Vera Lynn: We'll meet again...

[nostalgia]

I have spent the last couple of years focusing on collecting and restoring different gramophones since I returned to the hobby, but have yet not had the time (or patience) to focus on records. However, sometimes I act on intuition, and when yesterday a small lot of 50 records was for sale for €20, I thought why not, and took a total drive of 3 hours to collect them. The only words in the ad were " good condition", Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong, apart from that there were no photos. I admit that looking through such lots is exciting of course, even if I have less clue of what to collect or pass on, but "good condition" is always a plus of course. When I came back home I realized the records are close to pristine..and after checking only a handful of the records, I think there possibly can be some gems in the lot.

I am uploading a photo of Vera Lynn's "We'll meet again". When finding this record in the lot I immedietely thought this would be a record that can be found everywhere since it was the most iconic and popular song of WW2, but after checking Ebay I realized that this is maybe not that easy to find ? I found a few copies online from past auctions, but is it really as rare as these auction prices reflect? I also don't recognize the exact light blue label found on my record. The backside of the record is " I'm praying to St. Christopher".

I also found Louis Armstrongs "White Christmas" on Brunswick in the lot, I did not even know he ever had issued that song on a record.

[poodling around]

I have spent the last couple of years focusing on collecting and restoring different gramophones since I returned to the hobby, but have yet not had the time (or patience) to focus on records. However, sometimes I act on intuition, and when yesterday a small lot of 50 records was for sale for €20, I thought why not, and took a total drive of 3 hours to collect them. The only words in the ad were " good condition", Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong, apart from that there were no photos. I admit that looking through such lots is exciting of course, even if I have less clue of what to collect or pass on, but "good condition" is always a plus of course. When I came back home I realized the records are close to pristine..and after checking only a handful of the records, I think there possibly can be some gems in the lot.

I am uploading a photo of Vera Lynn's "We'll meet again". When finding this record in the lot I immedietely thought this would be a record that can be found everywhere since it was the most iconic and popular song of WW2, but after checking Ebay I realized that this is maybe not that easy to find ? I found a few copies online from past auctions, but is it really as rare as these auction prices reflect? I also don't recognize the exact light blue label found on my record. The backside of the record is " I'm praying to St. Christopher".

I also found Louis Armstrongs "White Christmas" on Brunswick in the lot, I did not even know he ever had issued that song on a record.

I don't recognise the label style either - but other records like this were released in 1953 so I wonder if this was too ?

I also wonder which version this is - I have the 1939 'Novachord' one(with a much lower 'DR' number) but not the one released a year or two later.

[poodling around]

I have spent the last couple of years focusing on collecting and restoring different gramophones since I returned to the hobby, but have yet not had the time (or patience) to focus on records. However, sometimes I act on intuition, and when yesterday a small lot of 50 records was for sale for €20, I thought why not, and took a total drive of 3 hours to collect them. The only words in the ad were " good condition", Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong, apart from that there were no photos. I admit that looking through such lots is exciting of course, even if I have less clue of what to collect or pass on, but "good condition" is always a plus of course. When I came back home I realized the records are close to pristine..and after checking only a handful of the records, I think there possibly can be some gems in the lot.

I am uploading a photo of Vera Lynn's "We'll meet again". When finding this record in the lot I immedietely thought this would be a record that can be found everywhere since it was the most iconic and popular song of WW2, but after checking Ebay I realized that this is maybe not that easy to find ? I found a few copies online from past auctions, but is it really as rare as these auction prices reflect? I also don't recognize the exact light blue label found on my record. The backside of the record is " I'm praying to St. Christopher".

I also found Louis Armstrongs "White Christmas" on Brunswick in the lot, I did not even know he ever had issued that song on a record.

Oh, I think they are both from Norway.

Here is an interesting link which clarifies versions and dates:

https://archive.org/details/78_well-mee ... ET_EQ.flac

[Wolfe]

That powder blue label matches other Decca records that were issued in Norway.

http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/label/decca-no

[Henry]

It's not exactly a disc recording, but another "obsolete" technology, DVD: the closing credits of "Dr. Strangelove," where Vera Lynn sings "We'll Meet Again." The context makes this one bitterly ironic.

[gramophoneshane]

I've got heaps of Vera Lynn records I've found over the last 42 yrs of collecting, but I have never found a copy of "We'll meet again".
It's just one of those records, like "over the rainbow" by Judy Garland, that you just know must have sold a million copies around the world but seems impossible (or expensive) to find.
So I think it's the iconic status that some records have that make them harder to find, rather than low production numbers making them rare.
I don't know if you got lucky, or if I've just been unlucky, but congratulations for finding a copy.

I was surprised when I found my copy of White Christmas by Armstrong too, after only ever hearing Crosby's recording and finding numerous copies of it.
Personally, I find Armstrongs version far more enjoyable, but then I cant think of any Louis vocals I don't enjoy.
Another LA Xmas record thats well worth getting is Winter Wonderland.

[poodling around]

I've got heaps of Vera Lynn records I've found over the last 42 yrs of collecting, but I have never found a copy of "We'll meet again".
It's just one of those records, like "over the rainbow" by Judy Garland, that you just know must have sold a million copies around the world but seems impossible (or expensive) to find.
So I think it's the iconic status that some records have that make them harder to find, rather than low production numbers making them rare.
I don't know if you got lucky, or if I've just been unlucky, but congratulations for finding a copy.

I was surprised when I found my copy of White Christmas by Armstrong too, after only ever hearing Crosby's recording and finding numerous copies of it.
Personally, I find Armstrongs version far more enjoyable, but then I cant think of any Louis vocals I don't enjoy.
Another LA Xmas record thats well worth getting is Winter Wonderland.

You are quite right although I was lucky enough to come across a copy of Judy Garland's 'Over The Rainbow' on the V Disc label.

It's lost in the gramophone room some-where (Like all the other items I have !).

[nostalgia]

This all makes sense, it is a Norwegian recording. And as you say Shane, I was surprised to know that " "We'll meet again" is very hard to find and when put up for sale, the price is high,even if it obviously was sold in huge numbers. Thanks for the greeting, I hope you find your copy too, Shane. Finding the record is one thing of course, but finding a decent copy is even harder too of course.

Thanks for the recommendation on "Winter wonderland", will look out for it.

And Judy Garlands, "Over the Rainbow", is also on my wishing list too...

And thank you too the rest of you guys, for helping out. You know who you are

Update for Shane, actually "Winter wonderland is the B side of my White Christmas record, so that was a double win then.