Hit of the Week - Durium project

Paull Sisters

2009-01-31T11:05:00.018+01:00

It is amazing to learn that projects, like the Hit of the Week - Durium project, still bring new finds and information after 15 years of intense research. Last week I received a message from Bill Schoerner as a comment on my March 2008 blog, titled All-Girl Bands. Bill is fascinated by the Williams Sisters and researched this 1920s vocal- and dance group and hopes to publish about these girls in my Keep Swinging blog soon.

He informed me too, that he could help me with information about the Paull Sisters, the vocal group that has recorded two Hit of the week's in the fall of 1931. He sent me three interesting images of news paper advertisements, which contain a lot of information.
First of all we do know now that The Paull Sisters was a duo, not a quartet as I believed. The names of the ladies are also known now: Julia Paull and Ruth Paull. Up to now, I don't know anything about their ages or where they actually lived.
Thanks to some discographical information I found we know that they sung late 1920s with the Phil Spitalny Orchestra

Phil Spitalny was born in Odessa, Russia in November 1890 and played the clarinet and violin, but became known as a bandleader and composer. He started in the 1920s wth his own band, which lasted up to the 1940s, when he had an all-women orchestra, which became famous due to the 1940s Hour of Charme Radio-show.

Phil Spitalny arrived from Russia in 1917 and founded his first band in the early 1920s in Cleveland. Like so many bands in those 1920s it was not a jazz band, but a dance band, that played stock arrangements in dance halls and later for the radio. There were a lot of those bands that played a kind of jazzy dance tunes

Label of one of the last Edison recordings (Sep. 1929)
and in 1929 it seems that the Paull Sisters became part of the show. One of the advertisements ( they must be from ca. 1930) learns that Phil had an (almost) daily radio program at the NBC Network titled Tea Dansante in which the two Paull Sisters were participating. During the summer of 1929 they made a dozen of sides for Edison with the Phil Spitalny orchestra.

You can find additional information at the Paull Sisters Discography below this contribution.

The last one was recorded on the 25th of September 1929 and short after that session Edison would close his studios and stop producing records.

A 1930s flexible card board Hit of the week record

In October 1931 the Phil Spitalny Orchestra, labeled as Phil Spitalny's Music made two records for Durium which were released on Thursday the 12th of November and Thursday the 3rd of December 1931 in its weekly release scedule. Both records do have a small extra track to complete the 3-minutes recording on the 5-minutes card board Hit of the week record.

A new five-minute Hit-of-the-week with almost twice the playing time of the average record at your newsdealer next Thursday.

The extra track was sung by the Eton Boys, a male vocal quartet.

The information of the Paull Sisters is limited. A 1931 advertisement learns that they performed with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, labeled as the Court Harmonizers. As far as I know they didn't make any records with Paul Whiteman. All information and photos of this vocal duo is welcome. Please share it with us - keepswinging@live.nl
Thanks Bill for your photo's.

This contribution will be posted later at the Keep swinging blog too in Dutch and English

THE PAULL SISTERS DISCOGRAPHY
Thanks to the book: Moanin Low - A discography of Female Popular Vocal Recordings by Ross Laird and the Hit of the week - Durium Discography by Hans Koert

Singing with PHIL SPITALNY’S MUSIC

Recorded NYC 31st of May, 1929
= 19226 When My Dreams Come True (Ed 52605)
= 19227 Baby Oh Where Can You Be (Ed 52605)

Recorded NYC, 5th of July, 1929
= 19279 (N983) Want To Meander in the Meadow (Ed 52622 / 14035)

Recorded NYC, 19th of July 1929
= N1028 Some Old Moon (Ed 14050)
= 19305 (N1029) So Sentimental (Ed 52637 / 14048)

Recorded NYC, 13th of August 1929
N1070 Waiting At The End Of The Road (Ed 14058)

Recorded NYC, 15th of August 1929
= N1071 By The Way (Ed 14062)

Rcorded NYC, 6th of September 1929
= N1114 I May Be Wrong (Ed 14069)

Recorded NYC, 25h of September 1929
N1156 Bottoms Up (Ed 14076)

This is a promotion picture on the reverse of a late 1931 Hit of the week card board record ( Hit of the Week records were only playable on one-side) (Hit of the week A2-3, released in the third week of January 1932). It contains a picture of Phil Spitalny labeled as Now Recording Exclusively for HIT OF THE WEEK Records.
As a composer he wrote tunes like Save The Last Dance For Me, Madelaine - It's You, No One But You, The Kiss I Can't Forget and Enchanted Forest. He passed away October 1970.

Recorded NYC, October 1931
= Guilty (HOW L-2) (as Guilty (Est-ce un péché de vous aimer) (SEFONO L-2 - DURAND-DUPONT L-2)
= Good Night, Sweetheart (HOW M-1) (as Good Night Sweetheart (Bonsoir Chérie) (SEFONO M-1)
The last two tunes have been reissued on CD.
Enjoy the complete online Durium discography concerning these two Hit of the week records.
Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl http://www.myspace.com/hanskoert

A Damaged Durium Record

2008-09-30T19:12:00.002+02:00

Some days ago Alan Dein pointed me to two small records, both made by Durium during the 1930s in Slough - England. The left one is a Sound Distributor release by Stanley Holloway from the mid 1930s made for the National governement and the right one is an Announcement for a French course, to be released on six durium records around 1932. Both are known, but rare, due to the material, cardboard advertisement records. The right one is, as you can see, extremely damaged. What could have happened?
Well - of course it's a pity that someone took the siccors and cut a big whole in it. I think this is typically a damage made during the late 1950s or 1960s by a child or a young adult who found this old record from his (grand)father, and loved to let it look like a 45rpm single record or EP with an enlarged spindle hole. I found once a bunch of normal card board 1930s Hit of the weeks that were cut to the format of a 45rpm single and glued back to back.
As the Hit of the weeks, released in the second half of 1931 and the first half of 1932 had two ( or one-and-a-half) tune on one side it might be possible that the first track was terrible damaged by needle drops, that the owner decided to cut off the first tune,to keep it playable.
And what to think about these fruit bowls? Finally you can get rid off that collection of Mantovani albums or Alle Dertien Goed lp's .... of your mother-in-law. I'm sure your partner will like it.

What a wonderful website and research project you have! (Alan Dein)

More information about these Durium Advertisement Records at the online Durium Discography. This contribution was also published on the Keep Swinging blog.

DISQUES Souvenir

2008-09-15T09:59:00.003+02:00

Han Enderman pointed me to a rare Durium label that was on eBay some days ago. It's a French Hit of the week release, with the DISQUES Souvenir label, which was probably sold in Paris as a souvenir during the 1930s. Mind the picture of the Eifeltower on the label.

