The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Two things seem to determine price: (1) scarcity and (2) demand. Something can be quite scarce, but if there is no demand for it, then it can sell for very little. I've noticed, not just for records, but if something is very characteristic of its time and place, something that helps define its time and place in history, then there can be considerable demand for it. I think the Andrews Sisters singing Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy falls into that category. That particular song occupies a unique place in history. There is also a WWII movie in which the three sisters appear and sing that song. That song clearly belongs to the Forties and the War.

jboger said it: it is not rarity, there are no rare Andrews Sisters records, but like Glenn Miller's In the Mood, it is familiar to a lot of people, which drives the demand.

saw it in mint for $1 should have purchased it
I regret it now

saw it in mint for $1 should have purchased it
I regret it now

The really scarce Andrews Sisters discs are the very first ones where they were given only a "vocal chorus" credit as singers with Leon Belasco's orchestra on Brunswick in the 1936- 37 era if memory serves. These are way tougher to find than "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".

There were two such discs as I recall. One was "Wake Up And Live" with the Sisters as the vocalists, backed with Patti alone on "There's A Lull In My life". The other disc is a relatively hot version of "Jammin'" with some great vocal harmony work, although the Tommy Dorsey version of this tune with Edythe Wright is the winner here IMHO.

If a serious Andrews fan wants to make a serious offer, I'd likely part with them.

If anyone ever told me that he never paid too much for anything, like at an auction or junk shop, that person would be lying. The only thing you can really hope for and really achieve is that you make mistakes less often. Anyway, you have a record that you like. If you haven't done so already, look up the entry for the Andrew Sisters in Wikipedia. Their influence reverberates to this day.

jboger wrote:If anyone ever told me that he never paid too much for anything, like at an auction or junk shop, that person would be lying. The only thing you can really hope for and really achieve is that you make mistakes less often. Anyway, you have a record that you like. If you haven't done so already, look up the entry for the Andrew Sisters in Wikipedia. Their influence reverberates to this day.

I have read that article through and through. I love the Andrews Sisters, they were amazingly talented musicians, especially for having never learned to even read music!

I was looking up how to store my records and ran into a FAQ that pointed to a YouTube video. Had some interesting opinions on value estimation and a bit of history. Tip of the day: Don't buy Polka as an investment

http://www.78rpm.com/faq.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFQQq73 ... re=related

Winsleydale,
In the last 5-10 years or so I've seen Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy priced or sell for around $40 - $50 That is both from ebay sales and record dealers. I have seen it sell and purchased it for less and yes it will turn up in $1 bins. The trick is finding a clean copy though. For the $40 - 50 range I would expect it to be at least VG+ or higher.

As previously mentioned its not a very rare record - its just very popular. Unlike In The Mood though it was not rereleased for many years after its initial release.

For fun I uploaded to Youtube 2 different versions from the popular Decca release.
First is the version from the movie which was used to lip-sync during the film. (Abbot and Costello's Buck Privates) It was released on laminated discs by Universal to play in Theatre Lobbies.

The second is the version recorded on V-disc in 1944. My copy is a bit rough but I like the it because this recording session was filmed and used in News Reels. The raw footage can be seen on Youtube and you can see that its Patty making the woop at the beginning of the song and clap her hands as well not to mention the extra energy they give because they were being filmed.

Universal disc...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05LmZcQqeuo

V-Disc...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-grvBxmgDDs

Film of recording session...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8CGIELLxvQ