Re: [ARSCLIST] Fwd: [ARSCLIST] RCA pressings of English Decca recordings

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

London also reissued a bunch of the early 60's records in the early 80's budget-priced and pressed 
in Canada. They are actually not terrible by a long shot. But, and this might be plain heresy to 
some, I much prefer the recent "Decca Legends" CD's of almost any of this stuff I have in any 
edition LP. The Karajan/Vienna "Planets" sounds fantastic on the CD, for instance, as does the 
Karajan Strauss tone-poems.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steven Smolian" <smolians@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 5:00 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Fwd: [ARSCLIST] RCA pressings of English Decca recordings


> Actually, I have a considerable number of English Deccas, issued in the US as Londons, which are 
> manufactured in the US.  The labels do not say, "Made in Blighty" or the equivilent.
>
> They use English Decca master numbers but the type faces differ.  Three at hand, all using the 
> same type face as RCA, are:
>
> PS 193. Mantovani  ZAL - - - 4657 - - 2s  Uncoated paper, blue label
>
> LL 979. Mantovani  ARL 1988   -1            Maroon label, uncoated. Recorded in Europe
>
> OS.26005   Mahler. Das Lied w/ Bernstein     ZAL - - - 7514 - - 1S
>
> I don't know the significance of the dashes in the RCA matrix numbers
>
> I have other U.S. presed issues with large handwritten, alsmost scrawled matrix numbers and some 
> with various type designs, all using the Decca matrix numbers. This is particularly so for 
> non-classical titles, including late mono Stones.
>
> Steve Smolian
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Don Tait" <Dontaitchicago@xxxxxxx>
> To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 4:09 PM
> Subject: [ARSCLIST] Fwd: [ARSCLIST] Exactly how many labels did RCA press records for in the 
> 50s/...
>
>
> >  I don't mean to be argumentative about this -- I so greatly value the good
> > manners of this list as opposed to others -- but I'm sorry, in my experience
> > RCA did not press American London LPs in the 1960s. I own a lot of them. All
> > are labelled "made in England," and the matrix numbers bear that out. As for
> > Stokowski's Phase 4 Scheherazade, USA London SPC 21005, the matrix numbers on my
> > copy are
> >
> >  ZAL 6481-3L
> >  ZAL 6482-5L
> >
> >  These are UK Decca matrix numbers.
> >
> >  London LPs were pressed in the USA for a brief period around 1954/55. I own
> > some. I'd have to look at them to know whether they were RCA pressings.
> >
> >  Don Tait
> >
> >
> > **************
> > Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video
> > on AOL Home.
> >
> > (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15?ncid=aolhom00030000000001)
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> > The US DGGs are marked on the labels,as being pressed by RCA.I can't be the only one here to own 
> > any.
> >
> > The rest have multiple markings to designate them as RCA pressings.The two most obvious being:
> >
> > *They are marked,as being from one of the three  RCA pressing plants "R",for Rockaway,NJ,"I",for 
> > Indianapolis,or "H",for Hollywood.
> >
> > *They bear the distinctive US RCA stamper number designation 1s,2s,etc.
> >
> > *The look and feel of a US RCA Lp pressing from 1955-70,are like no other records on earth,with 
> > that thick,rounded rim.There is no mistaking one,even if you never heard it,and they sound 
> > better,too.
> >
> >
> > A 60s US RCA pressed London,or DGG,is something every serious classical 
> > collector/audiophile/listener should hear.The DGGs,and CS Londons,are as different,and unique as 
> > you might imagine,not better than their European cousins,just different.
> >
> > There is as much a distinctive "RCAness"about them,as there is to the more "official" RCA-Decca 
> > joint ventures,in their original LSC/Reader's Digest incarnations.But the Phase 4 Stokis,on the 
> > other hand,are even BETTER than the Decca pressed "originals".Especially the "Scheherezade".
> >
> >
> >                                        Roger
> >
> > Dan Nelson <dnelsonone@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: What is being used to identify an RCA pressing?
> > 1) Dyna groove format with raised outer edge and label
> > area?
> > What about before RCA introduced this format ?
> > 2) Distinctive engraving in spiral area, numbers.
> > lettering, etc ?
> > thanks
> > dnw
> >
> >
> >
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