Preserving The Grooves
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JUMBO-RECORD

2022-04-24T16:27:03+02:00April 24th, 2022|

UK label owned by Fonotipia Co. Ltd. incorporated on 28 February 1908 as a low-cost label. The records were pressed and manufactured by Jumbo Record Fabrik G.m.b.H. in Frankfurt. First records didn’t have the elephant trade mark, because was used by Elephone Record that closed his activity at the beginning of 1909, and from that moment Jumbo started to use the elephant trade mark. On 1st August 1909 the manufacturing and distribution of Jumbo and Jumbola Record discs is entrusted to International Talking Machine Co. m.b.H.

The label was discontinued in 1911 following Fonotipia’s buyout by Carl Lindström A.-G.. In 1913 the Carl Lindström A.-G. built a new pressing factory in Hertford called The Mead Works.

In 1915, the British government introduced the “Trading with the Enemy” acts which prohibited German firms operating at all in Britain. This meant that Lindström had it’s offices and factories seized by the government.

In 1917 Columbia Graphophone Company bought the old Lindström business from the government and it was decided to rename the label Venus Record.

Source: www.loc.gov

ELEPHONE

2022-03-24T20:53:04+01:00März 24th, 2022|

Elephone records were made by The Universal Talking Machine Company which was William Barraud’s first foray into the early Gramophone record field. He was later involved in the Invicta record company which produced Invicta and Guardsman records. William Barraud was the uncle of Francis Barraud, well-known for painting the famous HMV dog-and-gramophone portrait and he also painted the picture of Sgt Hassall used on the Guardsman label.

The Universal Taliking Machine Company recording rooms (and presumably their offices) were at 3, Scrutton Street, Finsbury, London E.C. It is very likely that any recordings were made under the supervision of German recording experts from the Lyrophon Company, from spring 1908 to early 1909. Universal’s recordings were issued on their Elephone record label, and it is thought that the presence of an Elephant on the label (which was a registered design) is what prevented Jumbo records from also using an Elephant on their earliest issues.

Elephone’s British recordings are in the 20000 series and should have a small “o” prefix. Other masters used are from German Lyrophon, and also some French recordings which have an “F” suffix. It was the intention of the company to make ethnic Indian recordings for Export to India, but none have ever been reported, so this may never have happened.
The business (and presumably the recording rooms) moved to 37, Curtain Road, London E.C. in November 1908, but by March 1909 the company needed more money, and proceeding to wind up the business started by June 1909 and it seems likely that the Universal Talking Machine Company never really made much in the way of profit!

Elephone records are exceedingly scarce, as can be seen by the very sparse listings below. So far, I know of these catalogue series, a plain 100-, 1000-, A-1500, D-4000 and G-8000.

Source: Michael Thomas

4 in 1

2021-09-10T13:56:34+02:00September 10th, 2021|

4 in 1 (a British Homophone product) was a genuine attempt to give more value for money. The records do have 4 full-length tunes on every record, each side playing for at up to 6 minutes (some are longer!). The groove is fine and the quality is not bad considering the technical limitations. Each is a master recording and not dubbed from an existing “normal” 10″ record. All matrices are English, and mainly dance bands.

The catalogue ran from 1 to 91 and all date from 1932-34.

Source: mgthomas.co.uk

OCTACROS

2021-08-11T14:25:57+02:00August 11th, 2021|

British label, which bought up most of the Piccadilly / Metropole companies’ metalwork in the early 1930s and reissued those. It also issued its own recordings – usually by second-tier or provincial bands.

The records on the Octacros label were made to be used in movie theaters as intermission music and at ice skating rinks; as the label states, they could be played in public by those who had a contract with Synchrophone. It was bought out by Decca in 1937.

Source: Discogs

BOSWORTH

2021-03-26T14:53:15+01:00März 26th, 2021|

Bosworth records were introduced in early 1937. The records were recorded and pressed by Decca and contained music from scores owned by Bosworth, mainly what is now termed “Library music” (light music that could be used by radio, film and (later) TV producers as background music).

The catalogue starts at BC-1001 in 1937 ans ran to BC-1239 in 1959

Source: MG Thomas

Edison Bell RADIO

2020-03-11T14:36:03+01:00März 11th, 2020|

The label was produced by Edison Bell (International) Limited.
Edison Bell’s entry into the lucrative 8″ disc market came in 1928 with Radio records. The first issues made no mention of “Edison Bell” on the label.

The records were described as “The Big 8” and cost 1/3. It was a high-quality product aimed at the popular market.

Ex-music hall artist, Harry Hudson, was musical director and provided most of the dance music under a variety of pseudonyms.

The catalogue numbers started at 800 and reached just over 1600 at the end, though 1000-1200 weren’t used (at least in Britain). Continental series usually had a prefix and were printed with a dark blue-on-violet label with the same design as the usual British ones. All were recorded and made in Britain. Matrix numbers were in an 80000-series.

In 1931, the gold-on-blue colour scheme was almost reversed and it became black-on-gold, but time was running out and the label ceased to be in 1932.

Source: Discogs

 

UNISON RECORD

2020-03-10T11:37:55+01:00März 10th, 2020|

Unison records were sold by the Co-Operative society (“The Co-Op”) during the later half of the 1920s. They were pressed by Vocalion and duplicate exactly their 8″ and 9″ Broadcast records, even to the pseudonyms (with only a couple of exceptions).

Source: M. G. Thomas

 

PICKOFALL – RECORD

2019-11-30T19:38:09+01:00November 30th, 2019|

Pickofall-Record (some labels show Pickofall-Record – Regent) appeared in November 1912 at 2 shillings (10p) each. They were made in Germany for Leon Leibowich, whose company, Regent Fittings, had existed since 1903.

He later entered the gramophone trade, and was offering low price discs by 1909, possibly ‘The Conqueror Record’.

By May 1913 Pickofalls were down to 1s 6d (7.5p), and the 12″ (30cm) size to 2s 6d (12.5p). The Price War of 1913-14 caused a further reduction, to 1s 3d and 2s 0d respectively.

By October 1914 Pickofalls were 1s 1d. If they still said ‘Pressed in Prussia’. Pickofalls were (perhaps unsurprisingly) still to be had as late as April 1916.

Source: M.G. Thomas

 

PICADILLY

2021-08-12T17:03:15+02:00November 30th, 2019|

London record label active from 1928 until 1932.

The black and gold labels were used for ‘Popular’ material, with catalogue numbers 100 to 924.
Red labels were used for classical music and standard material, with 5000-series numbers.

Source: Discogs
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