The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings, Volume 4
Various Artists

Various Artists: The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings, Volume 4

Volume 4 of The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings features 59 selections recorded between January and June 1932. The notes in the 24-page booklet follow the story of the Durium Corporation as they moved their focus from the weekly releases to the more lucrative business of producing advertising records, before eventually folding in 1934. List price: $31.99

OVERVIEW

  • Catalogue number: ARCH 3005
  • UPC: 778632905283
  • Original release date: May 3, 2011
  • Running length: 147:28 / 59 tracks / 2 CD set
  • Notes & packaging: Includes a 24-page booklet
  • Tracks recorded: 1931-1932
  • Volume 4 of The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings
  • In Archeophone’s Labels & Innovations series
Tracks and Sound SamplesProduct DescriptionPackage DealsMore by these Artists
 Sample all tracks 
Tracklist: CD 1
1. When It’s Sleepy Time Down South Phil Spitalny’s Music 1931
2. Sailing Phil Spitalny’s Music 1931
3. Frigidaire’s New Year’s Message [message to Frigidaire salesmen] Unknown 1931
4. Now’s The Time To Fall In Love Phil Spitalny’s Music 1931
5. After The Ball Phil Spitalny’s Music 1931
6. Upside Down In Love [ad for Brown-bilt shoes] BROWNbilt Melo-Clarions with the BROWNbilt Trio 1932
7. Home Rudy Vallee with his Connecticut Yankees 1932
8. All Of Me Nick Lucas and His Troubadors 1932
9. Good Night Ladies Nick Lucas and His Troubadors 1932
10. Progress In Advertising [ad for Durium] Unknown 1932
11. By The Sycamore Tree Rudy Vallee with his Connecticut Yankees 1932
12. Save The Last Dance For Me Erno Rapee’s Orchestra 1932
13. Ida Erno Rapee’s Orchestra 1932
14. Wrigley’s Presents Myrt And Marge Myrtle Vail and Donna Damarel 1932
15. An Evening In Caroline Nick Lucas and His Troubadors 1932
16. This Is The Mrs. Erno Rapee’s Orchestra 1931
17. The Merry Widow Waltz Erno Rapee’s Orchestra 1931
18. Talens In Song And Story [ad for Talens school supplies] Unknown 1932
19. Was That the Human Thing To Do? Rudy Vallee with his Connecticut Yankees 1932
20. Two Loves Morton Downey and The Camel Orchestra 1932
21. Golden State Presents “Anchors Aweigh” [ad for Golden State Tobacco] Roland Joy 1932
22. The Wooden Soldier And The China Doll Rudy Vallee with his Connecticut Yankees 1932
23. The Wooden Soldier And The China Doll Rudy Vallee with his Connecticut Yankees 1932
24. Kiss Me Goodnight Morton Downey and The Camel Orchestra 1932
25. Mark Time-The End Of The Depression [ad for the Mark Time Switch] Unknown 1932
26. Auf Wiedersehen, My Dear Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
27. Marta Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932

 

Tracklist: CD 2
1. Somebody Loves You Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
2. One More Kiss, Then Goodnight Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
3. Frankie Takes Marge For A Ride [ad for Goodyear “Air Wheel” tires] Unknown 1932
4. By The Fireside Rudy Vallee and Orchestra 1932
5. Lovable Rudy Vallee and Orchestra 1932
6. Crisco Presents The Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers 1932
7. Let’s Have Another Cup O’ Coffee Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
8. Strangers Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
9. Paradise Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
10. Love, You Funny Thing! Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
11. You’ll Love This Parade [ad for Deveaux(?) Brush Co.] Unknown 1932
12. Dream Sweetheart Morton Downey and Orchestra 1932
13. Soft Lights And Sweet Music Morton Downey and Orchestra 1932
14. My Mom Morton Downey and Orchestra 1932
15. I’m So Alone With the Crowd Morton Downey and Orchestra 1932
16. Here is a Substitute For and Relief From the Present Discriminatory System of Taxation in Iowa [ad for Iowa Association for Tax Justice] Unknown 1932
17. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea Ralph Kirbery and Orchestra 1932
18. Happy-Go-Lucky You and Broken Hearted Me Ralph Kirbery and Orchestra 1932
19. Important Information [ad for Chevrolet] Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
20. Sing a New Song Hit of the Week Orchestra 1932
21. My Extraordinary Girl Hit of the Week Orchestra 1932
22. From Amelia Earhart’s International Broadcast [record included with the first edition of The Fun Of It] Amelia Earhart 1932
23. One Hour With You Andy Sannella and His Orchestra 1932
24. I Beg Your Pardon, Mademoiselle Andy Sannella and His Orchestra 1932
25. Ted Husing Tells “The Tale Of A Shirt” [ad for Soisette Broadcloth] Ted Husing 1933
26. Lawd, You Made The Night Too Long Andy Sannella and His Orchestra 1932
27. Sharing Andy Sannella and His Orchestra 1932
28. What Kind Of Cough Is Serious? [ad for Pertussin] Unknown 1932
29. Lullaby Of The Leaves Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
30. Betty Boop Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
31. My Silent Love Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932
32. Hummin’ To Myself Phil Spitalny’s Music 1932

