The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

msherman wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 4:31 pm Not sure what I can add here to what's already been said, or what I have written in my book, but Victor did use the old batwing style label, or "acoustic circle" as they called it to records sold in the late 30s and early 40s that had been recorded acoustically. Here is an interesting pair - originally recorded 21 Nov 1918, it appeared in Victor's catalogs through 1940. Most records recorded during this period were out of the catalog by 1924, or 1926-27 at the latest. I suppose they saw no need to re-record "Turkey in the Straw" electrically on an accordion. Kinda sounds more like an Edison title anyway...

Yes, I have a sneaking suspicion that my best hope of finding your book, wherever I hid it from myself around here, is to buy another copy!

You overlooked "Russian Rag" was the "hit" on the B side!

Pietro Deiro was one the most influential accordionists in the twentieth century. I wouldn't sniff at this record and it explains why it remained in the catalog this long! It was an excellent record. Victor 18743 is even highlighted in an article on Pietro in Wikipedia:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Deiro

Also when you study closely the numbering, you will see the record was pressed from the original acoustic master take. Look at the telltale signs of the embossed catalog number such as the number spacing and minor embossing aberrations. In this case the softened top right of the number 3 in the catalog number gives it away.