Les Loups - Collectors' Invaluable Information

Les Loups, Victor Talking Company ad c. 1928 (courtesy Erik Host)

Today the music industry relies almost exclusively on digital streaming of music. One of the benefits is the enormous number of recordings instantly accessible at your computer or smart phone, if you have an account at one or more providers of music streaming service. However, an annoying disadvantage with most (- if not all) streaming service providers is the simple fact that no info about the provided recordings besides the name of artist/band and title of the song/album is available at the provider's site, not even year of the actual chosen recording is always precise. Well, then you have to look up info elsewhere, the world wide web is at your disposal, however, you have to know what to search for to get usable info. The result is most often that the average user of streaming music gives up spending time and effort looking up info and instead jumps to a new song among the millions provided. So, who cares? Serious collectors of music care about facts, because recorded music is not just consumable items but artistic artifacts with a history which is about to be forgotten, if your choice of music exclusively relies on providers of digital streaming. Thus, some of the true heros of music business are in fact collectors, who care about the sources and history of recorded music - whatever the medium: 78 rpm shellac disc, vinil or cd issue. Sometimes I consider if serious music collectors are a dying species, but sometimes I also have a hope that someone still takes the time and trouble to document the music that matters in an infinite sea of indifference. This hope was resurrected recently when I received information about some European releases of Les Loups from a true collector of original 78 rpm recordings on shellac (- pay a visit to Sergio del Rio Macias great blog in Spanish, here).

Ramona - Italian HMV, R 14125 (scan courtesy Sergio del Rio Macias)

This scan of the Italian HMV 78 rpm issue of Ramona by Les Loups originally released at Victor 80950 in Argentina documents that Les Loups were popular in Italy and considered worthy of a licensed re-issue by the local devision of HMV. The flip side of this Italian item contains the tune Qué Vachacé by Les Loups which was originally released on Victor 80936 according to the online Oscar Alemán discography. - The year of release of the Italian HMV 78 rpm disc is not available, but probably between late 1928 and 1930 (- the original Victors were recorded August 1928 in Buenos Aires).

Qué Vachacé - Italian HMV, R 14125 (scan courtesy Sergio del Rio Macias)

The inserted scans are valuable information for collectors of recordings by Les Loups, they are documents of the time when the duo toured and performed in Europe as part of Harry Fleming's troupe. Sergio del Rio Macias further supplied me info about some Spanish HMV re-issues of Les Loups and Trio Victor which supports the popularity of the duo at the time they visited Europe. The listing from the spanish Gramophone (HMV) discography compilated by Alan Kelly unfortunately does not have record numbers, only matrix info is stated with title of the recording.Click to have an enlarged view of the listings below.

Les Loups, Spanish gramofone listing of HMV release 

And here is additional info from the same listing

Les Loups, Spanish gramofone listing of HMV release

Even the recording of Mi Pobres Ilusiones by Rosita Quiroga featuring Les Loups was also re-released in Spain by the local devision of HMV (- note both matrix and record number is stated)

Rosita Quiroga feat. Les Loups on Spanish HMV

Les Loups were also re-issued in other European countries, i.e. the German release of Guitarra Que Llora and En Un Pueblito Español originally issued on Victor 80839 was released on the Electrola E.G.label with the catalogue number 1283 (see online disco, here). 

Update September 2018

Ya Lo Sé_Les Loups_ Odeon (Sp) 183 104 a

The much searched after recording of Ya lo sé and El Carrerito recorded in Spain by Les Loups late 1930 or primo 1931 and issued at Spanish Odeon 183104 has sensationally just unearthed a couple of days ago in Barcelona and was acquired by Sergio del Rio Macias, who kindly shares a scan of the disc labels here. Previously this Spanish issue by Les Loups has only been known as a matrix and catalogue number in the online Alemán discography (see here), but now the scans document that the disc exists and the recorded music as well.

El Carrerito_Les Loups_Odeon (SP) 183 104 b

Such pices of information are invaluable for true collectors of Les Loups and the recorded legacy of Oscar Alemán.

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Thanks to Sergio del Rio Macias for the forwarded scans and info.

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Jo

keepitswinging.domain@gmail.com