The Spanish Columbia 1933 shellac LPs

[Inigo]

By this same year time, six years ago, I found and purchased something I never saw before, except in the spanish Columbia catalogues. A real treasure, very rare; never had seen any of these records in 45 years collecting 78s. What I found was two of the four issued Spanish shellac LPs (33 ⅓ rpm) made by our Columbia branch in 1933. These were recorded by our spanish Columbia Graphophone Company S.A.E. of San Sebastian (Basque Country), a spanish company founded in 1923 for making records with the Regal brand, using the Columbia laminated process on which they pressed spanish recordings and also USA and European Columbia matrixes, all which they could press by means of licensee agreements with both USA and UK Columbia.
From bibliography I’ve known that at least four of these 33 1/3rpm shellac records were recorded and issued early in 1933 (Regal RKY-10001 to 10004) although with little commercial success. Nevertheless, they still were in the catalogue in December 1935, when the Spanish branch of Columbia had been liquidated and then re-founded as an independent company, losing its ties with US and UK Columbia. The Spanish Columbia catalogue for 1936, made in December 1935 displayed several portable models; one was an electrical turntable which could be plugged into a radio, another was a complete radiogram, and the other three were crank portables. One of them can play either standard 78s or the new 33 ⅓ LPs. The crank portables were not very expensive, costing ⅓ of the price of the luxurious 113a (copy of the british one, probably imported from UK), even in the case of model no.14 with the two-speed feature.
These records were later relabelled and renumbered as Columbia RGLD-10000 to 10003, appearing so in the May 1942 Columbia general catalogue, but not anymore in later catalogues.
They must be very scarce, as in 40 years collecting, they are the first examples I’ve ever seen, taking into account that in Spain, it is easy to find lots of pressings of the Spanish Columbia records from all their 78rpm era (1923-1956).
These shellac LPs were developed with a clear commercial intention. The only four examples issued (first two in 1933 and the other two between 1933 and 1935) featured purposely made original recordings, not dubbed from 78s. The music pieces recorded are 15 minutes orchestral selections from the Spanish zarzuela repertoire, and carry consecutive matrix numbers from 1 on, in a new Spanish series KY-. The standard Spanish series for the Columbia recordings was K- for 10" and KX- for 12”. All them with the (W) symbol denoting electrical recording.
The orchestra is a purposely assembled team (Viva-Tonal Orchestra, Viva-Tonal Band) but the conductor was one of the frequent collaborators with Columbia in that era (Daniel Montorio). No clues about the actual dates or places of recording, as this matrix series was new, and independent from the K- series currently used. The only clues are given in rare bibliography and articles I've found, and in a published Spanish music newspaper (Musicografia no. 1, page 15; may 1933) whose first numbers features articles on recently published records. This no.1 talks about the first two LPs, labeled Regal LKY-10001 and 10002. I own numbers 10001 and 10003.
Here are images of the labels, and some other images from the catalogues where I've seen them, and the portable spring gramophone with 33 ⅓ rpm speed that can play them.

March 1933 Columbia magazine excerpt showing the first two 33 ⅓ rpm records issued

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1936 Columbia catalogue excerpt with the four issued records listed

1936 Columbia catalogue excerpt with the advert for the model no.14 portable spring gramophone that can play the 33 ⅓ rpm records

Excerpt from the 1942 catalogue showing the four 33 ⅓ records relabeled as Columbia RLGD 10000-10003

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Regal RKY 10001 label 1

Regal RKY 10001 label 2

Regal RKY 10003 label 1

Regal RKY 10003 label 2

General view

Grooved area, near view

Another near view of grooves and runout area

[gramophone-georg]

Those look like fun. Columbia here in USA didn't really debut commercial "LPs" until 1948, by which time they were vinyl. They did release some "5 minute" discs in the early 30s with a closer groove format, but that's all.

Victor, on the other hand, started secretly developing 33 ⅓ LPs in the late 1920s and the system made its debut in 1930. Sales were beyond dismally sluggish due to the Depression and cost of the discs and machines. They also pressed some records on "Victrolac", a lacquer precursor to vinyl, which was lightweight and flexible. Playing these required a special needle, as regular needles destroyed them after a few playings.

How is the sound quality on these LPs?

[gramophone-georg]

The ad with the portable Columbia for playing either speed is interesting as well. It was always my understanding that spring motors had too much wow/ flutter to reproduce at 33 ⅓ correctly. Have you ever seen one of these machines?