New for 2011: the fourth and final volume of The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings, Archeophone’s celebrated series chronicling the full output of the Durium Corporation, which issued, every week for some three years during the Great Depression, the hottest hits of the moment on a cardboard medium lacqured with the patented Durium compound. They sold at newstands for the bargain price of 15 cents and were some of the best sellers of those turbulent years, from 1930 through 1932. The sound was surprisingly excellent, the records were flexible, and the artists employed (often pseudonymously) were in the top tier of their profession. Volume 4 follows the narrative of the Durium Corporation as they moved their focus from the weekly releases to the more lucrative business of producing advertising records, before eventually folding in 1934.

Six Months of Top Hits

The weekly releases on Volume 4 pick up directly from Volume 3, beginning in January 1932 and concluding in June 1932. Some of the hits selected are among the all-time American classics, such as “All of Me,” “Kiss Me Goodnight,” “Paradise,” “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” and “Lullaby of the Leaves.” The arrangements sound fresh and often innovative, benefitting from comparison with the major-label versions of the day. “Lullaby of the Leaves” is one such number, but so are the two parts of “The Wooden Soldier and the China Doll.” Part 1 plays it fast, part 2 slows it down.

Big-name Artists

Phil Spitalny’s Music is already well-known to Hit of the Week connoisseurs. Spitalny’s at his best here, on “When it’s Sleepy Time Down South” (vocal by Helen Rowland), “Now’s the Time to Fall in Love” (with a clever vocal refrain probably supplied by the Eton Boys), Irving Berlin’s “Let’s Have Another Cup of Coffee,” and the last weekly Hit of the Week issue, which paired “My Silent Love” and “Hummin’ to Myself.” Rudy Vallee and His Connecticut Yankees are here again too, with the beautiful “Home” and “Was that the Human Thing to Do?” And Nick Lucas and His Troubadors supply Donaldson’s “An Evening in Caroline,” while Erno Rapee’s Orchestra give us “This Is the Mrs.” Perhaps most delightful of all is Morton Downey and his Camel (as in the cigarettes) Orchestra doing “Two Loves” and “My Mom.”

Advertise Whatever You Like!

“Progress in Advertising” tells the story succinctly. Durium lent its brand to a revolutionary means of direct advertising: short, small records that could be put in the mail. Some of these were for manufacturing concerns such as Frigidaire with their “New Year’s Message,” Good Year with its “Frankie Takes Marge for a Ride,” and Mark Time’s “End of the Depression” ad for the Mark Time Switch. Others were locally based, as with the Ad for Iowa’s Association for Tax Justice. This collection domonstrates how any concern could successfully employ Durium’s unique product–from Chevrolet, to Pertussin (hope you’re not offended by the coughing!), Talens art supplies, the Deveaux Brush Co., Soisette Broadcloth, and Crisco’s sponsorship of the Mills Brothers. Now, don’t miss Amelia Earhart’s broadcast from the other side of the Atlantic!

Old Chestnuts and then Two for One

As we saw on Volume 3, Durium attempted to roll with changing consumer demands by introducing a five-minute disc format, allowing them to have one Hit of the Week and one old classic to fill up the time. This trend continues on Volume 4. “Sailing,” “After The Ball,” “Good Night Ladies,” “Ida,” and “The Merry Widow Waltz” are all here, the second part of their respective discs. But the practice soon ends, and for the last part of its existence the Durium company put not one but TWO weekly hits on one disc and began charging 20 cents. It would have been quite a bargain to get both “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and “Happy-Go-Lucky You and Broken Hearted Me” by Ralph Kirbery and Orchestra, or “By the Fireside” and “Lovable” by Rudy Vallee’s orchestra, or both “Lawd, You Made the Night Too Long” and “Sharing” by the incomparable Andy Sannella and His Orchestra.

Reliable Teamwork

Just as with the first three volumes of The Complete Hit of the Week Recordings, expert discographer Hans Koert joins us with his insights on the last days of Durium, Doug Benson once again provides notes and superb transfers, and producers Richard Martin and Meagan Hennessey put it all into a lovely package that you will refer to time and again. The Hit of the Week story may be 80 years old, but it’s never sounded so alive as on this remarkable Archeophone CD.

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