(no band name) ( = Phil Spitalny's Music) [2tp-tb-2cl as-cl ts-2v-p-g-tu-dm-vo-(male)vo3] Phil Spitalny dir., Eddie Lang g, Paul Small vo, ETON BOYS vo4: (Jack Day bariton, Earl Smith 1st Tenor, Art Gentry 2nd Tenor, Chas. Day bass)
Recorded New York City, Mar. 1932
+ Au Plaisir de vous Revoir ( = Auf Wiedersehen, My Dear) - no matrix number ( originally 1203 A ) - DISQUES Souvenirs. ( no catalogue number). (Originally Hit of the week C5-D1)

+ MARTA - no matrix number ( originally 1203 A) - DISQUES Souvenirs (no catalogue number)

Are there collectors who have more records with this French label?

This contribution will also be published in the Keep Swinging blog.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

La Benedizione del Santo Padre

2008-09-06T18:57:00.003+02:00

I received a scan from this little single-sided card board Durium record. It is titled:

La Benedizione del Santo Padre ( = The Blessing of the Holy Father). It was released by Tecniphone and produced by the Italian Durium, based in Milano.

On the record the blessings as spoken by a pope. As the record has no matrix number ( nor a catalogue number) it is hard to date it; it must have been somewhere between 1934 and 1939 ( or may be up to 1948).
May be some Italian Durium collectors can help us to determine this record.
It was found, by the way, at a flea market in Buenos Aires (Argentina), so it might be a memory of a pilgrimage to Rome.

This contribution will also be posted at the Keep Swinging blog as: La Benedizione del Santo Padre.

Please sent me your comments: keepswinging@live.nl

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

St Mary Of The Angels

2008-07-06T09:27:00.005+02:00

Lyle Boehland from Apple Valley (USA) pointed me to an English custom record, titled "TRACT FOR THE TIMES" IN WAX by the choir of St. Mary of the Angels. He couldn't find this small item in my Durium Advertisement and Custom Records discography ( 6th edition) (paper version). It's not (yet) in my online discography too, so here's the info.

ST. MARY OF THE ANGELS: The Choristers of St. Mary of the Angels (choir)
Recorded London, ca 1933
E-5063-B A “TRACT FOR THE TIMES” IN WAX - choir

no catalogue number

A round 4" custom record from ST. MARY OF THE ANGELS. On the label also the address: < Cholmeley Park, N.6> On the reverse: upper shows three boys’ heads, thence the following in lower segment: <>. On an envelop a drawing of some birds in a tree and the address: <> and a drawing of a sparrow

Thanks Lyle for sharing the images.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

discographer

Hit of the week - Durium discographies

keepswinging@live.nl

Min Onkel fra Ronongo

2008-06-23T19:31:00.014+02:00

Thanks to René Aagaard I can show you a great set of SUPER durium records released by the Danish Durium firm Nordisk. It is a set of three records, recorded somewhere in the second half of 1934, by Otto Lingstons Orkester and the Henning Elbirks Drengekor, titled Min Onkel fra Ronongo.

The set of three cardboard records contain a boys light opera ( a Drengeoperette) with Poul Vendelbo as the main character Onkel Anthon. In the set is a text book and a kind of puppet-theatre (in good Danish a Dukketeater).

There are three acts (and four scenes) in the story and the puppet theater contains four sets - one of a ship at the quay, one inside the ship, one on the beach of an tropical island and one inside the room of a house. Each set has an open square where you can show one of the characters that are on a separate disc.

I posted two of the four scenes.

This is the room and below are the characters that pop-up in the square whole if you turn the discs.

René Aagaard says that the Danish SUPER durium records D100 onwards were recorded in the Nordisk Tonefilms Atelier (later and today just Nordisk Film A/S) in Valby (a surburb to Copenhagen). The orchestra on 196abc is Lington's no doubt, but only a handfull of musicians not the whole orchestra. Lington himself is playing the violin. My guess is that the composer and lyricist are playing the two grown ups on the records. There are no mentioning of names for the boys.

This is the complete discographical info as it should be in my Durium (GB) Discography - Hans Koert.

OTTO LINGTONS ORKESTER OG DRENGEKOR: Otto Lington dir., Henning Elbirks Drengekor. Poul Vendelbo vo ( as Onkel Anthon)

Recorded: Nordisk Tonefilms Atelier.Valby ( Copenhagen) ca. autumn 1934
D-112-B MIN ONKEL FRA RONONGO DRENGEOPERETTE AF H. BUCHHAVE OG H. ELBRIRK – NCB ( PV - HED choir )

= SUPER durium SC-196a
D-113-A MIN ONKEL FRA RONONGO DRENGEOPERETTE AF H. BUCHHAVE OG H. ELBRIRK - NCB ( PV - HED choir )

= SUPER durium SC-196c
D-114-B MIN ONKEL FRA RONONGO DRENGEOPERETTE AF H. BUCHHAVE OG H. ELBRIRK - NCB (PV - HED choir )

= SUPER durium SC-196b
SUPER durium SC-196abc: 3 records with a textbook and a dolls theater. Cover: drawing of a ship with sails, the sea and three records? Text: <> and the name of the artist. Textbook: <> <> <> <>

Thanks René for this great contribution !!

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Unknown Italian Card Board Record

2008-06-07T20:30:00.005+02:00

I received two scans of a two-sided cardboard record from Franco Malatesta from Italy. The record is made of ( Durium-like) card board and both sides are well illustrated.

Franco writes: This is the A side: "Faccetta Nera". For both record I don't know who the singer is, and even the band that plays. The matrix number is visible: for this is C 8652 (stamped as typing machine)

The woman, framed behind the banjo player, seems to me Josephine Baker and the banjo player looks like a vaudeville artist with blacked face. ( Hans Koert)

On this one, Franco continues, the matrix number is hand written: 6525.
The other information is that the ink stamp says: " Fox Trott OCCHIONI BLU - Canzone Cantata - Savini Zerboni - side" (translated as "Fox Trot BIG BLUE EYES - vocal song - Savini Zerboni side").

At this side of the record the card board looks like the Durium card board, but Durium only used black and white drawings on its reverse and never colourfull ones. Durium records always had a label and not, like this one, a picture disk on the front. The matrices are not used by Durium.

It seems logically that this record was not a 1930s Durium card board record, but what Italian record company made this kind of records?

Information wanted. Hans Koert keepswinging@live.nl

Thanks Franco for sharing this rare Italian card board record.

This contribution will be posted too at my Flexible Records web log and in Dutch and English at the daily Keep Swinging web log.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Unbreakable Record Sleeve no Durium cover

2008-05-29T06:49:00.002+02:00

A few days ago I asked your help for information about a rare Dutch 1930s record sleeve. The cover didn't gave any info about the record that had been inside, except that it had contained an Onbreekbare Gramophoonplaat Met Lot ( = An unbreakable Gramophone Record With Lottery Ticket). I posted several pictures of that sleeve in a previous contribution titled Unbreakable Record Sleeve With Lottery Ticket. As no info was on the sleeve about what unbreakable record had been inside, I called the possibiliy of a Durium record into question. Thanks to several contributors I can inform you about what record had been inside.
Both Dimitri Marheineke, record collector and Rinus Blijleven from The Weergever, pointed to the Dutch flexible advertisement record for Persil washing powders, titled Wat Een Meisje Weten Moet (= What A Girl Should Know) sung by the popular Dutch crooner Louis Davids. This record was recorded in the Lindström studio in Berlin (Germany) on the 28th of January 1932 for Parlophone. It is the most well known pre-war flexible Dutch picture disc and sought after by collectors. The cover is most of the time teared or the owner had cut a big hole in the middle to see the fancy record inside. The music was reissued on the great album Wat Een Meisje Weten Moet, a collection in the series of Reclame Klassieken, released by the Theater Instituut Nederland in co-production with De Weergever, Amsterdam.