[Governor Flyball]

Interesting find.
I would not refer to the records as LPs as the 1933 Columbia 33 ⅓ rpm records used conventional 78 rpm groove dimensions. They were not microgroove which denote the LP format.
Secondly, by 1933 UK and European Columbia had severed ties with the US Columbia which during the Great Depression was attempting to stave off bankruptcy. Columbia in 1931 amalgamated with the Gramophone Company to form EMI. This meant that European Columbia had links to RCA Victor and it's 33 ⅓ rpm short lived Transcription series at the same time. I believe that RCA Victor was still pushing the format which ultimately died.

[gramophone-georg]

Interesting find.
I would not refer to the records as LPs as the 1933 Columbia 33 ⅓ rpm records used conventional 78 rpm groove dimensions. They were not microgroove which denote the LP format.
Secondly, by 1933 UK and European Columbia had severed ties with the US Columbia which during the Great Depression was attempting to stave off bankruptcy. Columbia in 1931 amalgamated with the Gramophone Company to form EMI. This meant that European Columbia had links to RCA Victor and it's 33 ⅓ rpm short lived Transcription series at the same time. I believe that RCA Victor was still pushing the format which ultimately died.

If I'm not mistaken, when Columbia and HMV merged, it technically meant that Victor, parent of HMV, owned their chief USA rival. However, under US antitrust and trade laws, the acquisition was disallowed, so Columbia had to sell off its USA division, which was then purchased by CBS.

[Governor Flyball]

If I'm not mistaken, when Columbia and HMV merged, it technically meant that Victor, parent of HMV, owned their chief USA rival. However, under US antitrust and trade laws, the acquisition was disallowed, so Columbia had to sell off its USA division, which was then purchased by CBS.

Yes. UK Columbia in 1925 bought it's former parent which went bankrupt in 1922 to gain access the the Western Electric license for electric recording.

However after the formation of EMI after the Columbia US selloff to the American Record Corporation(?) Columbia fortunes US lingered at its lowest ebb through the depression until 1938 when CBS acquired it at a bargain price of something ridiculously low like only US$2 million.

[Marco Gilardetti]

Dear Inigo, I think I owe you a special thank you as I understand that you released this informative material you have collected mostly upon my insistence.

This is all absolutely interesting and intriguing. Did you ever manage to put your hands over the model 14 portable? I mean not necessarily a unit that you own, but that of some fellow collector perhaps. I was wondering if the 33 ⅓ speed was achieved by some extra gearing, or if it was arranged just with a governor that could be braked down as low as 33 and ⅓ while still being steady and reliable enough.

Did you ever find the time to record these long playings and upload them on YouTube?

[Inigo]

Thanks Marco... It was you indeed, and the promise I made to you.
Never have seen (consciously) any of these portables As records by this maker literally still can be found every Sunday in the flea
market, their portables are extremely rare. Many Columbia portables are seen, but they're all imported from UK. Years ago I had one, marvelous machine with a potent and deep sound, which later I traded for a 113a. Nothing to say off the 33rpm one... I'm also intrigued about it.
About sharing the recordings, of course it can be done, and just the other day I thought about it. I played two sides and found that they are of no interest except for the duration! The sound is not very good, because of distortion in the treble range. The standard 78rpm recordings of the Spanish Columbia are really very good... But these are not at the same level of quality. If your interest is so big, I can copy one side for you to listen to.

[CarlosV]

Never have seen (consciously) any of these portables As records by this maker literally still can be found every Sunday in the flea
market, their portables are extremely rare.

Very interesting article, Iñigo, and intriguing as well, as these early 33 rpm records were only issued in the US by Victor and, as we now find out, in Spain by Columbia. There is one long playing experiment issued in the UK that sold records with fixed linear speed, to be played with an adapter installed on normal gramophones, such records are not that rare as well as the adapter. But apparently the 33 rpm gramophones seem to have vanished, either in the US or in Spain. Certainly the sales of records in both countries was very small, with not enough variety to entice depression-era consumers to buy dedicated machines, so it is likely that production of such machines was in minimal numbers.

[Inigo]

Thanks for your interest, all you. Indeed it is very mysterious, but not so much when one knows the man who was the real soul of this Spanish company, Juan Inurrieta. A real impresario, always looking for innovations...