I wanna eat an artichoke once in a while Member since Feb 2008 25440 Points Administrator
I think given that there should be a lot of them and RCA Victor will eventually have a very large discography then it could be an idea to split them up.
A girl who looks good in vinyl Member since Dec 2012 1544 Points Moderator
The whole Victor/ RCA Victor and sub-types is a real mess.
What we have at least as far as the USA goes is (not counting the pre-Victor labels):
Victor
Victrola
Victor Red Seal
RCA Victor
RCA Victor Red Seal
RCA Victor Red Seal De Luxe
RCA Victor Bluebird Series
All of these, with the possible exception of the Bluebird Series (as opposed to Bluebird itself, which is separate already), should be broken out into their own labels. The same goes for RCA Victor Red Seal De Luxe. That leaves us with 5 distinct incarnations:
Victor
Victrola
Victor Red Seal
RCA Victor
RCA Victor Red Seal
While 'Red Seal' could be combined into its parents, it is nice if it is broken out, too
RCA seemed to have a lot of "series" also but these can be left as they are within the parents
Now if only people wouldn't upload RCA Victors as Victors
Too Many Records , Too Little Time Member since Jan 2013 306 Points
Into the LP era , I was always told that Red Seal records used inferior or regraded/reused vinyl , is that correct. More to me would be discount versions of tunes that had already sold well on a premium price division.
A girl who looks good in vinyl Member since Dec 2012 1544 Points Moderator
Whyperion wrote:
Into the LP era , I was always told that Red Seal records used inferior or regraded/reused vinyl , is that correct. More to me would be discount versions of tunes that had already sold well on a premium price division.
You may be thinking of re-issues on Victrola and RCA Camden. Red Seal if I recall was known for using what is termed Z shellac
To quote this page: http://www.norpete.com/au1ep78auph.html
Z Shellac - relates exclusively to the best pressings ever produced by Victor, mid-1930's, found on PW, Orth (Orthophonic), but primarily on Scroll Labels, always offering remarkably quiet surfaces, identifiable by the minuscule "z" found only in the upper portion of the inner margin of the shellac. In the event that there is no “z” embossed in such pressings, they will be identified as being “z-type shellac.”
Thanks ( Using an Alter Ego as just got a pile of free 78s that are generally knackered and I want to note what and how many there are , without muddling my own list ).
Think I was getting Red Label - a premium product muddled with some of the other RCA sub brands.