Weren’t pre-war 78’s recorded live-to-disc? There were no tape recorders available for the recording of music until after WWII (the Germans invented the recorder for tricking the Allies, "time shifting" fake news), and direct-to-disc LP’s remain the highest fidelity music sources I’ve ever heard.
Elvis Presley’s five Sun Records singles (1955-6) were recorded to tape, and offered on both 10" 78’s and 7" 45 RPM discs. They were distributed in only the southern states, and are worth some money in excellent condition. But not being direct-to-disc, they are not that rare, nor that good sounding in pure audiophile terms. But musically, awesome! A Blues on one side, a Hillbilly on the other. Elvis, guitarist Scotty Moore, upright bassist Bill Black (and later drummer D.J. Fontana, plucked out of a band that performed behind burlesque "dancers" ;-), and Sun Records owner and recording engineer Sam Phillips invented Rockabilly.