Louis Davids (1883 - 1939), who was a popular Dutch crooner, is to be found on several advertisement records reissued on this compilation. In 1931 he made a song, titled 't Is Prima ( het gas in de flesch) ( =gas cylinder) to promote Primagaz for cooking. A few month after the Persil advertisement Louis Davids sung the song Doe het electrisch .... to promote the use of electricity for the N.V. Provinciale Utrechtse Electriciteitsmaatschappij. This tune was recorded by The Animal Crackers too and became a small hit on their 1975 album Tante To Heeft Radio.

It feels strange that this sleeve hasn't any indication to the record inside: no Persil advertisement nor announcement of Louis Davids song. There have been several versions of this advertisement record and you can read it all about in one of my previous blogs, titled Wat Een Meisje Weten moet - Louis Davids. On that site you can also listen to the song.
Thanks Ate, Rinus and Dimitri for your help and Henk for the cover. Know that I'm still anxious to have a copy of this picture disc to put inside the sleeve!!
Hans Koert keepswinging@live.nl

This contribution is also posted in Dutch and English at the daily Keep Swinging web log and Flexible records blog.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Onbreekbare Gramophoonplaat Met Lot

2008-05-24T08:29:00.012+02:00

I received a rare sleeve for a 78rpm recording from Henk Duijmelink. It is a Dutch sleeve, which could be used for an ONBREEKBARE GRAMOPHOONPLAAT MET LOT ( = Unbreakable Record with a lottery ticket.). The price for this unbreakable record with lottery ticket was two Dutch florins. I've never seen such a sleeve and for what unbreakable records this sheet was used.

click on the picture to enlarge

The Hit of the week series were sold in sleeves starting in the summer of 1931 . These sleeves are made of very breakable thin paper - not the kind of paper Henk's sleeve is made of. This sleeves has the same paper quality like a bag grocers used to pack their sweets in the 1930s. (and on the market the greengrocer still packs my green beans in such a sack.)

click on the picture to enlarge
On the sleeve, advertisements to promote products that, as it seems, have nothing to do with the record inside. The largest one is by Citroën, the French automobile, which loves to promote De Balanceerende Motor (= the balanced engine), which makes the automobile very silent, een zachte, geruischlooze gang als het glijden van een zwaan over het water ( = as silent as a swan gliding through the water.) That explains the drawings of a man sitting in a swan on the sleeve. On the reverse a small advertisement for a "Reico" Radio aan de Spits! zoowel in prijs als kwaliteit. ( = a "Reico" radio set, the best in price and quality ). The fact that the advertised radio is from the 1932 series, dates this sleeve.

The rest of the texts suggest that this envelope was used to sell a lottery ticket including an unbreakable record. There is no suggestion about what unbreakable record: was it a Filmophone? Or a Goodson? Or a Phonycord, or maybe a Durium or Hit of the week? The price, Dfl 2,00 includes a lottery ticket of Dfl 1,00. The envelope reads that the Loterij is dedicated Ten Bate Van Het Zwakke Kind ( = a lottery to solve the needs for the weak children). Er worden 40.000 loten tegen den prijs van Fl. 1,00 per lot uitgegeven (= There a 40,000 lottery tickets each Dfl. 1.00 )

click on the picture to enlarge
As the sleeve reads, the lottery starts on the 30th of March 1932 and in that period the first English durium records were released, so it might be well possible that the record inside was a durium EN- series record, like the Durium Dance Band ( = Lew Stone) featuring Al Bowlly, the popular English crooner. I have one vague picture of a Dutch durium sleeve from that period which learns that the price of the record was Dfl. 1.

click on the picture to enlarge

Maybe it is good to know that two years later (up to January 1935) SEFONO records, French duriums, were sold with an advertisement on its reverse for a Grand Concours Sefono lottery with a 500.000 Francs De Prix ( = 500,000 francs prize money ).The reverse of the record read: Chaque pochette contient un bon de concours qui vous permet de participer au Grand Concours Sefono. (= Each cover contains a ticket, which invites you to take part of the Grand Concours Sefono). The first price was 100,000 Francs; the second up to 4th price where Une Villa et un Terrain á Cannes (= A villa and garden in Cannes)......

The first prize of the Dutch lottery was: Een Te Bouwen Landhuis ( A new-build Villa), Een Citroën Automobiel 5 Persoons ( a 5-seat Citroën automobiles ( Type C.4 G ); the third price Een Reico Radio Ontvangtoestel ( A Reico Radio Set) and the fourth price: Een Electrische Simplex Rijwiel ( = an electric Simplex Bicycle. ) (it's Holland remember !!)
It seems likely that the unbreakable records were Durium records, as I haven't read anything in the 1932 Dutch news paper that promoted the unbreakable cardboard Durium record and if it was a Durium record inside, why wasn't the name mentioned on the sleeve? Can someone confirm if these English durium flexible records were sold in such a brown sack, including a lottery ticket? Or was the free Dutch promo record inside? Gratis Proefplaat (= Free sample) is stamped on its reverse, so why should you pay one Dutch guilder for it? Or what other unbreakable record? Please send me your suggestions: Hans Koert keepswinging@live.nl

This contribution was published in Dutch at the daily Keep Swinging Web Log and is also posted on the Flexible Records blog.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

author of the Hit of the Week - Durium Discographies

keepswinging@live.nl

The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings-volume 3

2008-03-27T19:17:00.009+01:00

Today I love to share with you a contribution by Russ Shore.

CD: THE COMPLETE HIT OF THE WEEK RECORDINGS Vol. #3. Archeophone 3004. 4106 Rayburn Ct. Champaign IL 61822 USA.

While most record companies limited their output during the Great Depression, Hit of the Week issued an astounding number of discs during its short life: 1930 -1932. This collection features 51 sides made during the summer and fall of 1931, including a number of private issues and advertising discs that, while lacking jazz content, exude a certain period charm.
Hit of the Week, for those unfamiliar with the discs, were made of paper and coated with a resinous substance called Durium into which the groove was pressed. The discs held up fairly well, considering they were sold for 15 cents at newsstands, some people could carry them home with their evening newspaper. In addition, the sound quality was quite good, if occasionally erratic. Over the years, the Durium coating congealed causing the records to warp, or split which created challenges for those wishing to remaster them. Archeophone does an excellent job here.

