The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I recently read some of the Edison Studio Booking Calender for 1929 in a book about Blue Amberol cylinders, and something interesting caught my eye. (Had this book over a year, but never read this part).

On August 13, the last directly recorded DD master was produced, "At the End of the Road" (ironically) by Phil Spitalny's Music.

On August 15, it says "Discontinued making direct records of masters for Diamond Disc recordings, except on special request from Orange." So does this mean that the latest DD's was dubbed from Needle Types?

The book also mentions a Blue Amberol that was to be issued in August 1929 (The BA production stopped in June, I think). It's one without a number, "Weary River", an organ solo by John Gart. This was only released on Needle Type. So then, it might be likely that some BA's also were dubbed from Needle Types at the end?

Paal.

I've read several times that the company decreed that after the middle of August 1929 there were to be no more DD direct recordings and most writers state that the DD's were going to be dubbed after that. But I've often wondered if that meant that there were to be no more sessions specifically for the Diamond Discs, because it would seem that they could have fed both lateral and vertical cutters from the same amp. But then I suppose the settings might have been different for the vertical and lateral cutters, meaning they would have had to run two amps. Don't mind me We'll go with dubbing.

Jim

My understanding was that the Blue Amberol and Diamond Disc were both discontinued by September of 1929, and that there were no recordings
dubbed from the needle-type discs. For a few months, DDs and needle
discs were both being recorded in the same sessions.

The Amberols, I think died on July 6, 1929 . The last recordings..which were dubs of course, were done in June...that elusive Kansas City Kitty by Billy Murray being one of them. The press runs on these were were mere 100 cylinders, showing how much the business had crashed by that time. There's that October 22, 1929 company memo from one R. E. Allen reprinted in the Blue Amberol book where hr recommends burning the 200,000 plus Blues that they still had in stock because selling them at the discounted price would have represented a loss to the company, which was selling the cylinders by mail order at that time. I presume they did consign them to the flames or did they? But there is the sad line where he says " As of October 19 there were unfilled orders for only 43 records" But ever so one would have thought they could have dumped them onto a jobber who would could have continued the mail order thing.

Jim

I knew there would not be an easy answer to this question!

Dubbing could have been a possibility, I think, after all, it would save them quite a bit of money. As I can see it, the last recording sessions was in October, so they could might as well have been dubbed. The second to last released DD is on YouTube (Blue Yodel No. 4). This was 52650 and recorded in July, so it's not dubbed. This was released in November along with the last DD's... The latest recording date I can find on an issued record is no. 52651 which featured Vaughn De Leath. This was recorded October 25 and released in November, so there are possibilities that this is a dub.

And Jim, Yes the remaning cylinder stock was burned...

I wonder if they smashed out the plaster, before burning .... just imagine what that fire must have been like! 200,000 tubes of celluloid & their cardboard boxes.....

Edisone wrote:I wonder if they smashed out the plaster, before burning .... just imagine what that fire must have been like! 200,000 tubes of celluloid & their cardboard boxes.....

Smashing the plaster out of 200,000 BA's! That would have been quite a job. I could never do it. If I had the job, it would be an excuse to sneak out some nice records, and break the plaster out of some Will Oakland cylinders

Paal.

From what I know it would be dubbed from the needle type.