The Peggy Lee Bio-Discography And Videography:
Abbreviations, Symbols, And Codes
by Iván Santiago-Mercado
Generated on Jun 12, 2011
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I. Explanation Of Contents
The following list contains nearly all the abbreviations found in this discography. Excluded are those whose meaning should be too clear to require explanation -- for instance, "CD." Most of the listed abbreviations stand for musical instruments and for personnel roles, but there are also a few which refer to format (cassette, reel-to-reel tape, etc.) or to other particulars of interest (e.g., whether an issue falls under the category of Public Domain).
The list is organized alphabetically. Abbreviations starting with numerals are listed at the end, and so are symbols such as ®.
Some abbreviations are followed by one or more asterisks. Those asterisks mean that I have supplied further explanatory comments about the given abbreviation. The explanations can be found right below the list (parts III to VI). Following the explanations (part VII), you will also find a separate list of all the formats (CD, LP, etc.) covered by this discography.
II. Abbreviations
acc ................................ Accompaniment
acg ................................ Acoustic Guitar
af ................................... Alto Flute
afp ............................... African Thumb Piano
ah ............................... Alto Horn
arr .............................. Arranger
as .............................. Alto Sax
b ................................... Bass
ban .............................. Bandoneon
bar .............................. Baritone Sax
bcl .............................. Bass Clarinet
bd .............................. Bass Drum
bel .............................. Bells
bf .................................. Bass Flute
bfb .............................. Bantamweight Fender Bass
bh .............................. Baritone Horn
bj .................................. Banjo
bkv .............................. Background Vocals
bo ................................. Bongos
br ................................. Brass
bsn .............................. Bassoon
bsx .............................. Bass Sax
bt .............................. Bass Trombone
c .................................. Cornet
ca .............................. Cor Anglais, aka English horn
ccm .............................. Concertmaster
cel .............................. Celeste
chi .............................. Chimes
chr .............................. Chorus
cl .............................. Clarinet
Cm .............................. C-Melody Sax
cng .............................. Congas
con .............................. Conductor
cs .............................. Cassette
cym .............................. Cymbals
d .................................. Drums
db .............................. Doubling
DX7 .............................. DX-7
eb .............................. Electric Bass
ela .............................. Electric Accordion
elg .............................. Electric Guitar **
elo .............................. Electric Organ
elp .............................. Electric Piano
eng .............................. Engineer
ent .............................. Entertainer
ET .............................. Transcription Recording
eu .............................. Euphonium
f ................................... Flute
fen .............................. (Fender) Rhodes Piano
fh .............................. Flugel-Horn
frh .............................. French Horn
g .................................. Guitar
gch .............................. Guitar Chords only
gfs .............................. Goofus/Cuesnophone
glk .............................. Glockenspiel
gng .............................. Gong
gut .............................. Catgut Guitar
h .............................. Harmonica
hal .............................. Halowire [?]
har .............................. Harmonium
hb3 .............................. Hammond B-3
hfp .............................. Hot Fountain Pen
hps .............................. Harpsichord
hrn .............................. Horns
hrp .............................. Harp
ind .............................. Individual Instruments ***
issue .............................. Any album, single, etc., made of performances *
k .................................. Kazoo
key .............................. Keyboards
lat .............................. Latin drums
ldr .............................. Leader **
mal .............................. Mallets
mar .............................. Marimba
md .............................. Mandolin
mda .............................. Melodica
mel .............................. Mellophone
mph .............................. Mellophonium
nec .............................. Neck (Guitar) **
o ................................... Oboe
oc .............................. Ocarina
om .............................. Orchestra Manager or Contractor
orc .............................. Orchestra
org .............................. Organ
oth .............................. Other Individuals playing in this date remain unknown
p .................................... Piano
pac .............................. Accordion
performance ................... Any version of a song, whether on record or live *
pdr .............................. Producer
per .............................. Percussion
pic .............................. Piccolo
PL .............................. Peggy Lee
r ..................................... Reeds
rec .............................. Recorder
reel .............................. Reel-to-reel tape
rg .............................. Rhythm Guitar
r-s .............................. Rhythm Section
s-a .............................. Arranger Of The Strings Only
sax .............................. Sax
sb .............................. String Bass
sd .............................. Snare Drum
slg .............................. Slide Guitar
snt .............................. Synthesizer
spk .............................. Speaking
ss .............................. Soprano Sax
stg .............................. Steel Guitar
str .............................. Strings
syn .............................. Synclavier
sw .............................. Slide Whistle
t .............................. Trumpet
tam .............................. Tamborine
tb .............................. Trombone
th .............................. Tenor Horn
tim .............................. Timbales
trd .............................. Trap Drum
tri .............................. Triangle
ts .............................. Tenor Sax
tu .............................. Tuba
tym .............................. Tympani
u .............................. Ukelele
unk ............................. Unknown instrument[s]
v .............................. Vocalist
vbh ............................. Vibraharp
vc .............................. Violoncello
vdr .............................. Vocal Director
v&i .............................. Vocals & Instruments
vib .............................. Vibraphone
vl .............................. Viola
vn .............................. Violin
vtb .............................. Valve Trombone
w .............................. Whistling
wb .............................. Washboard
wds .............................. Woodwinds
www~ .............................. licensed issue ***
x ................................... Xylophone
yyy~ .............................. Collectors' label issue ****
zzz~ .............................. Public Domain issue ****
zzzz~ .............................. Bootleg or unknown label issue ****
2-T .............................. 2-track playtape
4-T .............................. 4-track cartridge
8-T .............................. 8-track cartridge
12g .............................. Electric 12-string guitar ***
© ................................. Masters owned by or released on the indicated label ****
*III. Glossing Of General Terminology
Issue
This is an all-embracing term. It stands for all the configurations in which music has ever been issued, from 78s and 45s to CDs and MP3s.
