Sold Date: June 23, 2018
Start Date: June 16, 2018
Final Price: $450.00 (USD)
Bid Count: 1
Seller Feedback: 439
Buyer Feedback: 2562

HERE IS A LOT so freakishly rare, I can't believe I have it to sell, but here it is!  TED DAHL AND HIS ORCHESTRA on two Victor Special Records from 1932 (sold as a pair only):  "STOP THE SUN - STOP THE MOON," "I FOUND YOU," "THAT'S WHEN I CRY FOR YOU," and "FICKLE, THAT'S ALL."  

According to Brian Rust's American Dance Bands, AND Brian Rust's Victor Master Book Vol. 2 (1925-1936), Ted Dahl and his Orchestra recorded these four sides in one session for Victor in Hollywood, in March, 1932 (PBVE-68432, 3, 4 and 5). Going by these books, the records never came out (see picture!). When I first saw them, I thought I was dreaming! (I often see nonexistent records in my dreams.) But here they are, big as life, as "Victor Special" records, "For Personal Use Only"  - one on the white and gold Victor "personal" label, the other on the standard black and gold "Scroll" Victor.  Records from 1932 are rare on the face of it; NON-EXISTENT records from 1932 are another species of "rare" altogether.  

Ted Dahl's Orchestra is a fine-tuned, West-Coast hotel-style dance band (similar to Gus Arnheim or Jimmie Grier), featuring outstanding arrangements with modern harmonic touches throughout. The pianist is especially intriguing in his two brief solos. Only four bars each, bristling with substitute harmonies, he reminds me of Stan Kenton (twenty years old at this time, and an L.A. resident).  Other outstanding soloists are the jazz-inflected, Bixian cornetist on "Stop the Sun” and “That’s When I Cry,” the tenor sax soloist on “I Found You,” and there are torrid bits from the trombone and clarinet as well.      

These two original 1932 "Special" Victor records are in lovely overall EE+ condition.  I am asking a minimum bid commensurate with their great rarity.   

*****

These records come from my private collection, which I have been accumulating since 1967, and now am downsizing!  My highest priority in these eBay auctions is to give you the best possible idea of a record’s true condition and aesthetic value.  I always post at least four clear images, showing the record fore and aft, a close-up of the label, and the whole disc, warts and all.  If my purple prose won’t cut it, the pictures will!  Shipping is done with expert care. Your record will brave Media Mail in a stout corregated box, between four sheets of cardboard and a couple of “packers.”  I hope you are amused by these descriptions, and by the quality of service being offered.