Favourite record label past or present

[Roslynmuse]

As a French music addict, I appreciate the efforts of Timpani and Maguelone to bring otherwise unknown music to light; and INA mémoire VIVE for historic (or just old ) French radio broadcasts, even if the sound quality is sometimes very poor (eg a lovely set of Messager's Isoline, but requiring a great deal of patience to cut through the frying bacon and drop-outs).

My nostalgia for the old LP labels is from drooling over old catalogues and leaflets - remember those in record shops in the 70s? 'New releases on EMI/Decca/DG/Philips for Autumn 1978' or listings of highlights from SXL/SDD/TV/ECS/SPA/JB and their equivalents on the other labels - Privilege and Heliodor, Concert Classics, Greensleeve, CfP, Universo (was there a Philips bargain label?)

[Don Petter]

Fontana?

[Roslynmuse]

Fontana?

I was thinking about that - I have a feeling that it was pre-Universo mid-price, but may be wrong. There were some old LPs and 10" Fontanas in our record collection when I was growing up - Szell Brahms 1 and (again Szell, I think) a disc of favourite overtures - Figaro, Thieving Magpie, Fledermaus, Bartered Bride plus one more, IIRC.

Just remembered another Philips mid-price - Festivo.

And does anyone remember the Classics Club with do-it-yourself sleeves?

[gurnemanz]

For a while, my favourite label was Saga, being the only one half decent one I could afford.

This Schubert Quintet was a Saga classic.



+ Janet Baker/Martin Isepp Frauenliebe

and Boise Trio in Ravel and Debussy

Reminiscence here

[jayne lee wilson]

Never heard of 'em.

Altarus...http://www.altarusrecords.com/AltarusMainCatalogue.html

..and have a good look at 9021 and 9066... 9028 doesn't look bad either!

[Dave2002]

I was thinking about that - I have a feeling that it was pre-Universo mid-price, but may be wrong.

Re Fontana, I'm fairly sure it was pre-Universo, but some of the recordings were, I think, full price - such as this one of Konwitschny conducting Beethoven 7 - http://--www.popsike.com/FRANZ-KONWI...518996437.html for which I very probably paid 32s 6d way back. Incidentally, on my equipment that recording played at a higher pitch.

There were also some 10 inch discs which were cheaper - such as this - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Etcheverry-D.../dp/B0046ZBZMW , and later the label did seem to do reissues at lower prices, such as the same Konwitschny recording of Beethoven 7 back to back with the 8th - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beethoven-...-/310997158433 Looking at eBay suggests that the Eterna label (which I didn't know about at the time) also had some of the same or similar recordings - perhaps that was a label available in other countries within the Philips domain.

Festivo came along later.

Browsing through eBay one can see other Fontana recordings (most of which I'd not seen before) with similar cover designs - they don't do them like that any more!

[Dave2002]

Re Eterna, it seems that it was one of only a few record labels in East Germany in the 1980s (and presumably earlier), as this article describes - http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4...ermany&f=false This could mean that the Konwitschny Fontana recordings were originally made in East Germany and sold on the Eterna label, and were later bought or licensed to Philips/Fontana.

There might have been some other contractual arrangement to get those Beethoven recordings made.

Another label mentioned in that article from East Germany was Amiga, though that was apparently for pop music.

Some other similar recordings turned up much later in the UK on a cheap label - Wing, IIRC.

[Don Petter]

Re Fontana, I'm fairly sure it was pre-Universo, but some of the recordings were, I think, full price - such as this one of Konwitschny conducting Beethoven 7 - http://--www.popsike.com/FRANZ-KONWI...518996437.html for which I very probably paid 32s 6d way back. Incidentally, on my equipment that recording played at a higher pitch.

There were also some 10 inch discs which were cheaper - such as this - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Etcheverry-D.../dp/B0046ZBZMW , and later the label did seem to do reissues at lower prices, such as the same Konwitschny recording of Beethoven 7 back to back with the 8th - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beethoven-...-/310997158433 Looking at eBay suggests that the Eterna label (which I didn't know about at the time) also had some of the same or similar recordings - perhaps that was a label available in other countries within the Philips domain.

Festivo came along later.

Browsing through eBay one can see other Fontana recordings (most of which I'd not seen before) with similar cover designs - they don't do them like that any more!

Memory may ill serve me regarding Fontana. The story of the label is fairly complicated (there is a Wiki article) but when it was introduced by Philips it was indeed full price.

To the GramCat shelf again! First appearance in the March 1958 edition, both Philips ABL and Fontana CFL are 41/9.

I suspect that some of the later uses of the label were cheaper than premium, maybe when Polygram took over from Philips in 1972.

[Roehre]

.....This could mean that the Konwitschny Fontana recordings were originally made in East Germany and sold on the Eterna label, and were later bought or licensed to Philips/Fontana.

There might have been some other contractual arrangement to get those Beethoven recordings made.
....

The Konwitschny/Beethoven was the first big East German stereo project. The German labourers' and farmers' state needed to show that they were superior to the Enemy in the West. Hence presige recording sessions.
Two details:
the team which was in charge for the recordings was the [Dutch] Philips recording team, with two added East German Sound technicians [to learn the trade, supposedly];
Soviet officers were present and in at least one occasion forced Konwitschny to continue, although he was obviously drunk [a popular rumour in the DDR/GDR after Konwischny's death was, that his widow supplemented her state pension nicely with the deposits she received on returning all the bottles].
That budget-priced cheapo-looking ugly greenish LP-set was AFAIK the only multi-LP set released on Fontana.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Altarus...http://www.altarusrecords.com/AltarusMainCatalogue.html

..and have a good look at 9021 and 9066... 9028 doesn't look bad either!

Now, I was presuming that fellow Forumistas would appreciated my gentle joshing without my having to lay it on with a trowel. I have been recommending 9066 on these 'boards at every opportunity I can find - and gladly do so again, now.

9091 has also been on my shelves for some time, too.

Quite a few from their catalogue that I haven't known about, though - so thanks for the link.

But 9093-4 would be the crucifix to my vampire any second of the minute.

[Bryn]

Re. Fontana, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontana_Records , seems pretty uncontentious.

[Bryn]

Now, I was presuming that fellow Forumistas would appreciated my gentle joshing without my having to lay it on with a trowel. I have been recommending 9066 on these 'boards at every opportunity I can find - and gladly do so again, now.

9091 has also been on my shelves for some time, too.

Quite a few from their catalogue that I haven't known about, though - so thanks for the link.

But 9093-4 would be the crucifix to my vampire any second of the minute.

So 9092 not a problem then?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

So 9092 not a problem then?

- these all blur together into one indistinguishable lump for me.

[Don Petter]

Re. Fontana, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontana_Records , seems pretty uncontentious.

That's the one I referred to, but it does concentrate on the pop side, rather than covering the various incarnations in the UK classical field.

[Dave2002]

Listeners to the music of George Lloyd will probably have encountered Albany. I just noticed a compilation on the Zyx label, which I'd virtually forgotten about.

Oryx was the name of the label which had the first series of Lionel Rogg organ recordings IIRC - see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/25157...13=80&ff14=108

Apparently the organ recordings were made by Radio Zurich engineers - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Rogg