One of the main disciplines of studying 78s and discographies are labels themselves. The more familiar you get with different labels and different eras of recorded sound, the more accurate you can predict years of production, bands under pseudonym, or even more depending on how dedicated you get to one label, band, song, etc. Though despite the wealth of information we have now collected and shared through the generations of 78ers going back to when 78rpm was the main format, there are still MANY mysteries, anomalies and exceptions afoot. One of which that I've seen is the discography of Hit Of The Week records. These single-sided Durium made records from 1930 - 1932 will commonly have guesswork as to the real bands and dates behind them. For example these two presented here:
1121 You're Driving Me Crazy - a band billed as "The New York Twelve". We've been able to identify for certainty that this hot dance-band here is actually the work of Harry Reser's orchestra.
1113 I'm Yours - a band billed as the "Benrus Radio Orchestra", who again is pseudonymous. Now for Sam Lanin & His Orchestra, (Possibly the Ipana Troubadors outfit).
Though with both of these, the date of their recording & release have multiple dates thrown about. Putting the dates of recording aside (for both, there are a range going as early as April 1930 to March 1931) their date of release is very much an anomally all in itself. As for Context, it's believed that HOTW starts directly on, or perhaps a few away from the series block 1000. Before the lettered series started, this traditional series block seems to last up through 1215 if not later for releases at the end of 1932. One record (maybe upon occasion two) per week would sell at newspaper stands and then the next would be available the week after. Seeing as there are 52 weeks in a year, and the label debuted in February 1930, one can do the math and come to the logic see by the numbers, most everything after roughly 1045 should be released in 1931. Though that's not the case it seems. The Chicago Tribune on January 4th, 1931 acknowledged 1113 was available. It would be logical also to assume that these records sold at the stands across the nation on different days per area. So just because Chicago reportedly first received it on January 4th, 1931 (and mind you this is when the paper reported it, it could have been the 29th or 30th of December for all we know) doesn't mean Minneapolis could have gotten it on December 22nd 1930, or Miami got it at stands on February 1st 1931, etc.
In short, we will probably never know the true release date for either side here, though we do know that the owner, or atleast one of the owners of this disc prior to me decided to glue both together for ease of handling 90 years ago. In this time, the Durium lamination on both had shrunk to the point of an unplayable warp across the combination. Thankfully after careful splitting done with slow scissor cuts and followed by a 40llb book compress left alone for a while has made both sides regain their shape and playability. Now if treated correctly, these cheap cardboard/durium records will outlive me!
#hitoftheweek #78rpm #samlanin #harryreser #1930
The other HOTW is called You're Driving Me Crazy - The New York Twelve which you can listen to here: [ Ссылка ]