Performance
A term used in this discography to refer to any number sung by Peggy Lee, whether in the studio or elsewhere. To avoid being too repetitive, occasionally I have substituted this term with "song," "recording," or "number."
**IV. Glossing Of Abbreviations For Personnel
Leader
In this discography, I have departed from the normal usage of the term "leader." For all Peggy Lee sessions, I have listed her -- not the session's conductor -- as the leader. I have done so for a number of reasons, one of them being a desire to have all Lee sessions automatically indexed by leader. Similarly, vocal artists such as Bing Crosby and Mel Tormé have been named the leaders of their respective sessions.
***V. Glossing Of Abbreviations For Musical Instruments
Ind
Individual Instruments. I generally use this abbreviation in conjunction with the abbreviation unk, as a way to indicate lack of knowledge about the instruments played by the session's personnel.
Elg
12g
Electric guitar and 12-string electric guitar. The former is an all encompassing category: any electric guitar, no number of strings specified. Conversely, elg is a specific sub-category, reserved for those few cases in which my raw data specifies that a 12-string guitar was used. The same line of thought applies to other instrument categories and sub-categories, such as percussion (drums, so-called Latin drums, bongos, conga, etc.) and brass.
Neck (Guitar)
Found only once amidst the many documents that I have consulted (specifically, in an AFM report for a Capitol session dated February 28, 1969), the term neck guitar is not a familiar or clear one to me. The report in question lists "neck" among the three instruments that guitarist James Burton played at the date. My assumption: during one of the session's three performances, Burton made use of his guitar's neck (rather than the guitar's strings) to produce a musical sound.
****VI. Glossing Of Abbreviations For Record Companies
©
My Peggy Lee sessionography makes a special use of the symbol ©: it points to the companies that own[ed] her masters, as opposed to the companies which have released them. Here are six examples of the symbol's usage, followed by more specific explanations:
1) DECCA©Brunswick EP: (England) Oe 9467 - Bing Sings, No. 2 (1959)
2) DECCA©MCA LP: (Japan) Vfc 1608 - Louis Armstrong And Peggy Lee ("The Big Stars" Series) (rel. year unknown)
3) DECCA©Vocalion LP: Vl 3776 - So Blue (1966)
4) DECCA©MCA's Coral CS/LP: ... - Peggy Lee (1984)
5) DECCA©Universal's Verve CD: ... - Black Coffee With Peggy Lee (2004)
6) DECCA©Universal ; Polydor©Universal CD: ... - Peggy Lee ("The Silver Spectrum Collection" Series) (2007)
Preceding the © symbol is the company for which the masters were originally recorded (in all cases above, Decca). Following the © symbol is the name of the company that released the issue. In the third and fourth examples, the issuing companies are Coral and Verve. At the time that issues #3 and #4 were respectively released, Coral was owned by MCA, Verve by Universal. The final example is a bit more complicated; the issue in question, released by the Universal conglomerate, contains some masters originally recorded for Decca and some masters originally recorded for Polydor.
www~
One of various codes with which I identify labels that have released but do not own Peggy Lee's masters. This particular code is reserved for record companies which paid a licensing fee to the owning label. Examples of excellent licensing labels include Bear Family, Collectors' Choice, Hip-o Select, Mosaic, and Rhino Handmade.
yyy~
One of various codes with which I identify labels that have released but do not own Peggy Lee's masters. This particular code is reserved for music companies whose releases aim at satisfying collectors (as opposed to companies whose aim is more overtly commercial, whose main target is the less discriminating sector of the buying public, and which are covered by next code). The chief interest of these collectors' labels tend to lie in either (a) the release of rare material, culled mostly from radio, television, and concerts or (b) the preparation of chronological and complete sets of studio material, sometimes involving not just masters but also alternate takes and live or media performances. Among the most notable of such labels: Classics (chronological sets of mostly studio masters in the Public Domain), Jasmine (rarities and oft-neglected masters in the Public Domain), Phontastic (alternate takes as well as rarities), and Sepia (oft-neglected masters in the Public Domain, released in sets laudable for their fine sound quality, appealing artwork, and thoughtful selection of repertoire).
