[Table of Contents]


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [ARSCLIST] Decca/London phase 4 stereo series



Does anyone have a list of all the recordings made by Decca for RCA and which reverted to RCA and which reverted to Decca?

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Gray" <mhgray@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 3:01 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Decca/London phase 4 stereo series



The relationship ended when RCA established its own pressing plant in the UK, thus violating the terms of the RCA/ Decca relationship. Turns out that RCA got the raw end of the deal - most of the best records thereafter became Decca's property. Not George Marek's finest moment.

Mike Gray

Goran Finnberg wrote:
Tom Fine:


Not the case with Decca recordings released
by RCA and later released by Decca. RCA
would master and press these in the US


I hope the following explains why the above happened.


From the autobiography of DECCA producer John Culshaw:

"Putting the Record Straight"

The following from the end of the 50´s when EMI lost the right to distribute
RCA records in Europe and DECCA took over the same role.

Page 134:

"Certain RCA recordings, although made by DECCA technicans and producers,
were to be paid for entirely by RCA and would remain RCA´s property in
perpetuity; others were to be paid for by DECCA although they would appear
on the RCA label - the difference being that if any time the DECCA/RCA
partnership broke up (which it eventually did), the second category of
recordings would become DECCA´s property and be reissued with a DECCA
label."

In those days computers were not in use, and it is generally true that the
larger the company the more likely it is that a piece of paper containing
seemingly unimportant information will get lost, which is exactly what
happened when, years later, it became necessary to sort out which recording
belonged to which company and which label to stick on it."

--------------

End qoute.

When the partnership started almost all RCA recordings in Europe was done by
DECCA for RCA as part of the deal.

This continued right up into the 70/80´s in the RCA classic film score
series by RCA producer/conductor Charles Gerhardt and recorded by DECCA
engineer Kenneth Wilkinson.







[Subject index] [Index for current month] [Table of Contents]