Straight talk on the jazz content here. Not much. This collection features the well-known Fred Rich sides of Little Girl and It’s the Girl, which were two of the jazziest HOWs issued, with nice Bunny Berigan solos. There’s also a surprise with Phil Spitalny’s Some of These Days and some lovely singing from Helen Rowland whose brooding photo here offers the first glimpse I’ve ever seen of her. This set also includes the exceptionally rare Eddie Cantor Ballyhoo record. Listeners will notice a number of college anthems, the reason being – the notes by Hans Koert and Doug Benson explain - is that the HOW folks wanted to exploit the five-minute playing time but did not want to incur double royalty charges for using two pop tunes, thus the out-of-copyright college tunes became the filler-of-choice. Rah Rah Rah.

In all, the collection features well-played Depression-era dance music remastered with extreme care. The liner notes by Hans Koert and Doug Benson tell the HOW story well and discuss the artists involved, along with their histories. For those who have a fascination for the paper records or fancy early 1930s dance music, it’s an excellent set. We should thank Benson and Koert for documenting this fascinating era of recording.
RUSS SHOR

Also published at the VJM Vintage Jazz & Blues Mart

This 3rd volume in the Complete Hit of the week Recordings was preceded by the first and second volume in this The Complete Hit of the week Recordings. Volume four, which will contain the first half of 1932, will be published later. This contribution will also be posted at the Keep swinging blogspot on Saturday.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Veckans skiva and Nordisk catalogue

2008-03-15T17:12:00.009+01:00

I received some great pictures from René A from Denmark and Han E. from The Netherlands. Both sets are from the 1934 Scandinavia Durium releases, then called Nordisk Durium and the so-called Veckans skiva series.

This is a Nordisk catalogue from 1934. Otto Lingston made numerous recordings for Durium.
Thanks to René A.

These three pictures are made from so-called Veckans skiva covers. As the Durium records were advertised as available at the news paper sellers, the Veckans skiva ( = Weekly record) looked like a magazine. The pictures in front has often nothing to do with the record inside, mostly a SUPER durium recording, released by Nordisk. Han E. sent me six images - I could insert all of it in my online Durium (GB) Discography.

Thanks Han and René

Keep swinging

Durium

keepswinging@live.nl

Ground Gripper Foot Exercise Record

2008-01-26T10:39:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Jerry P. from Amsterdam I found an image of an early 17 cm ( 7-inch) Durium advertisement record made for the Ground Gripper Shoe Company, Inc.. Now I have an image of this record I guess I have to revisited the discographical information for this record in the Durium Advertisement and Custom Records Discography for this record. The info on the record reads:

.................. ( no further info)
Recorded New York City first half of 1931
C 100 B GROUND GRIPPER FOOT EXERCISE RECORD
DURIUM Reg US M’F’R’D BY DURIUM PRODUCTS CORPORATON

It is difficult to locate the correct recording date, as there are but few DURIUM advertisent records left from the DURIUM PRODUCTS CORPORATION that lasted until the summer of 1931. I think this one, which seems to be the start of a "new" series ( the matrix number C 100 suggests so) could have been released as one of the last items for the corporation before it broke and was might be released in the summer of 1931, as the new DURIUM PRODUCTS INCORPORATED had an A, a B, an N and an X -series. It is a fact that most of these records are much smaller ( 4-inch), but in the X-series the later releases are 17 cm ( 7 inch ) too. This record might be the only one, up to now, from that C-series. It is a fact that the label looks like the early DURIUM PRODUCTS INCORPORTATION labels.

On the reverse you can read:
RIGID SHOES RUINING NATION’S FEET most foot troubles are caused by cramping the feet into unnaturally shaped shoes with rigid unyielding arches. Under these conditions the feet are unable to exercise, retain their muscular strenght or natural shape. The exercises on this record are designed to help counteract the effect of improper footwear. They are endorsed by the medical profession, generally, as of the highest valve in remedying these common foot troubles, and in preventing them as well. Regularly followed, these exercises build up strong, graceful, healthy feet and keep them so. Exercise this way regularly, morning and night, bare footed. This is nature’s own method for assuring foot health. And, the sensible second step is to wear Ground Gripper shoes, which are designed to give the toes plenty of room, to strengthen the arches, and to assure graceful balance and walking. The automatically throw the weight on the outside of the foot where it is intended to be carried. Their soles, beneath the arch are flexible , permitting the arch muscles to function naturally and comfortably. Exercise your feet regularly and better yet wear Ground Gripper shoes every day for foot comfort and foot health. Visit your Ground Gripper shoe store and have a Gripper Graph analysis made of your feet. This is the scientific way to find out what is wrong and how to correct it. There is no charge for this service. GROUND GRIPPER SHOES WITH THE FLEXIBLE ARCH For Men, Women and Children >

A 1929 share for the Ground Gripper Shoe company, Inc.

Thanks Jerry, for pointing me to this unpublished record label up to now. It has been inserted in my online discography.

Keep swinging

Durium
keepswinging@live.nl

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T08:57:00.000+01:00

This small cardboard record is titled Jingle Bells and is one of the two recently discovered Durium records. It was recorded by Phil Spitalny's Music. It is one of the two known small cardboard records that were published by the Durium Products Inc. New York in December 1931. The other record is titled Silent Night. It is well possible that more records in this Merry Christmas series were published by Durium, but up to now, I only found these two items.
Both records were offered me during the July 2005 annual convention of the IAJRC ( International Association of Jazz Record Collectors) in Copenhagen (Denmark). When I saw both small records, I suspected both were unknown up to now, and that was true.

Durium Products Inc. was a record company, incorporated into the Irwin-Wasy Advertising Agency, a publicity agency managed by Chicago stockholders. This Durium company released the well known Hit of the week records and numerous records for export to Europe or Latin America. But as the parent company was an advertisement agency it also published numerous advertisement and custom records. Thanks to Kurt Nauck, who sent me his Durium notes, and a lot of record collectors, world wide, I could finally make a list of these cardboard records and publish it in my Durium Advertisement and Custom Records Discography ( now out of print ). The US records are now available in a free online discography. What about these small Christmas records? Both were free gifts for the Junior Home Magazine, a magazine for parents and children. Two other small Durium records, titled To All Parents: An Important Message and Christmas Suggestion, were made as promos for this magazine. A spoken sales talk on the Christmas Suggestion record says : A yearly subscription to Junior Home, the magazine for parents and children is a very finest Christmas gift you can select for young children and their mothers. Such a gift carries a loving remembrance each month for a whole year. It is a gift that children on your list will love and the parents appreciate. It will make them happy and makes you glad when you see the pleasure and benefit resulting for your so thoughtful gifts. A very attractive Christmas card in full colors with your name careful written in as the giver will be send free when requested. One subscription costs $ 2,50. Two or more gift subscriptions only $ 2,00 each. What can you give that will go so far and give so much pleasure for a whole year as a subscription to Junior Home magazine.

