The Guardsman Project!

It is nearing publication; can you add any details, please?

The British label Guardsman, and its predecessor Invicta, have always been fascinating to some of us. In its later period, there is much early Jazz and Hot Dance music, mostly of extreme rarity. But there is much else of interest to be found too. None of them are common, though they appeared from 1912 to 1928, and something in excess of 2,350 issues were made. Exactly how many will never be known, as will be explained below. The catalogue numbers of the main series ran from 1 to 2140. It is not too difficult to attribute ‘ball-park’ dates to later issues – say those after 1000 – by virtue of the tune titles, especially of dance and popular numbers. But those between 350 and 1000 are rather harder to date; and in any case, earlier sides were occasionally reissued, sometimes after 10 or more years. The issues from 1 to ~350 are even more of a problem, as each catalogue number might have up to three different ‘incarnations’!

During the last 2 or 3 years, a group of enthusiasts had been working on an Invicta/Guardsman label listing. The late Arthur Badrock, whose extensive researches over many decades had already encompassed much work on these labels, looked kindly upon our efforts – which were in no way in competition with his – and when his health began to decline, he very generously donated his Guardsman files to this project. Because of his donation, the listing is now about 80% complete, and the intention is to make it available in printed form and at reasonable cost, to such as may be interested; and in the relatively near future. We do not intend to wait for several years until the listing is, perhaps, 84% complete… such a delay in publication might extend to a time when nobody is interested in it any longer! It will of course be put out under Arthur’s name – I discussed this with him before his untimely death, and promised him a listing would appear in book form, as he had always intended. The exercise is also non-profit making; Arthur remarked wryly, more than once, that the profits from sales of his published works (of which there are many), never even covered his postage bill for a single year!

Alas, in spite of Arthur’s indefatigable work, there are still thousands of gaps in the listing: master numbers, control numbers, composer credits, label colours &c., not to mention about 170 complete blanks in the basic series. You may be able to help fill some of them; and you will of course be credited for doing so in the final publication!

So, if you have any Invicta or Guardsman records in your collection, and have the time to do so, please email a list of the catalogue numbers to the address below. I am simply acting as a co-ordinator & typist for the project, and I may ask you for certain details of the records you hold. If you would kindly forward these, they will be added to the database, and you will be credited for supplying the info.

As at March 2010, complete blanks in the listing are as follows:

2-4; 6-14; 18; 20; 23-28; 30; 32-34; 37; 39-42; 45; 48; 50-51; 53-54; 56; 60; 63-71; 74-77; 79-82; 85; 87; 91-93; 101-103; 107; 109; 111; 119; 123-124; 128-130; 132; 135; 137; 143-145; 150; 158-159; 164; 168; 171; 180; 185-191; 524-5; 619; 627; 633; 637; 639; 643; 648-649; 659-662; 664-665; 697-698; 700-703; 716; 965-966; 1113-1116; 1150; 1155-1156; 1158-1159; 1164; 1168-1169; 1190-1194; 1196; 1199; 1206-1207; 1209; 1217-1219; 1222; 1229; 1232-1233; 1236; 1239; 1241; 1246-1248; 1253-1256; 1258-1261; 1263-1264; 1270; 1277; 1279-1280; 1284; 1286; 1292-1293; 1298-1299; 1302-1303; 1305; 1307; 1322-1325; 1329-1220; 1338-1339; 1347; 1352; 1356; 1360; 1362; 1365; 1369-1370; 1375; 1381; 1384; 1391; 1394; 1404-1405; 1410-1413; 1418; 1424; 1484; 1632-1633; 1635; 1638; 1640; 1642; 1644-1646; 1649-1650; 1652-1653; 1655-1657; 1661-1662; 1664-1666; 1673-1676; 1678; 1681-1682; 1686; 1688-1690; 1692; 1694-1695; 1706; 1709; 1713; 1786-1787; 1789; 1793; 1814; 1820; 1881; 1909; 2078; 2108; 2112; 2120; 2124; 2129-2131; 2134.

…so it goes without saying that if you have any of the above Invictas or Guardsmans in your collection – or even if they are lying in a ‘junk-pile’ in your garage, please let us know, as complete details of these will be very welcome.

Besides the regular 10" 1 – 2140 series, there are several other series. The 7000 ‘Negro Race Series’ is well documented, although we still need one or two control numbers. But at least 115 12" Invicta and Guardsman issues, running from 2001 to 2115 were also issued. We have artist and title details for all these, but incredibly, master/control numbers for only three of them! So… if you have any 12" discs, please let us know.

Also, do you have any of the 6000, 6750, 8000 and N-8500 series Guardsman discs? These are Jewish, Polish-Jewish and Russian-Jewish recordings, all of which (like the Negro Race series) seem to come from American Vocalion. If so, please tell us; we have details of about 15 or 20 of them, but need more, please. And just to round off this page in a rather surreal way, Guardsman, in one of their rare printed catalogues, dated 1927, informed us that:

Well, that’s fine: Hebrew-Jewish, Polish and Russian issues are definitely known, each with their own catalogue series. However, as yet, no Danish or Welsh Guardsman records have surfaced. Does this mean there weren’t any? Not at all: I really think they’re out there, quite definitely! The more I learn about Guardsman, the more I marvel at the things they did. If you have a Welsh or Danish Guardsman, please do share it with us? All your information will be duly credited to you.

Please email anything on the above, to: guardsman@normanfield.com

Many thanks.

P.S. However great is our interest in these early and obscure labels, we are not carried away with the idea that very many copies of this book will be required! It would be a waste to have printed say 100 copies at £30 each, dispose of 19, and have left 81! Therefore it is intended to publish the fundamental label listing (which will be quite plain and with the minimum of annotation) in a wire-bound A4 size book, which may have something like 100 or 200 pages; we’re not sure yet. A master copy of the book text will be made on high quality paper, and from this will be derived photocopies – and good photocopies these days are very good! Perhaps 15 or 20 copies will initially be printed; and more later, if they are required. Another advantage of producing the book as individual sheets, is that other sheets, e.g. of label illustrations, can be printed in colour on an inkjet or laser printer on better paper and inserted at or near the appropriate place. Above all, each book will be accompanied with a CD-ROM, which will contain the book text with copious notes and annotations. Also included will be the original database from which the book was compiled, which carries more information still, &c. &c.

Page written 3rd December 2009.

Revised 28th March 2010.