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Topic: Decca master test pressings

27th Jan 2019, 9:09 PM
	mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points	I've been adding these records to the site, and made a list of them here. A record dealer has been selling a collection of the discs for the last few years. He says he's happy for me to use the information and pictures from his listings. I only began following his auctions about a year ago and some do go for high prices but I've picked up some of the cheaper ones. Here's an example listing archived at Roots Vinyl Guide, where I found a great many of the auction details saved. VERA LYNN + CHARLIE KUNZ’ CASANI CLUB ORCH - SAILING HOME ON THE TIDE’ ISSUE: 1-Sided Vinyl REX Master Test Pressing of Matrix F1598CONDITION: E+ We have acquired a large quantity of British Decca/Rex Test Pressings, including many Unissued and even Unidentified items. These were pressed on heavy vinyl in the 1960s and 1970s by Decca in consideration for reissue. Some of the pressings show staining from the metal parts which usually doesn’t sound, and some have swishing. This is noted in the grading. Note that the label example illustrated is generic unless the one being sold has writing on the label. What makes these 78s special is that I imagine many are the only surviving master sources for the recordings. It's said that Phonogram disposed of all their metal masters in the late 1970s - mostly from the British Decca label and its related imprints, such as Rex, Crown and Panachord. Some of the test pressings are also of material which was licensed to British Decca from America, such as masters by Elvis Presley and Duke Ellington. The sound quality is naturally very good on these vinyl pressings. I feel it's worth listing what does survive on a master, even as a secondary source disc dub. Who knows what Universal Music have from the Decca 78rpm period on metal masters, if anything. I imagine if they've re-issued anything, it would have to come from commercial 78s. Let's be thankful that some people did make and keep these 'test pressings'. According to the dealer, "they are all 78 rpm pressings taken off Decca's metal stampers. They did this to evaluate what they had on file and to ascertain what was of suitably high quality to consider for LP reissue in the late 60s and early 1970s, when there was a boom in nostalgia reissues". Edited by mister_tmg on 28th Jan 2019, 10:38 PM