the best of the two? I wonder how take 1 would sound...

[Wolfe]

I just posted that U.K. press as another example. Rust may have indeed had a U.K. copy that used the alt.

[GlensterTX]

Guys, please forgive me for stating what you may already know: in the Rust discography, an underline indicates a dubbed pressing, so Inigo’s US Decca pressing may have defects introduced during the dubbing that aren’t in the original UK pressing. Of course, that doesn’t explain the wobbly sound on the UK pressings!