WHEN NEWS STANDS WERE ALSO RECORD SHOPS 1931-1932
A Tribute to Hit of the Week Records 1929-1932
The buying public was euphoric when a new label, Decca Records, started offering superbly-produced 35-cents-a-piece discs by super stars like Bing Crosby in 1934. Until then, shellacs usually cost nearly three times as much. But at the newspaper stand outside (and often the corner drug store), you had been able to buy recordings by many of the same artists for 15 cents.
That’s right. 15 cents.
Between 1929 and 1932, a record company called Hit of the Week produced the lowest price tecords ever. And these weren’t cheap knockoffs and horrid sound-alikes so common in the 1950s from labels like Tops. These were competitive first-rate versions of songs by top singers and orchestras. Even supetstar Rudy Vallee was a Hit of the Week regular. Indeed, nearly every major male singing star of the period made reocrds for Hit of the Week. The list includes Smith Ballew, Scrappy Lambert, Dick Robertson and, as said before, Rudy Vallee.
How did the company pull off the weekly feat of offering first-rate records at bargain-bin prices?
To make their records affordable, the company used cardboard instead of shellac as the base material. However, to protect records from paper shredding by metal phonograp needles, the records were coated with a dirable synthetic resin. This laminate, called Durium. was where grooves were impressed so that the records were playable on the same phonographs as shellac and vinyl discs. Hence they were one-sided, but with two songs often put on the same side. Nevertheless, Hit of the Week Records were often so good that they were released on other full-priced lales in shellac version.
My own interest in Hit of the Week (HOTW) label began when I heard some of Phil Spitalny’s extremely tasteful records for the label. Archeophone released four 2CD albums devoted to the label’s entire output. Alas, these beautifully remastered versions are not available on YouTube, but other collectors have posted passable-to-excellent remasters, too, and those have served for this medley of comparison versions between HOTW budget and more expensive music shop versions pf the same songs.
Although jazz was still dominant in the early 1930’s, HOTW stuck mostly to softer, prettier fare. They served as a kind of hit parade by releasing the most popular straight and novelty songs of the days in extremely credible versions. I thought you might enjoy have to decide to pay 15 versus 99 cents.
Phil Spitalny’s Musić (Helen Rowland, voc.), Shine on Harvest Moon, 1931
The Boswell Sisters, Shine on Harvest Moon, 1931
Phil Spitalny (The Paull Sisters, voc.). “Goodnight Sweetheart” with “In The Shade of the Old Apple Tree”), 1931 (Typical two-song record from the label)
Ray Noble (Al Bowlly, voc.), Goodnight Sweetheart, 1931
Duke Ellington, In The Shade of the Old Apple Tree, 1932 (this is so wonderfull tongue-in-cheek, but ellington kept ot in jis active band book until the end of his life)
Don Voorhees, I Found a Million Dollar Baby, 1931
Waring’s Pennsylvanians (Clafd Hanlon & the Three Waring Girls)m voc.), I Found a Million Dollar Baby, 1931
Phil Spitalny’s Music, Now’s The Time to Fall in Love. 1932 (Quintessential Depresssion Era song)
Dick Robertson, Now’s the Time to Fall in Love, 1932
Harry Reser’s Radio Band (Frank Luther, voc.), Out of Nowhere, 1931
Bing Crosby, Out of Nowhere, 1931
Don Voorhes (Smith Ballew, voc.), I’m Through with Love, 1931w
Binfg Crosby,, I’m Through With Love, 1931
Phil Spitalny’s Music, My Silent Love, 1932
Roher Wolfe Kahn (Elmer Feldkamp, voc.), My Silent Love, 1932
Phil Spitalny’s Musić (Ben Alley, voc.), Lullaby of the Leaves, 1932
George Olsen, Lullaby of the Leaves, 1932
Phil Spitalny’s Musić *Helen Rowland, voc.), When It’s Sleepy Time South, 1932
Paul Whiteman (Mildred Bailey voc.), When It’s Sleepy Time Down South, 1931