The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Among the lots of records I bought over the years, there is an oddball: a set from a guy that collected different recordings of the same song, Blue Danube. Here are some of them - there are more - ranging from the 20s to the 50s, and a few quite obscure labels. And no, I did not play all of them yet, and likely never will, despite liking that particular waltz.

Plenty of label interest, but most of these orchestral recordings will probably sound very similar.
My wife collects different recordings of the Teddy Bear's Picnic. She has about 30 so far.

Classical/opera collector that I am, I'll nonetheless confess I've heard the Blue Danube often enough to keep me content for quite a long time to come, except that I do never tire of the Spike Jones version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3-f5yBueWk

In the photos, the Grammophon and Volksbund der Musikfreunde recordings are both led by the same conductor. Is the latter a licensed reissue of the former? Also, one label has a sticker reading "V.D.M"; was that another Volksbund der Musikfreunde issue? I assume the Volksbund thing must have been some sort of record club.

epigramophone wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2024 1:40 pm Plenty of label interest, but most of these orchestral recordings will probably sound very similar.
My wife collects different recordings of the Teddy Bear's Picnic. She has about 30 so far.

Funny that you say that -- I saw an eBay listing just today, some collector was selling 9 different versions of that song, including the iconic Henry Hall one. I'll link it if you or she is curious.

drh wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2024 2:32 pm In the photos, the Grammophon and Volksbund der Musikfreunde recordings are both led by the same conductor. Is the latter a licensed reissue of the former? Also, one label has a sticker reading "V.D.M"; was that another Volksbund der Musikfreunde issue? I assume the Volksbund thing must have been some sort of record club.

Hard to decipher, as you saw one record has the full label of the VDM, while the other seems to be just glued on top of another manufacturer's label. Your guess that VDM was a record club is a good one, it explains both the use of a Grammophon record and the sticker on someone else's label. However, these two records are the only ones I have seen so far with the VDM label, which may indicate a short-lived outfit.

epigramophone wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2024 1:40 pm Plenty of label interest, but most of these orchestral recordings will probably sound very similar.
My wife collects different recordings of the Teddy Bear's Picnic. She has about 30 so far.

You are correct, I played some three or four and they sound very much the same. Some of the labels are quite interesting, I had never seen them before - or after. Of the ones I did not photograph, there is a 12 inch piano solo that's very interesting, fuller versions in two-sides 12 inch records, and vocal versions, my preferred being the one by the exuberant Erna Sack - her records are always good tests for gramophones. As to Teddy Bears, I have some versions, an early Victor from the 1910s, Bing Crosby's, Henry Hall, a German brass band and some others, including a cylinder - I do not collect different versions, they just show up over time, like this lot of Blue Danubes. I kind of like the Teddy Bear, it is a contrasting song that dresses a child theme in a dark and somber music.

FredSugarHall_fan wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:34 pm

epigramophone wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2024 1:40 pm Plenty of label interest, but most of these orchestral recordings will probably sound very similar.
My wife collects different recordings of the Teddy Bear's Picnic. She has about 30 so far.

Funny that you say that -- I saw an eBay listing just today, some collector was selling 9 different versions of that song, including the iconic Henry Hall one. I'll link it if you or she is curious.

Thank you. it would be interesting to see the link. There may be versions that we are unaware of.

epigramophone wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 8:21 am

FredSugarHall_fan wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:34 pm

epigramophone wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2024 1:40 pm Plenty of label interest, but most of these orchestral recordings will probably sound very similar.
My wife collects different recordings of the Teddy Bear's Picnic. She has about 30 so far.

Funny that you say that -- I saw an eBay listing just today, some collector was selling 9 different versions of that song, including the iconic Henry Hall one. I'll link it if you or she is curious.

Thank you. it would be interesting to see the link. There may be versions that we are unaware of.

I guess this was it. Sold now - maybe to you ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116165390915 ... R6ipkcbmYw

poodling around wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 9:43 am

epigramophone wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 8:21 am

FredSugarHall_fan wrote: Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:34 pm

Funny that you say that -- I saw an eBay listing just today, some collector was selling 9 different versions of that song, including the iconic Henry Hall one. I'll link it if you or she is curious.

Thank you. it would be interesting to see the link. There may be versions that we are unaware of.

I guess this was it. Sold now - maybe to you ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116165390915 ... R6ipkcbmYw

Yeah that was the one. I hope you got it, epigramophone, if you wanted it.

CarlosV wrote: Wed May 01, 2024 6:06 am ... Of the ones I did not photograph, there is a 12 inch piano solo that's very interesting, ...

Is it the Schulz-Evler paraphrase played by Joseph Lhevinne? That is a classic of the Gramophone, a real stunner of a performance (and one of the relative handful of records by an important pianist).