2003 NOVEMBER 12 #316
Letter To A Teenage Daughter & The Great Contest
Sidney S. Brown (CBC Broadcaster) - voices
Jules Lipton (CBC Producer) - production and sound effects
Brown was a well known sports announcer in Canada but his most enduring work is the classic farting contest. Possibly recorded at "Red" Foster's Studios on Alcorn Avenue in Toronto, Canada, late 1940 on one 16" lacquer disc, it was distributed as a holiday giveaway to industry clients via instantaneous discs. Reportedly it was played at a New Year's Eve party in 1943 where an unidentified admiral decided it would make a great morale booster for his sailors. Whether there ever were such under-the-counter V-Discs or not, about 1947 78 RPM masters were dubbed and two 12" 78's (four sides) were pressed (mx. xxx1-4) by Columbia as The 1946 Canadian Crepitation Contest on the TRILLBLOW label (complete with cover art by Alex Steinweiss) as a premium for its distributors but though CBS president Ted Wallerstein nixed the project, copies did circulate.
The flatulent sports spoof was released
by a west coast source on 12" white label discs with
sides in automatic sequence (coupled 1/4 & 2/3):
(B1577X) 1....*** unnumbered
(KFI-1)
(B1578) 2.....*** unnumbered
(KFI-2)
(B1579X) 3....*** unnumbered
(KFI-3)
(B1580) 4.....*** unnumbered
(KFI-4)
and yet a third release:
Battle at Thunderblow--Windesmeare
vs. Boomer Parts 1/2...*** unnumbered
Battle at Thunderblow--Windesmeare
vs. Boomer Parts 3/4...*** unnumbered
Later issued on three 10" records in the late 1940's
as the International Crepitation Contest on 10" unnumbered
HUMOR:
Part 1 "Introducing
Lord Windismere World's Champion" (CREP-1)
Part 2 "Introducing
Lord Boomer Leading Contender" (CREP-2)
Part 3 "At the Post"
(R-3)
Part 4 "Lord Windismere's
Defiance" (R-4)
Part 5 "Crescendo"
(CREP-5)
Part 6 "Disaster"
(CREP-6)
as well as another 10" white label release titled ""World's Championship" in automatic sequence
coupled:
parts 1/4................***
5001A/B (FL 5001A/B)
parts 2/5................***5002
(FL5002A/B)
and 3/6..................***5003
(FL5003A/B)
finally, an edited version on four 10" black label
sides:
The Championship parts 1/4..........***
unnumbered (306/307)
The Championship parts 2/3..........***
unnumbered (308/309)
The master was last reported
to be at RCA VICTOR in Toronto.
The following are inferior imitations:
Woofing Post part 1/2......BURLY-Q
3 A&B, FUN 3A&B
same performance titled ""Great Battle pt. 1/pt.2"......*** 18 (3-A/3-B)
same performance titled ""Battle at Thunderblow The Great Crepitation Contest
Widesmear
vs. Boomer" ....WINDBREAK RECORDS
Sound Effects part 1/part2.....HIGH
SOCIETY 508, FUN 604, *** unnumbered
Trade Winds/ More Winds................LIKEN
PRODUCTION unnumbered
and finally, the award for the most unlikely title goes
to:
Pre Xmas Sale parts 1/2...........***
1063 A/B (A6381/A6382)
- The TOD
TT-18:11 / 16.7MB / 128kbps 44.1khz
(Image courtesy of The TOD)
Strictly Kev writes:
I have it on Laff records (Laff A152) as a single LP (with
the sleeve featured in 'Incredibly Strange Music' not
the one on your site) But also a suspicous 'follow up'
as well 'The return of the Crepitation Contest (championship
rematch) - also on Laff (A-193) with a picture sleeve
of someone posing as the same 2 characters from the first,
complete with farting posts. This recording is undoubtedly
by different people than the original unless my hearing
is damaged and both recordings are pretty terrible quality.