It seems as if these small 4-inch (10 cm ) Merry Chirstmas records were included into the December cover of the Junior Home Magazine.
Phil Spitalny was the director of the Durium studio orchestras during 1931 and 1932 and he recorded a lot of recordings for Durium. He was born in Odessa ( Rusland ) in November 1890 and passed away in October 1970. He got some fame as the leader of a sweet band, that contained only women -an All Women Band, famous in those days. He had his own radio program during the mid 1930s, titled The Hour of Charme in which his wife Evelyn performed as Evelyn and her Magic violin. They retired late 1940s and lived in Miami Beach for years. They recorded for Durium, but also for Victor, Brunswick, Perfect, Columbia and Vogue.The vocal group you hear are The Eton Boys, a quartet featuring Earl Smith, Art Gentry, Jack Day and Chas.Day.

Phil Spitalny also recorded the tune Jingle Bells in November 1931 together with Time On My Hands, which was released as a weekly Hit of the week record on Thursday ( the regular day to publish the Hit of the week) the 17th of December 1931, with Jingle Bells as an extra to complete the extra playing times of the average record.

All records, mentioned in this blog, the small advertisement records with Christmas suggestion, the Junior Home Magazine promos are reissued for the very first time in the third volume of The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings (Arch 3004) by Archeophone.
I wrote about this great set before: find these contributions at my link site filed as Hit of the week. These records are listed too in my online discography.

This contribution has also been posted in Dutch and English at my Keep swinging web log.

Season's greetings

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Get Yours Today

2007-12-02T09:12:00.000+01:00

Eddie Cantor, a poor margin-called actor as he, in all due respects, describes himself, in a Hit of the week advertisement in the Afro-American - Baltimore of the 10th of May 1930. Eddie Cantor was also responsable for the song Cheer Up sung on the only Durium De Luxe Record release.

I thought Flo Ziegfeld was handling me a great big Hello. He came back all steamed up after hearing this new record. For 15¢ .... a full-size record .... high priced orchestras ... big musical Hits! I had to laugh. I hadn't had a good laugh since before I was caught short in the market. For 15 ¢? For 25¢ you couldn't buy even a piccolo solo! But then I heard the record played, right along side a 75 ¢ one. That's when I became interested in the business.
I listened to a mix of these Hit-of-the-Weeks records and if there's any difference between them and the kind I plunk down 75 ¢ for, I must be wearing our muffs

These records are one-sided. You can buy the music you really want without plunking down good dough for a dud on the reverse side. And they don't break ! I took one home. I sat on it. I hit it with a hammer. We used it in a cocktail tray. Even my pre-war ( that is "pre" the next war) stuff couldn't sour it. And then the cook fried an egg on it. It played just the same.There's not a break in a boxfull!

They are made of Durium, folks, and that's the whole secret. Durium was invented by Dr. H. T. Beans, professor of chemistry at Columbia University. He told me the chemical name and it made me dizzy, but, anyhow, the stuff looks something like brown patent leather. With the old type of record, a man and a machine can turn out 700 a day. With Durium, a man and a machine can turn out 70,000. Now your money can buy music instead of expensive material. That's why Hit-of-the-Week records can sell for 15 ¢.

But that's not all. There are more reasons why this is the biggest thing that ever hit the phonograph business. Only one record will be made each week and that will be a hit that has proved itself on the stage, and over the radio, and over the dance floor.

Flo Ziegfeld, Vincent Lopez and I will set as a music jury to pick out the most popular pieces of music every week. Then it will be recorded by one of the best orchestras that money can hire. Every record a hit! No flops admitted here. That is why you can buy Hit-of-the-week records without bothering to hear them at beforehand. You just know that each one's a wow. So step up, folks, and give a poor-margin called actor a break and give yourself a treat. You can buy these records AT ANY NEWSSTAND as easily as buying a magazine. Get yours today. This Week's Big Hit "Lazy Lou'siana Moon". Played by Jan Garber and his Orchestra.

Archeophone Records will publish the Complete Hit of the week Recordings in four 2CD sets. The first three sets have been published already and can be obtained. If you are anxious to learn more about this new record visit my link-site and scroll to Hit of the week and Durium to find more information.

Thanks Guido for sharing this ad with us. Thanks Dan, Thomas, Mike and Brad for your commends. You can find these commends below this re-post at my Keep Swinging web log. You can also read this contribuiton in Dutch.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Durium De Luxe

2007-11-19T07:45:00.000+01:00

Archeophone Records has published the third double-CD in its series The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings.
The first and second double-CDs were released a few years ago and when the last and fourth double-CD will be published all Durium records in the Hit of the Week series will be reissued chronologically - an unique treasure in the history of sound recording. Some weeks ago I published a first contribution about this third double CD. I told about some novelties like the new 5-minutes recordings , twice the playing time of the average record and about the new numbering system that could be read as a kind of sell-by date. This time I love to tell you about an outsider in the weekly Hit of the week records series, the only released DURIUM DE LUXE record, not a regular weeky release, with its colourful label and cover.

This record was released as DURIUM DE LUXE K 6 late October 1931 and could be obtained for twenty-five cents. The tune Cheer Up is sung by Eddie Cantor, who was, together with Florenz Ziegfeld and Vincent Lopez one of the music jury, that selected the Hit-of-the-hour for the Hit of the week ( as stated on the first promo record, Tip Toe Thru The Tulips ( Hit of the week 1019) (volume 1 CD 1 track 2)

The tune is one of the so-called typically anti-Depression songs, that wants to put the bad times into another perspective: Cheer Up, ... better times are here. Sunny smilers we must be, the optimist asserts, Let's hang the fat-head to a tree! Cheer up, smile, nertz. Other typical anti-depression tunes are Cheerful Little Earfull (Volume 2 CD one track 14), Let's Have Another Cup O'Coffee and Sing A New Song, which will be published later in the 4th volume. The label is compleet different from the rather boring common Hit of the week labels. Archeophone used the lay-out for the print on its first CD. A nice detail !!

I found a film fragment where you can see and hear this record to be played, with comments from the owner. If you look carefully you can also see another novelty, the so-called visible interval between the two tunes. Well, we are used to this nowadays, because it was used on all 33rpm recordings later. This DURIUM DE LUXE contains a vocal and an instrumental version of this tune, as the maker of the movie volunteers halfway the record..
Enjoy it.

