What is your most wanted record?

[travisgreyfox]

The Fonotipia label itself is a work of art.

[Menophanes]

If there were to be a poll on everyone's most wanted record, I suspect that in the field of opera at least the two Fonotipias allegedly made in 1905 by the great Polish tenor Jean de Reszke would occupy a very high place. As I understand it, they were announced and catalogue numbers were assigned but no copies ever emerged.

In about 1950 a French artist, art-collector and record producer named Michel de Bry stated that he had a copy of one of these: an aria from Massenet's Le Cid, I think. I have read, though I forget where (P. G. Hurst?), that he actually showed his copy to some favoured people but would not allow it to be played. I believe it is generally considered to have been a fake.

Oliver Mundy.

[epigramophone]

It is known that De Reszke recorded two arias in Paris on 22nd April 1905. They were :
ROMEO ET JULIETTE (Gounod) "Scene du Tombeau."
LE CID (Massenet) "O Souverain."
It is believed that De Reszke was not satisfied with the results and refused to approve their release.

In 1937 a search was made for the masters of these recordings, which Parlophone Odeon hoped to issue on their Historic Series. Nothing was found, and it was assumed that the masters had been destroyed at the request of De Reszke.

When De Reszke was living and teaching in Paris, the local Edison agent presented him with one of the new Diamond Disc machines and a selection of records in the hope that it might tempt him to record. It is said that De Reszke was impressed, and wrote to Edison personally to express an interest in recording. For whatever reason, Edison never followed this opportunity up.

[Phono48]

You'd think mine would be easy, but it ain't! It's Guy Lombardo's "Crazy People" backed with "Here it is Monday and I've still got a Dollar" issued over here on the Brunswick label. I had it when I was a kid, but my brother sat on it.

Barry

[Inigo]

Ah.. we let a heavy battery from a toy fall on my Andalucía/Morocco by Roberto Inglez and the Savoy Hotel Orchestra. Best is that I managed to get another copy years later.
Also broke a Lionel Hampton record... Not very interesting.
Another I loved was Xavier Cugat Belén/Adiós Mariquita Linda un the eighties. It took 40 years to find another copy!
And one day, bringing home a flamant NOS copy of Kostelanetz Tea for two, it broke in two halves within the bag due to a wind blow on the way home... It also took many years to find another copy. (Yes, I love some of the 12" Kosty Columbias... ) I was playing my repaired copy for years, with the horse click-clack gallop included!

[gramophone-georg]

You'd think mine would be easy, but it ain't! It's Guy Lombardo's "Crazy People" backed with "Here it is Monday and I've still got a Dollar" issued over here on the Brunswick label. I had it when I was a kid, but my brother sat on it.

Barry

Barry: I can't find any evidence that Lombardo ever recorded "Crazy People". "Here it is Monday" was a 1932 Brunswick release here, backed with "just a home for the old folks". Any chance "Crazy People" was by a different band?

[BassetHoundTrio]

I have been searching for Al Bowlly's version of that with Ray Noble!

For the longest time it was Victor 22409, Bernie Cummins with "Living in the Sunlight" but it popped up on eBay and I got it. Alas, as with most any time a coveted record comes up, I probably spent much more than it was worth.

Now I'm looking for a copy of Bing Crosby singing "Have You Ever Seen A Dream Walking" as I'm a huge fan of the movie "Lady in White" and would love to play this on my Credenza at our Halloween parties. I have a copy of him singing "Ichabod Crane" which I found many moons ago. Oh, here's one I'll never get... Bing Crosby singing Mele Kalikimaka on 78. I've been looking for years, never seen on in the wild and the ones that come up on eBay start off too high to even start a bid on...

[BassetHoundTrio]

I have a long list, but Lombardo's "The Cannon Ball" is at the top.

You'd think mine would be easy, but it ain't! It's Guy Lombardo's "Crazy People" backed with "Here it is Monday and I've still got a Dollar" issued over here on the Brunswick label. I had it when I was a kid, but my brother sat on it.

Barry

Barry: I can't find any evidence that Lombardo ever recorded "Crazy People". "Here it is Monday" was a 1932 Brunswick release here, backed with "just a home for the old folks". Any chance "Crazy People" was by a different band?

[gramophone-georg]

I have a long list, but Lombardo's "The Cannon Ball" is at the top.

You'd think mine would be easy, but it ain't! It's Guy Lombardo's "Crazy People" backed with "Here it is Monday and I've still got a Dollar" issued over here on the Brunswick label. I had it when I was a kid, but my brother sat on it.

Barry

Barry: I can't find any evidence that Lombardo ever recorded "Crazy People". "Here it is Monday" was a 1932 Brunswick release here, backed with "just a home for the old folks". Any chance "Crazy People" was by a different band?

That's a fantastic record.
Other nice Lombardos of note are "Waiting For Katy" and "Under The Moon", both on Columbia, as well as "Mississippi Mud" on Vocalion as "Louisville Rhythm Kings". I can't recall the flip side of that one offhand but it's a good one as well.

[Phono48]

Barry: I can't find any evidence that Lombardo ever recorded "Crazy People". "Here it is Monday" was a 1932 Brunswick release here, backed with "just a home for the old folks". Any chance "Crazy People" was by a different band?

Thanks for that information. So, if Guy Lombardo didn't record "Crazy People", then it looks like my memory is failing me (again!). Maybe "Here it is Monday"/"Crazy People" was by a different band altogether, as I definitely remember those two being on the one disc. Have I been looking for the wrong record for the last fifty years???
Barry