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Topic: Release dates and chart sales of 78s in the UK

20th May 2024, 7:40 PM
	mister_tmg Also on 78rpm Member since Apr 2012 1118 Points	Mike, I haven't looked at The Missing Charts in huge detail, but I think I've read that new entries seem to chart at the beginning of each month? I would assume that when the record companies did monthly new releases, the records were available from the start of each month. Given that the book is based on shipments to stores (ie. what the shops were buying, rather than customers), perhaps that makes sense - as soon as new product was available, the stores would order it in. I was hoping you would see this thread, Peter! Yes, perhaps I've seen 'mid-month' releases listed before. I do have a load of British record company new release leaflets from this period. I'd scan them all if I had time. Thanks for your explanation of the 'official' release date being the following month for those mid-month issues. Christmas records released in January would indeed be odd. I believe the CLPGS had access to EMI Archives and other record company data for doing these books, so the information could have been from EMI's own sources. For Decca, I don't know if that's the case, and the CLPGS F series listing has some records which probably weren't even released. It also fails to list Twenty / Summertime In Venice by Gracie Fields (Decca F 10614) - I don't have the book, but looked at it in the British Library. Instead it lists Ballyhoo / Cloudburst by Ted Heath under this number. Take 2 of the latter title came out on F 10624, coupled with Malagueña. I can only guess that the Gracie record was a late addition to the catalogue, and maybe the Ted Heath disc was originally planned for F 10614. It's interesting to learn that most records in TMC charted in the month of release, which doesn't surprise me (and I'd assume it was because of shops ordering new stock when it became available). The records charting before their official release seems odd - it makes you wonder how reliable the book is, although maybe there's a reasonable explanation. I would have guessed that the Norman Wisdom record charting in the NME was because of a film he did. I have heard that "Rose Marie" did well thanks to an enthusiastic song-plugger, although I could be mixing it up with "Give Me Your Word" (another 'cowboy ballad'!).