Word: phonographers
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...Phonograph antiquarians, who hunt for sacred if scratchy records out of the dear dead past, had a wonderful prize offered them last week. It was a 1912 disc of the late great Lillian Russell, singing the hit of her career, Come Down, My Evenin' Star. Copies were issued by Manhattan's Collectors Record Shop. The recording showed its age. The sound of the little string orchestra that accompanied Lillian had the antique flavor of the wormholes in a Gutenberg Bible or the patina on a Hellenistic bronze...
...Boss Caesar Petrillo last week spotted a hole in the dike he had raised against new phonograph recordings. Record companies were waxing singers with all-vocal (hence nonunion) rather than instrumental accompaniment (TIME, June 28). Petrillo quickly stuck his thumb in the hole, asked singers to quit doing that. His request was really an ultimatum. Vocalists like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra or Connie Boswell well knew that failure to comply might bar them from future recordings or appearances with Boss Petrillo's union musicians...
Cracks were opening this week in A.F. of M. Boss Petrillo's dam against phonograph recording (TIME, June 22, 1942). Decca records tried a new wrinkle. Decca's idea was to have vocal soloists accompanied, not by the usual dance band, but by an all-vocal (hence nonunion) ensemble. Decca issued two trial records by Vocalist Dick Haymes with singing support: It Can't Be Wrong and In My Arms; You'll Never Know and Wait For Me Mary. Columbia, working on a similar plan, was about to release two orchestra-less Sinatra recordings...
...want to thank you very much for sending me that phonograph record of "The Star Spangled Banner" . . . we now have our public address system working much better at colors . . . maybe except for that chipped part that we covered with SCOTCH tape . . . once in a while on Monday mornings we can detect a bit of "Loch Lomond" blending in . . . or is it the scotch in me? . . . Speaking of music, Company Baker is having a bit of music trouble now with the thought of moving ashore next month for they will have to find a new place for the North Matthews "Swing...
Please send me that phonograph record of the "STAR SPANGLED BANNER...