zzz~
One of various codes with which I identify labels that have released but do not own Peggy Lee's masters. This particular code is reserved for companies which make rather careless or at least casual use of masters that have fallen in the Public Domain. Most of such companies evince a nakedly commercial approach and little interest in putting together a well-made product, although there are notable exceptions. Proper Records, for instance, shows a measure of care in the song selection and an interest in offering appealing artwork, even if the quality of the remastering varies, and overprocessing is a common complaint among discerning listeners. Furthermore, some of these labels blur my line between the yyy~ and zzz~ categories; a tiny few have actually produced issues that rise above mediocrity (e.g., Linger, a CD from the British label Snapper).
zzzz~
One of various codes that I have created as part of my plan to identify all issues which were not released by the owners of Peggy Lee's masters. This particular code is reserved for labels that I know to be bootlegs (rather than Public Domain). I am also listing under this category issues whose label is unknown to me; in all cases, the unknown label is presumed to be in the business of reissuing Public Domain material.
VII. A List Of Configurations Or Formats Found In This Discography
78
78 album
V-Disc
Radio Transcription
(A disc manufactured specifically for radio playing, not for sale to the public. Also known as an ET or transcription recording. ETs were produced mostly in 16" and 12" sizes, although other sizes certainly existed during the early days of this format. Due to size and, in some cases, speed and performance sequencing, they are not playable in regular consumer turntables.)
45
EP
(A 45 inside a cardboard cover. The front of the cover features artwork or photography, whereas the back cover may be blank or may include features such as track listing and liner notes. Also known as a 45 album.)
Double EP
(Just like an EP except that it includes two 45s, occasionally even three or four. Also, the 45 may be inside a gatefold or even tri-fold cardboard cover.)
EP box
(Two or more 45s issued not in a cardboard cover but inside a cardboard box.)
Jukebox 45, Jukebox EP
(Physically, jukebox 45s and jukebox EPs can be recognized because they look like 45s yet differ from them in at least one regard: the hole that they have in the center is the same size as in LPs, not 45s. Hence no spindle is needeed to play jukebox items. They were intended not for sale in stores but for playing in coin-operated machines -- jukeboxes, nickelodeons. Widely available to the 1950s public at malt shops, diners, bars, drugstores, etc. Some (not all) jukebox EPs manufactured by Capitol identify themselves as belonging to either a "compact 33" or a "compact double 33" series.)
LP
(10", 12", 7")
Audiophile LP
(Vinyl of the post-vinyl era -- i.e., the 1990s and the twenty-first century -- manufactured and remastered by specialized companies which aim at producing top-notch sound quality.)
Collectors' Pressing LP
(Vinyl manufactured during the post-vinyl era, but not necessarily remastered, and not aiming at producing top-notch sound quality.)
Cassette
Cassingle
(A cassette that contains just two songs, one per side. Also known as a cassette single.)
Reel-to-Reel Tape
(See visual examples at the top of this page. Made available to the buying public in the late 1950s and, especially, in the following couple of decades. Though not terribly popular then, nowadays they are highly regarded by collectors who find them exceptionally warm-sounding despite their acknowledged shortcomings -- most notably, frequent hiss; also, their sound quality varies widely, in part because dubbing plants tended to receive generation tapes that were far removed from the original master, and in part because of the plants' tendency, as years went by, to dupe at higher speeds -- 16X and up -- on 3¾ IPS, rather than using 4X or 8X on the far preferable, higher fidelity 7½ IPS.
8-track cartridge
4-track cartridge
2-track playtape
(The 8-track was the best known of these three cartridge configurations. The other two did not gain wide popularity.)
CD
CD single
(A compact disc with a very small number of songs -- generally anywhere between one and six.)
Commercial CDr
(I have created and reserved this category for certain digital releases, usually sold by tiny online companies specializing in old radio material. My designation of their CDs as CDrs should not be interpreted as pejorative. On the contrary, in some cases the sound quality of those companies's product -- e.g., Redmond Nostalgia's -- is commendably clean and clear.)
MP3
(Just a handful of MP3 titles are listed in this discography, and most of them belong to the noteworthy ultra-lounge Capitol series which began on compact disc and eventually shifted to MP3. I am resistant to list more MP3 titles due to various factors: the generally inferior sound quality of the format, its ephemeral and non-physical nature, the lack of basic accompanying information -- e.g., no catalogue number -- and the evergrowing proliferation of shoddy, poorly assembled MP3 issues. But, as the format keeps evolving in upcoming years, I could very well change my mind.)
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