Hit of the week-Durium

HIT OF THE WEEK Discography

Hans Koert

TIP-TOE THROUGH THE TULIPS WITH ME

fall 1929

In 1930, now 80 years ago, the first Hit of the weeks were released. Follow its history week after week:

Some precursors - HOW 1019

Most record collectors know the brown flexible paper records made from the synthetic Durium material. This resin was invented during the First World War and used for the first time in Great Britain for making records around 1927. These (2-side playable card board) records had much surface noise and they damaged easily. There must have been four or five companies in England that used this procedé. The best known was WORLDECHO, who made these card boards for 2.5 months in 1929.	Hal T. Beans, a professor of Chemistry at Columbia University experimented with the Durium resin. He sought for years in his laboratory for a resin that was flexible, but otherwise had an extreme tensile strength. The Durium resin was tasteless, odorless, highly resistant to heat and hardened quickly. It was used as a fire-and-water proof substitute for varnish which could be sprayed on the non-metallic parts of airplanes and, because of its properties, was also used as the “durable” film on the cardboard base of the Durium records.

Around 1930 the unbreakable record became very popular. The conventional shellac records were very breakable, so the public liked the idea of having a record that won’t break if you drop it.

What's so specific about the HIT OF THE WEEK record learns an English 1932 durium brochure.

ONLY THROUGH NEWSAGENTS
This brochure contains full particulars of an unbreakable gramophone record with popular music and of absolutely new type, of the very finest playing quality, and giving excellent value for money. It is to be marketed at a popular price on the novel plan of issuing one record a week with two tunes each week. Every issue to be advertisend as it appears. It's to be sold only through newsagents on a returnable basis. The plant market through newsagents only is not a mereusing of a different channel for novelty's sake, but is a vital part of the whole scheme. Only small stocks are required, and the stock will be turned over twenty-six times a year. By sending the pub;lic to the newsagents every week for these records, the manufacturers expect to provide regular customs, and to consolidate and extend newsagents' trade on a valuable scale.
THE MATERIAL
We take this first because most things about this new record hinge on the material and its abilities. It is a synthetic chemical compound and it was discovered in 1927. It is called DURIUM.
THE CHARACTERISTICS
Durium is a hard and smooth as a diamond. Yet a thin sheet of it is extraordinarily pliable. It is non-inflammable, waterproof and extremely light. Most important: at a certain stage in its manufacture it sets instantaneously, and retains its impression precisely under all conditions of heat or cold, and with a remarkably high resistance to mechanical damage.
THE APPLICATION
The above qualities, plus the ability to register the sound grooves in the flick of an eyelid, make Durium an ideal material for thr manufacture of a gramophone record of the highest quality that is also undamageable and ubreakable.
THE QUALITY
Because they are flexible, do not compare Durium with existing flexible records or with low-priced standard records: compare Durium records with the best quality records you know. The quality of reproduvtion os due to - 1. The Durium surface which practically does away with needle noise. 2. The actual recording proces used. 3. The quality of the bands being recorded. You will notice there is a richness and a depth of tone not usually found in flexible records.
THE PLAN
All these qualities together make it possible to issue a record weekly - sold on the same lines as a weekly periodical - non-breakable, light and of excellent quality. An ingenious method of manufacture makes for the lowest possible cost, thus permitting an ample margin for publicity - publicity on such a scale as to create a real and instant public demand. There will be much less seasonal fluctation with Durium records, because of the very topicality of them, and as they become well known, the mere announcement of the release of the hit of the moment will secure the sale. The portability of the records will do wonders during the summer.

The Hit of the week records (in the US) came out every Thursday The durium records (in England) came out every Friday.
	Printing press in Slough (GB) (ca 1930)

Matrix number	Titel	Band name	Rec. date:	Records
	BACK IN YOUR OWN BACK YARD Fox Trot BILLY ROSE . DAVE DREYER AL JOLSON DURIUM80	Played by HIT OF THE WEEK ORCHESTRA	? 1929	HIT OF THE WEEK VOL. I NO. 4 / ARCH 3002

Matrix number	Titel	Band name	Rec. date:	Records
1015 C	"PAINTING THE CLOUDS WITH SUNSHINE" FoxTrot Dubin Burke - vo DURIUM80	DON VOORHEES Orchestra [2tp-2tb-2cl as-2cl ts-2v-p-banj-tu-dm]: Fred "Fuzzy" Farrar tp, (Red Nichols tp), Bill Trone tb-mell, Charlie Butterfield tb, Joe Tarto tu, unknown male vo.	ca. Dec 1929	Broadway record 1015

Durium Products Corporation

"TIP-TOE THROUGH THE TULIPS WITH ME' - 1019 is a promo record with an announcement:

(S) This is the new Hit-of-the-week record. It is made of Durium, the great invention of a Columbia university professor. Its tone is as rich and clear as the costliest record made. It is guaranteed to play perfectly longer than any other record. It won't break if you drop it. It brings you the latest dance hits every week played by Broadway's best orchestras, at the sensationally low price of fifteen cents! Each week, our music jury, composed of Florenz Ziegfeld, Eddie Cantor and Vincent Lopez, selects the outstanding dance hit of the hour for a Hit-of-the-week recording. A new Hit-of-the-week record is on sale at all news-stands in this city. Get yours today.- fifteen cents! Stand by while Don Voorhees famous orchestra plays for you Tip-toe Through The Tulips.

Matrix number	Titel	Band name	Rec. date:	Records
1019 A 1019 2D (promo record)	"TIP-TOE THROUGH THE TULIPS WITH ME" Fox-Trot Dubin Burke - vo ---------------------- "TIP-TOE THROUGH THE TULIPS WITH ME" Fox-Trot Dubin Burke - vo DURIUM80	DON VOORHEES ORCHESTRA [2tp-2tb-2cl as-2cl ts-2v-p-banj-tu-dm]: Fred "Fuzzy" Farrar tp, (Red Nichols tp), Bill Trone tb-mell, Charlie Butterfield tb, Joe Tarto tu,unknown male vo	ca. Dec 1929 first released ca. 6 Feb. 1930	test ----------------------- HOW 1019 SEFONO 1019 / BR 107 / IAJRC CS1002-1 / CD202-1 / NLRCD-32 / Swingtime 9802 / ARCH 3002 / ASA-100

Records from the collection of Hans Koert (The Netherlands) - Kurt Nauck (USA). Thanks to David Lennick (Canada) - Larry Tedder (USA)

Source: Hit of the week Discography 6+-edition (p.o.d.) Hans Koert

last update 14 Feb. 2010