'There's a wah-wah gal in Agua Caliente'--'Golden Gate Orchestra' (California Ramblers), 1930
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Here's a charming Walter Donaldson tune from 1930, as performed by one of the most highly regarded bands of the Roaring Twenties, the California Ramblers, here under the pseudonym 'Golden Gate Orchestra'. Vocalist Arthur Fields appears as 'Jim Andrews'.
The personnel on this recording:
Frank Cush, Chelsea Quealey, Angie Rattiner, Fred van Eps, Jr. (trumpets); Carl Loeffler, Ted Taph (trombones); Pete Pumiglio, Harold Marcus, Carl Orech (clarinet, alto sax); Sam Ruby, Paul Mason (tenor saxes); Sid Harris, Joe LaFaro, Al Duffy (violins); Chauncey Gray (piano); Tommy Felline (?-banjo); Ward Lay, Al Weber (tuba); Stan King, Chick Condon (drums); Arthur Fields (vocal).
Recorded in New York City, 23 May 1930.
Technical notes: Velvet Tone was one of a number of labels Columbia produced for chain stores between 1925 and 1932 (others were Diva, Harmony and Clarion). These records carried a list price of 50 cents as compared with 75 cents for comparable Columbia merchandise. Though Columbia was one of the first labels to adopt electrical recording in early 1925, they continued to use acoustic recording equipment in the production of the majority of their chain store product.
It has been speculated that this practice may have been motivated by the fact that Columbia, as part of their contract with Western Electric for the lease and use of their electric recording technology, had to pay license royalties to WE for each copy sold of every record whose masters were recorded with their equipment. Thus they could produce acoustically recorded records at lower cost, and pass the savings on to the public. (Performers appeared under pseudonyms more often than not, for one thing.)
Gradually, beginning approximately at the end of 1928 or very early 1929, Columbia began producing some of these chain store records with the Western Electric equipment. Acoustic recordings continued to be made, but in decreasing numbers, for quite a few months.
This recording, matrix 150528-1, recorded on 23 May 1930, represents the end of the acoustic recording era at Columbia.
It is the very last acoustic recording made by a major record label during the 78 rpm era.
Пікірлер: 13
Wow! Arthur Fields sure had a lot of names! I keep finding more! thanks, great tune.
It sounds incredibly well for an acoustic record, like the late Harmony ones. By the way, EMI made the very last ones in 1997 to celebrate their centenary. They set up an acoustic studio in Abbey Road and cut two sides and issued them on 78RPM vinyl for a very limited group of dealers and friends of the company. It's hard to imagine that Columbia, who were at the forefront of high fidelity, kept recording acoustically for their cheaper labels.
Greetings! This one is a surprise! By now you know how much I enjoy listening to Arthur Fields.
The fidelity is so good you don't (almost) really notice that it's acoustic!
Love it! Thanks for keeping these great songs spinning...
@luvmyrecords It does sound almost ELECTRICLY recorded! Very Well posted indeed! It sort of reminds Me of the early OKeh Truetones.
This is STUNNING indeed!
Fantastic copy. I hope You gonna make side 2. One of the best recordings with California Ramblers. Bixbix81
Recorded on May 23, 1930, and also issued on Harmony 1183-H. Vocal by Irving Kaufman (as "Jim Andrews").
Further to the technical notes you so kindly provide, there is some speculation that Columbia actually made improvements to the acoustic process as long as there was any incentive to use it. As previous commenters note, there is a much warmer, more "live" presence to the Harmony, Velvet Tone and Diva product than there is on typical pre-1925 acoustic records, altho the frequency range is still limited and there is still a boxy sound to the music.
+Peter Hendriksma that's the reason they kept recording acoustically for so long - because their electric product WAS the best available.
The other side of 'Wah-wah gal'? Done!