The Rival Claims Made On Record Jackets Or "What's Up Your Sleeve?"
by John E. Rutherford
Some
of
my old record sleeves
(jackets?)
are
getting
rather
tattered but I hate to replace them
with sterile blank ones.
Besides,
the
old
jackets
(sleeves?)
can
supply
some
very
interesting
information.
For
example,
many of
the
early
ones
not
only list
"recent releases" but their prices
as well,
and it is quite a shock to
learn
that
in
Canada the
Caruso-
Tetrazinni
"Sextette"
(one-sided)
sold for $8.00!
That
was about
a
week's
wages
for
a
young
woman
working
behind
a
shop
counter at
that time.
Another jacket
(World
War II
era) tells
me:
"For Victory,
save
and sell this
empty envelope."
I
was
around in World
War II
and I
don't
remember
anyone
wanting
an
empty
record
envelope,
let
alone
paying
for it.
The
same
jacket
tells
me that
the
record
had
an
O.P.A.
ceiling price of
35 cents.
What, pray,
was the O.P.A.?
One
use
of
a
record
jacket
(besides
the
obvious
one
of
protection)
was
advertising.
I
learn
from
a
jacket
that
the
Aeolian Vocalion record player
can
be fitted with
a "Graduola"
device
(see
illustration)
that
"enables
you to shade and vary ... tones to
suit your
own musical taste."
The
"device" is
a long release plunger
that one used to attach to a camera
and the
idea
was that it
allowed
you to
change the
volume
(for the
most
part
from
loud
to
soft)
without leaving
your armchair.
Some
of
the claims made by
record
companies
on their
record sleeves
were
reasonable and truthful.
"Diva"
claimed
their records were
"made
to
rival
the
best."
No one could say that that
was a wild claim.
"Radiex" told us
that
theirs
was
a
"record
of
beauty."
To
a
collector,
all
records
have
a certain
beauty,
I
suppose,
so I'll
give full
marks
for honesty to "Radiex".
It's when
the
companies
get
into
the
superlatives
that
matters
get
confusing - "the World's best"
and
"Absolutely
free
from
foreign
surface
sounds"
(Edison
Bell);
"Equal
to
any
records
on
the
market" (Star Gennett);
"This is a
perfect
record"
(Columbia);
"Better
records
can't
be
made"
(Perfect);
"None better"
(Cameo);
"The
record
that
has
no
equal"
(Victor);
"The
world's
largest
roster
of
Internationally
Famous
_ Artists"
(London);
"The
World's
Greatest
Artists"
(Columbia
and
Victor).
It is difficult at this time to
confirm
or
deny these claims, but
they
can't
all
be
true.
For
example, it
would
take
a lot
of
research
to
prove
that
"Perfect"
was
"America's
fastest
selling
record."
Most
of the
companies
claimed
that their "sound"
was superior to
all the others.
Here's an example,
perhaps the most loquacious:
"Notice that
Brunswick has not been
satisfied
merely
to
record
the
talent of a master artist,
but has
also
recorded
the
magnetic
characteristics
of
the
original
interpretation,
the very warmth of
the artist's
inspiration
and
the
vivid atmosphere of the selection."
Quite a
mouthful
for
an
acoustic record!
Rival
companies
also
made
claims
about
the
durability
of
their
records.
Vocalion
stated
that
"Red
records
last
longer."
Victor
claimed that
a
"new record
must be played over at least three
times
with
regular
needles before
it will give you the best results",
and
Columbia
topped that
one
by
"Columbia
records
actually improve with playing."
(Editor's
note: Speaking of
durability,
let us not
ignore the
classic
among
advertisements.
I think
the
illustration speaks for itself.
Lambert
Gold Moulded cylinders
were
advertised
in 1900 as:
"Permanent
Records,
An
Instantaneous
Success,
Solid
and
Durable,
Non-Slipping,
Loud
and
Clear, Will Not Break, Will Last
a
Lifetime,
Recorded
By
the
Finest
Talent
in
this
Country,
The
Greatest
Advance
Yet
Made
in the
Talking Machine Line!!!")
My final
example of advertising
does not come from
a record jacket
but
from
a
Victor
catalogue.
You'll remember that in 1923 Victor
was
still
producing
one-sided
records
(the
"Red
Seal"
series).
Distributors
had
been
pressuring
the Victor
Company to double these
records
as
people
could
get
two
songs
for
the
price
of
one
by
buying
records
from
other
companies.
Victor finally gave in,
and
came
out
with
the
following
announcement:
"The
doubling
of
Red
Seal Records
has
been
regarded
as the
supreme
achievement - the World's greatest
event."
How's
that
for
a
superlative?!?
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