This contribution was also posted in Dutch and English at my Keep swinging web log.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings - volume 3

2007-11-10T10:32:00.000+01:00

Archeophone Records has publish the third double-CD in its series The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings. I received my copy yesterday and I'm really pride, as this series is the crowning glory of my research to this almost forgotten record label. The first and second double-CDs were released a few years ago and when the last and fourth double-CD will be published all Durium records in the Hit of the Week series will be published - an unique treasure in the history of the sound recording. Some weeks ago I published a first contribution about this third double CD. As the author of the Hit of the week Discography ( 6th edition) I was involved in the research and asked to write some background information about this curious record label. In the 24 pages booklet inside I wrote for volume one about the new invention of the Durium acetate, about its very first beginning and for the second volume I talked about the first Durium firm, named The Durium Products Corporation.
In the summer of 1931 times had changed and the first firm, The Durium Products Corporation was broken; a new firm was born: The Durium Products Incorporated. In the article "Durium Products Incorporated" I have told more about this period. In my previous blog I told about their new invention, the so-called five-minute recording, thanks to the invention of the so-called micro groove. This time I love to tell something about their new catalogue system. The Hit of the week records were sold at news stands, each week. If you like to dance - if you want to entertain your friends with the latest music -stop at any news-stand, or the place where you purchased this record, and get the new "Hit" each week. It was important to emphasize the fact the if you wanted the latest Hits, you had to buy a "fresh new" card board record at you news dealer each Thursday.
Thanks to its new catalogue system everybody could learn if you really had bought the latest hit. Each month got a letter and each week a figure. The first records in this system were released the September 1931, in its second week on Thursday the 10th of September 1931, so I Found A Million Dollar Baby by the Don Voorhees' Orchestra (disc one track 7) received the catalogue number J-2 ( September is the 9th month - the J the 9th letter in the alphabet ( minus the I )). Another example: I'm Just A Dancing Sweetheart by Freddie Rich's Radio Orchestra (Disc 2 track one) was released on Thursday the 5 November 1931, so its catalogue number was L 1
An extra item, the special Durium De Luxe Ballyhoo - Theme song "Cheer Up" by Eddy Cantor ( disc one track 23-24), received the catalogue number K-6. I'll tell you more about this special labeled record in a next contribution.

Records that were not sold during that specific week, where almost unsaleable the next week and had to be sent back to Durium. You can understand they had a rather huge stock of unsold records. So they changed the catalogue system a bit at the end of the year: each record became "fresh and new" for two weeks, so A Faded Summer Love by Rudy Vallee (disc 2 track 23), released on Christmas Eve ( 24th of December 1931) got the catalogue number M-4-5 and an extra item also released around that same date was labeled MM4-5 (disc 2 track 24). The last track on disc 2 is titled Some Of These Days by Erno Rapee's Orchestra ( disc 2 track 27) and was released on the last day of 1931 ( 31st of December ) and labeled M-5-N-1? Wrong - they started all over again. January 1932 was A again, so this record was catalogued as M-5-A-1.

This new Archeophone 2 CD record The Complete Hit Of The Week Recordings can be obtanied directly by Archeophone records or in the Netherlands at Timeless Records or Spronk Muziekhandel in Breda.

If you love to read more about this release or you love to hear the music, please open the informative site of Archeophone Records.

This contribution is also posted at my Keep swinging web log. Het is daar ook in het Nederlands te lezen.

Keep Swinging

Hans Koert

The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings-volume 3

2007-10-19T07:09:00.000+02:00

Archeophone Records announces that they will publish the third double-CD in its series The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings within a few days.
The release date is the 24th of October 2007.
The first and second double-CDs were released a few years ago and when the last and fourth double-CD wil be published all
Durium records in the Hit of the Week series will be published - an unique treasure in the history of the sound recording.

The Hit of the weeks were a series of weekly releases, started in February 1930 up to July 1932 which contained a song that was popular at that time. Each Thursday a new Hit of the week record was sold at news stands. It is remarkable that these cardboard records still exist and that the sound quality is very good, although you should keep in mind that we are talking about an ephemeral product, a record with a limited life expectancy. If you are interested you can read more about the development of this product on these previous contribution titled an Epochmaking Invention and A New Phonograph Record.

The third double CD contains all Hit of the weeks from the second half of the year 1931. During that period the new firm, Durium Products Incorporated, started to publish the so-called 5-minutes recording. An unique procedé using so-called micro grooves made it possible to create a two minutes extra playing time. The first 5-minutes Hit of the week records have a spoken introduction:

This is a new Durium record, playing five minutes of continious quality music, almost twice the playing time of the average record. Next Thursday, a new Hit of the week at your news-stand.

Durium Products Incorporated also started with an extensive program of advertisement and custom records; you can find a dozen of it on this compilation. I'll inform you about this later.

I found a film fragment of a record collector who plays one of the 5-minutes records - It's The Girl by Freddie Rich Radio Orchestra, featuring Tommy Gott and Bunny Berigan trumpets, Tommy Dorsey and Charlie Butterfield trombones, Elmer Feldkamp clarinet and alto saxophone, probably Tony Parenti doubling on these instruments too, Cornell Schmelser accordion, Joe Venuti violin, Freddie Rich piano, Eddie Lang guitar and Joe Tarto or Hank Stern on tuba. Elmer Feldkamp is the vocalist accompanied by an unknown vocal group, that might be some members of the band.
As the Hit of the Week records are curled, due to the fact that one side was covered with an acetate called Durium and the reverse not, you had to use a record lock to flatten the record. This guy uses a nut,a very effective way to flatten.

If you have plans to visit the Doctor Jazz Reunion in Wageningen (center of the Netherlands), on Saturday the 20th of October, you can obtain the first two Archeophone double CDs at the Timeless stand or at my table. Hope to meet you.

This contribution was also publish at my Keep swinging weblog.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Sefono

2007-09-15T10:17:00.001+02:00

Greg B. contacted me that he has a rare copy of a French Durium record, a SEFONO, for sale on eBay.
It's a copy of a SEFONO record ( SEFONO 6044 ) by the Orchestre P. Chevallier. The record, which contains two tracks on one side ( Durium records are one-sided card board records, remember) is sung by André Fevrier, a baritone. The music of this record was recorded somewhere around 1934 - 1935 and specially made for the French market. The music on this record isn't so special for me, but it's the advertisement on the reverse that makes it a great copy.

The blank reverse of a Durium record was often used for promotion, like the well known artist pictures that were on the reverse of the Hit of the week records for some weeks early 1932. Advertisement records, to promote a product, are rather rare on 9-inch / 24 cm cardboard records. The small advertisement records, released in all kinds of shapes, often have information on the blank reverse. This great copy has an advertisement for "Diamond " Lard & Dripping Bags, so if you have a butcher's shop ( they also sell Sausage Wraps ) know that Cheverton & Laidler still exists. I guess they will be surprised to atrack new customers thanks to this 1930s advertisement.

The only advertisement on the reverse of a French SEFONO that is rather common is the one that promotes the GRAND CONCOURS SEFONO from January 1935.
Some of you might have seen this advertisement printed over a picture of 1932 artist picture of Nick Lucas, which indicates that these advertisements were printed on ( blank?) reverses from stock imported from the USA.

That's one I still hope to find for my collection !! Do you have a copy for me?

Source: Durium (GB) Discography - Hans Koert

This contribution is also posted in the Dutch and English language at my Keep swinging web log .

