Continuing the "ODEON SWING MUSIC SERIES"

A very strange appearance full with mystery in the German licensed pressings can be seen in the "PARLOPHONE RHYTHM STYLE SERIES" and the equal "ODEON RHYTHM STYLE SERIES". There are NO GERMAN CATALOGS that ever have appeared, so all research is based on observings of technical presentation and interviews with record collectors who bought those first hand in a record shop 60 years ago...

The "LINDSTRÖM" Company made those pressings normally by copying the records. The original masters were not in property of the Berlin "ODEON" so that there were made DUBBINGS of records. These new "MASTERS" got another matrix number, normally visible by a "-0" in the wax. The DUBBINGS very often were put into the "Bb" matrix series, a special "LINDSTRÖM" name to show replaced masters.

Sometimes, a pressing with the orinal master was on sale in the same time, but by a complete different company. It could happen that by contracts the German "BRUNSWICK" made an edition of the original master that was dubbed by "ODEON" later.

The idea is near that those "ODEON" record were NOT LICENSED by the original companies, but made for exportation to get foreign currency.

The same JACK TEAGARDEN - recording "Junk Man" in German "BRUNSWICK" pressing from 1935 (A 9843) and as a dubbing by "ODEON" (A 272.291).

Another surprise is the double issue of the same dubbed masters as "ODEON" and as "PARLOPHONE" labeled records. There is not only the real company´s concurrence in between "BRUNSWICK" and "LINDSTRÖM". The German "LINDSTRÖM" company made herself concurrence on her own two labels "ODEON" and "PARLOPHONE". The "ODEON" records make part of a real new series with the A 272.xxx numbers. This edition is with no doubt made in Germany although the label is complately neutral, it shows no nationality of the company.

The same JOHN KIRBY - recording "Dawn On The Desert" (New York, 09. 01. 1939) in German "ODEON" pressing (A 272.265) and as "PARLOPHONE" (R 2674). Both records tell: The 1939 "Super Rhythm Style" Series, No. 40.

The "PARLOPHONE" - pressings show another strange fact: They all have the British catalog numbers with the letter "R" and are added to the same series as shown in British catalogs ("RHYTHM STYLE", "SUPER RHYTHM STYLE"). They pretend being an English pressing, but there are some differencies how to recognize them being German:

Like "ODEON" A 272.xxx - Series, the label shows no nationality, only names the "Registered Trade Mark" for copyright. The fonts are the classical German "LINDSTRÖM" types as already used in the 20s for "ODEON" and the dark blue or light red "PARLOPHON" label.

Very often, there are misspellings on the German labels: "RHYTHM STYL", " BLUE SINGER" (instead of von "BLUES" ), the names of some artists are written in a wrong way, for example: JIMMIE LUNCEFORD became "JIMMY"...

The German label has an unique color: In dark violet it reminds the British "PARLOPHONE" of the early and mid-thirties that used to be black with golden letters. But in Germany one did not pay attention that the British label changed its design to LIGHT BLUE BACKGROUND - DARK BLUE - GOLD (later WHITE BACKGROUND - DARK BLUE - GOLD).

The same MILDRED BAILEY - recording in a German pressing "PARLOPHONE" (R 2692) and as British "PARLOPHONE" with the same number but different look.

If the German editions still stick in the original paper sleeve, there is another misspelling: One forgot the "E" of "PARLOPHONE", the German version of the name "PARLOPHON" is printed...

As there are no German catalogs to this series, the only referencies are British "PARLOPHONE" listings. Still it is not clear to what number the German issues went (probably up to R. 2726). But there are indications that this series was pressed till summer 1944:

Like known by regular "ODEON" labels, in 1944, "LINDSTRÖM" company ordered pressings from the French factory in Paris. Those were mrked by a huge "P" on the right side of the label. The pressing material is the same French "ODEON" and "COLUMBIA" used: A lamination around some paper what gives the surface a light bumpy structure and makes a louder sidenoise than German pressings.

There is no German listing neither for "ODEON" A.272.xxx - Series. This also was conceived for exportation only.

1944 "PARLOPHONE" - pressing (recorded in September 1937 in New York) with supplement mark "P", besides "ODEON" - label (recorded in February 1943 in Berlin) with the same mark "P".

Both series were sold on demand only in Germany till the end of 1941. As the USA were not involved in World War II until December 1941, those recordings were not "ENEMY´S COUNTRY" music. That is the reason why very rarely, some records can be found with stamps of German record stores. They seem to have been a big success in other European countries, esp. in Skandinavia where those pressings are frequently to find. Although - due to the DUBBING remastering - the frequencies were very cut (like medium wave radio), the records must have been popular or because of their price or of the pressing material.

In each case, they were a good source for money. The German record industries always needed cash for importation of raw materials like shellac.

German "PARLOPHONE" - testpressing of PETE JOHNSON u. s. Boogie Woogie Boys
(British Parl. R.2947, unpublished in Germany). The typewritten stamp is same as usual for all "LINDSTRÖM" testpressings.

German "PARLOPHONE" - testpressing of BENNY GOODMAN and his Orchestra
(Parl. R.2695, Od. A 272.264). All referencies of the original issue are written down on the white label. The label is the backside of a regular "IMPERIAL" - Label.

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