Favourite record label past or present

[gradus]

Decca (SXL/SET/LXT), HMV - so many great recordings, Naxos, for the sustained effort in building an unequalled catalogue of classical recordings.

[gurnemanz]

The East German state-owned record label Eterna is in interesting case. They had two of the world's great orchestras on their books (Dresden Staatskapelle, Gewandhaus) and one of the prime recording venues (Lukaskirche, Dresden). All recordings, many planned as co-productions and hard currency earners, appeared in the West under Western labels, including classic sets such as Sawallisch/Schumann, Strauss/Kempe, Bruckner/Jochum, Blomstedt/Beethoven, Carlos Kleiber/Tristan, Karajan/Mastersingers etc etc. Also many Lieder recordings with Peter Schreier and others and Bach recordings from Leipzig and on historic Silbermann organs in churches in Saxony.

[MickyD]

... erato, astree auvidis, oehms, winter & winter, l' oiseau-lyre, arcana, harmonia mundi, dhm, archiv,et'cetera, bis, hyperion, ricercar






.

Agreed, especially l'Oiseau Lyre Florilegium...every issue was eagerly snapped up by me when it appeared!

[pastoralguy]

In the past, Decca and Philips. I still look for their distinctive spines in charity shops!

[amateur51]

And many thanks to CfP for all the marvellous recordings of works that I wouldn't otherwise have been able to afford in the '70s.

[pastoralguy]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Deutsche Grammophone. Even now, going into a charity shop and seeing those distinctive yellow banners on their Lp's still raises my pulse a little. How I drooled over them when I was a teenager! I suppose, for me, it was probably on of the first aspirational motivators in my life.

I got a real kick out of buying the Karajan 70's & 80's boxed sets - just wonderful.



However, from a cd point of view, I have a fantastic collection of EMI 'Studio' CDs with their red labels. I keep them in a Bookcase next to my Hi-Fi.

[MrGongGong]

Touch
empreintes DIGITALes
Lovely Music
NMC
Sargasso
ICR

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Deutsche Grammophone. Even now, going into a charity shop and seeing those distinctive yellow banners on their Lp's still raises my pulse a little.

Snap! I avoided the big names (DG, HMV/EMI, CBS, DECCA, PHILIPS, RCA) because they were so reliable in the standard repertoire of the Western Classical traditions (from Bach to Stravinsky). It's been many years since their output has raised my heartbeat with their new releases (as opposed to their/WARNER's re-issues), however.

[Stunsworth]

Decca - from the early stereo up untill the dawn of digital

Hyperion, oh how I long for Qobuz to start streaming them again.

Classics for Pleasure, they gave me so much pleasure when I was starting my discovery of classical music in the 70s.

[visualnickmos]

And many thanks to CfP for all the marvellous recordings of works that I wouldn't otherwise have been able to afford in the '70s.

I couldn't agree more. They knew me in the electrical department of the Co-Op in Gillingham High Street. The revolving CfP display stand was my second home!

Just a question of no importance, but does anyone know what the price of CfP records were when they were very first issued? I seem to remember 59p for some reason, then rising to, I think 84p, where they remained for quite some time..... One that I regret never buying but looked at often, was Rosamunde but I did find some gems; the first two that come to mind are Kempe's Scheherezade and Sawallisch's New World (Philharmonia Orchestra - not his later Philadelphia recording) which as far as I know never made it to a CD release. Damn shame - it's a cracker!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I thought that EMI introduced CfP as a rival to other budget labels which were re-issues of Mono/early stereo recordings from the '50s (Decca's Ace of Clubs and Ace of Diamonds). CfP were first marketed at 84p (IIRC) - that is, 15p cheaper than the Decca budgets, but because of the price difference, "people" apparently thought the quality must be lower, so CfP put up the price to 99p. (I remember an article on Nationwide in which the superb voice of Michael Barrett explained all this!)

Again, IIRC, 59p (later 65p) was the asking price of MfP records, some of which were "Classical" releases, but mainly Radio 2 repertoire.

[Bryn]

CfP was launched in 1970 as a slightly upmarket, slightly more expensive addition to the EMI/Hamlyn MfP label (launched 1965). Originally MfP issued some classical as well as popular music titles. Once CfP was launched. That label became the main repository of the classical issues. Not only EMI, but also some Supraphon, etc. recordings, and quite a few CfP originals came up under the CfP banner.

[Don Petter]

I thought that EMI introduced CfP as a rival to other budget labels which were re-issues of Mono/early stereo recordings from the '50s (Decca's Ace of Clubs and Ace of Diamonds). CfP were first marketed at 84p (IIRC) - that is, 15p cheaper than the Decca budgets, but because of the price difference, "people" apparently thought the quality must be lower, so CfP put up the price to 99p. (I remember an article on Nationwide in which the superb voice of Michael Barrett explained all this!)

Again, IIRC, 59p (later 65p) was the asking price of MfP records, some of which were "Classical" releases, but mainly Radio 2 repertoire.

A quick look at the quarterly GramCats of the period show that MFPs first appeared in the December 1965 issue, priced at 12/6 including PT.

CFPs first appeared in the December 1970 issue, priced at 17/9 including PT, by which time MFPs had increased to 15/- including PT. At this time the Decca prices were: ACL at 25/11 and ADD at 29/11.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

A quick look at the quarterly GramCats of the period show that MFPs first appeared in the December 1965 issue, priced at 12/6 including PT.

CFPs first appeared in the December 1970 issue, priced at 17/9 including PT, by which time MFPs had increased to 15/- including PT. At this time the Decca prices were: ACL at 25/11 and ADD at 29/11.

Good research, DonP

17/9 was about 89p, wasn't it? 15/- was 75p; 25/11 = £1.29 and 29/11 = £1.49.

(I had to do homework on this stuff when I was ten!)

[Madame Suggia]

Naxos

On a tight budget it's been perfect for me and i've discovered so many wonderful new works.

Thank you Naxos for the Prokofiev/Kuchar symphonies, Martinu symphonies, Geirr Tveitt recordings..to name a few.