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

New Phonograph Record

2007-08-25T07:38:00.001+02:00

Today two new 1930s contributions, send to me by Guido van Rijn, about the Hit of the week record. Both are from ca. April - May 1930 as the items refer to the Harlem Hot Chocolates recordings released in May 1930. The Hit of the week was released each week at news stands and the first article, New Phonograph Record to Sell for Fifteen Cents, explains this new kind of gadget. It suggests, that these records were for sale in Boston for the very first time around May 1930, and that might be correct, as the Hit of the week were released in New York City alone at its very beginning ( February 1930).

This is a leaflet, distributed early May 1930 that announces the new Hit of the week ( Hit of the week 1046 ) that contains the tune St. James Infirmary as played by the Harlem Hot Chocolates. Mind that nobody in this leaflet, nor in the article, tells what band actually was hidden behind that name.

Well, let's make it to a public question:

What band was actually the Harlem Hot Chocolates?

Please send your answers to keepswinging@live.nl and the winners names will be published in this Keep swinging web log later.
Archeophone Records announces on its website that the third 2CD of the Complete Hit of the Week Recordings will be released this fall. You can find the track list here. The sound samples will be published soon.The first and second volume of this Complete Hit of the week Recordings has been released before. You can find all information here: Volume 1 en Volume 2

This contribution was also posted at the Keep swinging web log.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Betty Co-Ed

2007-08-06T08:41:00.000+02:00

Today I love to tell you something about the Screen Songs, an innovation introduced by the Fleischer Studios during the early 1930s. These Screen Songs were short films where you could listen and sing-along with the latest hits as sung by the artist himself. When the song had been repeated several times, packed up into animated cartoon gags, the original artist would sing the tune. A dancing ball indicated what words, to be seen on the screen, had to be sung. In fact, these 1930s inventions, were karaokes avant la lettre. I will share with you one of those Screen Songs, titled Betty Co-Ed ( J. Paul Fogarty-Rudy Vallee ), released the first of August 1931 and sung by Rudy Vallee, who made it a hit.

In the 1920s animator Seymour Kneitel from Fleischer's studios started to make a series, titled Follow The Bouncing Ball. Max and Dave Fleischer had invented a way to mix animated cartoon and live actors, together during the early 1920s with their series Out Of The Inkwell cartoons. Walt Disney released late 1920s the primitive Alice Cartoons, I talked about some times ago. Although the first Follow The Bouncing Ball series, like Fleischer's Song Car-Tunes were silent films, as soon as the invention of sound-on-film was made they were re-named as Screen Songs. The first one The Streets of New York was released February 1929.
Rudy Vallee, who was born as Herbert Pryor in 1901 in Island Point and passed away in 1986 in Hollywood, was one of those extreem popular crooners of the 1920s and 1930s. He had changed his name in Rudy, because of Rudy Wiedoeft, his great example. He became a band leader in 1927 in Boston where he sung ( although he played alto saxophone and clarinet) and late 1920s he moved to New York where he got a job at the Heigh-Ho-Club. He named his band The Connecticut Yankees. He became a film star and got radio shows which made him extreem popular. He made a lot of top hits, like the Main Stein Song and Betty Co-Ed. Up to 1939 he had ca. 70 hits, which indicates his great popularity. During the 1940s up to his death he stayed popular as a musical and film star.

When you listen to the Screen Songs as made by the Fleischer Studios the tunes released were the Hits of the week. No, I don't mean the card board record as you see above, but I mean that the tunes were the actually hit songs of the moment; the songs whistled by the butcher boy and heard on the radio. Among the Screen Songs, released for 1931 where Somebody Stole My Gal, Alexander's Ragtime Band, That Old Gang of Mine, You're Driving Me Crazy, Kitty From Kansas City ( also sung by Rudy Vallee) and My Baby Cares For Me. The card board Hit of the week records, as shown above, where cheap records that contained also the Hits of the moment, played by a studio band, directed by Bert Hirsch or Phil Spitalny. Betty Co-Ed was released as a Hit of the week in the third week of October 1930 played by Phil Spitalny's Music. You can listen to a fragment here as it was released on the first 2CD in the Complete Hit of the Week Recordings by Archeophone. While listening to the Betty Co-Ed version on the film, especially the first time it is played, it seems as if the Phil Spitalny's Hit of the week version was used. I have had the experience with other tunes as well, like the title tune Betty Boop, also recorded by Phil Spitalny. Up to now I don't have indications that Phil Spitalny's Music is the (anonymous) band that plays the music on some Betty Boop / Screen Song films. I guess that both bands just used the official arrangements, which makes that the tunes sounds similar. Mind that popular music during the early XXth century were spread by sheet music.
Enjoy Betty Co-Ed as a 1931 Fleischer Screen Song, sung by Rudy Vallee. ( It's a pity that it seems that the music isn't synchronous with the film images ).

I'm searching for a DVD ( PAL - code 2 ) with these Fleischer Screen songs. Can someone help me?

This contribution is also published in Dutch and English at the daily Keep swinging web log.

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

An Epochmaking Invention

2007-07-29T08:41:00.000+02:00

The article May 1930

In the Baltimore Afro-American an article was published, that I won't withhold you from. The title was: Process Speeds Record Stamping 100 Times. Date: 24th of May 1930. Thanks to Guido Van Rijn I can share it with you.

Mr. Hal T. Beans demonstrates the flexible Durium record

The article reads: Phonograph record making has been speeded 100 times by the discovery of durium, figures announced today by the makers of the "Hit-of-the-Week" record show. While 700 ordinary records are being made, 70,000 of these new durium-processed discs can be turned out, it is shown. This article was published a few month after the releases of the first Hit of the week records January 1930 in New York and fits into the advertisement campaign of Durium. Its cardboard records were an invention of a Columbia University professor Hal T. Beans and Joseph Reilly, who invented a way to produce gramophone records on a piece of cardboard covered with a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin.

A printing press for Durium records (1932)

The making of an ordinary shellac record was a semi-automatically labour-intensive process. Thanks to this new invention the productive capacity could be increased. Unlike ordinary records, which require time for hardening, the durium records can be made at the speed of a printing press, for the durium of which they are made hardens so rapidly it is impossible to time the action. As a result the discs can be stamped out six at a time from metal dies, instead of requiring molding.

Each plate could make 12 discs in one time ( in Slough)

Research has given me information about the process of how these records were made. I found detailed information and some pictures from the machines itself, used for printing. The Durium factory in Slough, near London, started its production early 1932 and pictures of the factory have been archived. It seems, as if the machines in Slough were a bit more progressive then in New York, as it could print 12 at a time instead of 6, as mentioned in the article.

The factory of Durium in Slough ( near London) ca. 1932

The stream of records flowing from the presses are expected to boom phonograph record sales throughout the country during 1930, for the ease and speed of production permit the sale of huge quantities at one-fifth the price of ordinary records. It is estimated that the increase in phonograph record sales, which was 15,000,000 more in 1928 than in 1927, will be substantially topped this year. The writer of the article expects an increase in the sale of records. He was right, as the cheap Durium record, sold as Hit-of-the-Week at newsstands, reached sales figures of 350,000 up to 500,000 a week in the summer of 1930. Don't forget that this new, cheap durable record was released during the depression, so the man in the street couldn't afford 75 cents to buy a record, so he bought the new Hit of the week at 15 cent each.

