By John Maeder

There is a story here somewhere.

Here are some interesting records from my collection:

Record 1 is a Columbia "Personal Record / Specially Made For / The Climax Coffee & Baking / Powder Company / Advertising Talk On / Mrs. Rorer's Own Blend -- / America's Finest Coffee" #62232.

 The flip side is A2306 'Over There', by the Peerless Quartette -- and that label is the more typical blue & gold 'Magic Notes' label.  Not too common, and a bit interesting.

Here's where things get more intriguing:

Record 2 is a single-sided hill-and-dale recording produced by the 'Electric Recording Laboratories / New York City' and is on the 'Personal' label #6172 'Sunrise And You', sung by Suzanne Frantz, pianoforte by George Henninger.  Odd and obscure by all counts.

Let's tie it all together now:

Record 3 is a single sided, hill-and-dale recording (physically very similar to record #2) -- but, it has a Columbia 'Personal' label like Record #1 of 'His Lullaby' by Edith Frantz Mills with Suzanne Frantz "at Piano" #91034!!!  What is up with that?  How did a Columbia label wind up on a hill-and-dale recording?  What is up with hill-and-dale recordings being produced by 'Electric Recording Laboratories'?  Is this evidence of electrical recording experimentation being done in the early 1920's?  What bizarre cross-pollination is this?!!!  Who was Suzanne Frantz (and Edith Frantz Mills for that matter)?

Record 4 is obviously yet another single-sided, hill-and-dale product of the 'Electrical Recording Laboratories', this time on the 'Sonare' label: #1101 'Lungi Dal Caro Bene (When Two Loves That Love are Parted)', sung by William E. Strassner, pianoforte by Howard W. Cann.

Can anyone on the board offer any insight into these?  They all came out of the same stack. Thanks!  John M

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