Since its introduction here phonograph record sales in the vicinity have boomed, figures show. The entire output was absorbed shortly after this announcement, it is reported, and the demand is said to have stimulated sales of other records as well. This journalist couldn't know that the hype Durium records brought, was relatively short. The hugh sales figures of 500,000 at its peak in the summer of 1931, collapsed in the next half year, due to the fact that the man in the street, because of the bad economical situation still in progress couldn't afford to buy records anymore and other record companies started to make cheap records as well.

The process of making Durium records has been described extensive in A Brief Introduction to Hit of the Week Record I wrote for the liner notes of The Complete Hit of the Week Record set released by Archeophone. The first two 2CDs have been released since 2004 and Archeophone announced that the third 2CD, which covers the period of the first 5-minutes records ( second part of 1931) will be published soon. Get yours today ... 15 cents ( oh no, sorry - that's a 1932 Durium announce - that's not the price !!)

Thanks Guido for sharing this great article. Although the information was not new - the article itself was unknown to me.

This contribution has been posted (in Dutch and English) too at the Keep swinging web log

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Guy Lombardo

2007-07-26T08:12:00.000+02:00

GUY LOMBARDO And His ROYAL CANADIANS: ? Guy Lombardo dir. speech

Recorded New York City, ca end of 1931
5021 B - (Goodnight Sweetheart)

Released as a Durium Custom Record.

On the record a spoken annoucement of Guy Lombardo himself:

(Musical introduction) How do you do? This is Guy Lombardo speaking. We’re in the grill of the Roosevelt Hotel at Madison avenue at 45th St. New York. I wish you were here tonight to see all these beautiful ladies and their gallant lads dining and dancing to our music. There’s a friend of yours here too who has just asked me to say hello to you. May I invite you to drop in on us the next time you’re in New York. You’ll find us in the Roosevelt grill any time for dinner dancing, supper dancing or tea dancing on Saturday afternoon. We’ll be looking forward to seeing you. (Musical ending)

This is a small 4" record. On the label A FRIEND OF YOURS HAS ASKED GUY LOMBARDO And His ROYAL CANADIANS In the ROOSEVELT GRILL TO SEND YOU THIS MESSAGE. On the reverse a drawing of a building THE ROOSEVELT, Madison Ave at 45th St. New York City. and an address label (incl. place for stamp)

From _________________ To __________________ / IN THE GRILL OF THE / ROOSEVELT HOTEL

(Source: Durium Advertisement and Cusom Records Discography - Hans Koert ( also online )

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Café Colette Orchestra

2007-07-16T19:46:00.000+02:00

Matrix number E-5184

CAFÉ COLETTE ORCHESTRA WALFORD HYDEN: Walford Hyden dir p

Recorded London, ca 1933

E-5184 WINE, WOMEN & SONG (STRAUSS)

no catalogue number ( could be E )

A round 4" record for AIRCRAFT PRODUCTS LIMITED, part of a series of five records. These are the other ones:

E-5180-B KASBECK (CAUCASIAN DANCE) - catalogue number CB

E-5181-A TOREADOR IN ANDALUSIA - cataloge number B

E-5182-A MELODY IN F. (RUBINSTEIN) - catalogue number A

E-5183-B RADETZKY MARCH - catalogue number D

On the label the text: WORLD FAVOURITES SPECIALLY RECORDED FOR AIRCRAFT PRODUCTS LTD.

Behind the band name the text BY PERMISSION OF “REGAL-ZONOPHONE

On the reverse an advertisment for AIRCRAFT SHOCKPROOF WATCHES with the text AIRCRAFT PRODUCTS LTD. Present THE CAFÉ COLETTE ORCHESTRA (WALFORD HYDEN) of Broadcast Fame in a series of “WORLD FAVOURITES”

AIRCRAFT SHOCKPROOF WATCHES OBTAINABLE ON THE EASIEST TERMS. Double Life 3 Hole Blades: 15 Blades for 1”- . FINEST BLADE ON THE MARKET IRRESPECTIVE OF PRICE. A GIFT INCLUDED WITH EVERY PACKAGE. WRITE FOR SPECIAL GIFT LIST AIRCRAFT PRODUCTS LTD. 89 NEW OXFORD STREET LONDON W.C. 1

Walford Hyden was a Staffordshire man, born at Hanley in 1892. He studied music in Manchester and at the Royal Academy of Music, London. At one time he was musical director to Anna Pavlova, the famous dancer. His first broadcast was about 1928 when he conducted the BBC Orchestra in his London suite "Nights in Town". He was a pianist and composer as well as a director.

Source: Durium Advertisement and Custom Records Discography. - Hans Koert (2004-2007) ( partly available online )

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Daily Keep swinging web log

Online discography updated

2007-06-18T10:28:00.000+02:00

A new page of the online Hit of the week - Durium Discographies has been posted. You can find the new site at this link and it contains the European E-1148 up to E-1167 matrices.
Please, do me a favor, and have a look at this new page. Maybe you can help me with label pictures ( I'm running out of label images for this period ) and maybe someone can help me with a picture of the reverse of SUPER durium T-89 and / or T-90 that has an image of Mascheroni and Miscel. That would be great !!

The making of these online sites takes a lot of spare time, I don't have. I'll try to upload one page each month from now on, so I hope this online discography will be free available for everybody within a some years !!

Keep swinging

Hans Koert
author of the Hit of the week - Durium discographies

keepswinging@live.nl

Hit of the week Needles

2007-06-14T06:50:00.000+02:00

I told you before that I have researched the Durium - Hit of the week cardboard records. You can read about it in a previous blog. In another contribution I told about some Durium sidelines, like the Hit of the week gramophones and Hit of the week needles. For the youngsters among us ( younger then seventy years ) steel needles were used to play 78rpm gramophone records up to ca. 1935, before the invention of the electric amplified gramophone and its sapphire needle. Steel needles had to be changed each time a 78rpm record had been played. When Durium started its activities early 1930s the flexible cardboard Hit of the week record became its most interesting activity. It was released each week at the news stands. But the name Hit of the week was in fact registered as a brand name for record needles. These needles were sold in little sacks which contains ca. 80 steel needles. DuriumStu , a US Hit of the week collector, found some time ago a very very rare item, a Hit of the week Needles Display. This early 1930s display, his copie has been damaged a bit, could contain nine sacks of Hit of the week needles sacks, sold for 5 cent each. It has the same design as the Hit of the week records display that was styled in the same way.

In my last blog concerning the Hit of the week gramophone I told about the record lock, that was inside the needles sacks of 10 cents and I finished the blog with the fact that I had never seen a Hit of the week needle. Well, thanks to DuriumStu this request has been granted. Here it is - the Hit of the week needle.

This contribution has also been posted at my Keep swinging web log. You can find more info about these cardboard records at my online Hit of the week-Durium websites.<