What record labels series do you miss ?

[Colonel Danby]

For me, it's got to be two Decca labels: Headline, with lots of yummy contemporary fare, and the rejuvenated Argo stuff: I've got tons of both, but I do miss them, particularly the Argo design in quarters with the label in the centre. And the whole 'Entartete Musik' releases seem to be now deleted, which is a shame. Thank goodness, the Decca L'Oiseau Lyre Florilegium series would appear to be making a comeback.

What's happening with the re-releases of the back catalogue of the entire Lyrita collection? They seem to have dried up over the last few months: I remember weeping for joy when it was announced that Nimbus were to take over the project of making available this treasure trove of essential British music. I do hope they haven't run out of money...

[Stunsworth]

The other very good Philips series was Universal...

Wasn't it Universo?

I have fond memories of the EMI Greensleeves reissues. I can still remember hearing the Saint-Saens organ symphony on a friend's hifi. I didn't know much about classical music at the time, but I was mightily impressed by the sound it made.

There was another series I remember. It was a weekly (or monthly, can't remember) magazine with a 10" LP inside it. There was usually a single piece of music on the LP and the magazine was full of information regarding the work and composer. A friend had a stack of them that I think he bought from the old Gibbs' shop in Manchester. Was it called Music Masters or something like that? I can't remember at this distance.

[Colonel Danby]

The memories keep coming back: my first foray into English music was on an EMI Greensleeves album of Jack Moeran's wonderful Symphony in G minor (English Sinfonia/Neville Dilkes), and I still listen to this LP today, even though I have Tod Handley and his mentor Sir Adrian Boult's recordings.

[PJPJ]

What's happening with the re-releases of the back catalogue of the entire Lyrita collection? They seem to have dried up over the last few months: I remember weeping for joy when it was announced that Nimbus were to take over the project of making available this treasure trove of essential British music. I do hope they haven't run out of money...

Looking at the catalogue it seems to me they've reissued everything.

http://www.lyrita.co.uk/

[Ferretfancy]

Ah ! Bargain bins! My best find was in a wallpaper and paint shop on Shepherd's Bush Green! the SAGA LPs of the Fine Arts Quartet playing all six Bartok quartets. Terrible pressings, but great performances. Luckily they popped up on CD a few years ago and sound very good.
How about other famous Sagas, Janet Baker's first English song recital, or John Shirley Quirk singing A Shropshire Lad ?
Livia Rev did all the Debussy Piano music on Saga, although I never saw it on LP, only the CD issue, some of the best Debussy playing on disc.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Saga LPs. I bought quite a few of these as I was still at school and the price of 10/- or 12/6 made these more accessible than the superior offerings from the majors. My first LP of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony was a Saga one, with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra conducted by Melik-Pashayev. In the 3rd movement, it contained the ugliest edit I've ever heard - the acoustic changed completely.

[barber olly]

For me it is HMV Concert Classics . I was lucky enough to find this a very reliable label as a teenager and pretty cheap too - Menuhin/Kempe's Brahms Concerto, Oistrakh/Cluytens in the Beethoven Beecham in Scheherazade,Pelleas et Melisande, Symphonie Fantastique , Pollini's Chopin Piano Concerto No 1 , Richter playing the Chopin Scherzi ...

Any other missed imprints ?

The XLP/SXLP20000 series were new issues - either first issues of EMI recordings which were never put out on full-price issues or were new to EMI eg Westminster label in US
The XLP/SXLP30000 series were EMI reissues.
Gems were Kletzki's Scheherezade S/XLP20026 and Tchaik 6 S/XLP20027, Colin Davis Beethoven 7 S/XLP20038 and Campoli/Pritchard Beethoven VC S/XLP20043.

[Mahlerei]

Yes, I do remember Greensleeves. I'm sure that disc Stunsworth refers to was the Fremaux/CBSO version of the Organ Symphony; a fine recording it was toO.

Someone mentioned Philips Universo; there was another series as well, Festivo. IIRC the Colin Davis/Stephen Bishop (as he then was) Beethoven concertos were reissued on the latter.

[Stunsworth]

I'm sure that disc Stunsworth refers to was the Fremaux/CBSO version of the Organ Symphon.

Yes, that's the one - in SQ surround sound if I remember correctly. I still have the LP somewhere.

[Barbirollians]

I only remember the Kletzki Scheherazade on CfP . Terrific performance.

[Mahlerei]

Steve's remark about SQ has reminded me of Decca's Phase Four recordings; there was a rather good Rach 2 with Ilana Vered, an Isareili pianist who seems to have faded from view very quickly.

[Ferretfancy]

Phase 4 recordings were done by the Decca team who normally recorded pop music, but using the same mixing desk at Kingsway Hall and elsewhere. James Lock said that when the classical team arrived after a Phase 4 session their first job was to clean the spilt coffee out of the faders. Super wide, very small dynamic range, and very colourful, some of them were very enjoyable weren't they? I particularly liked Stokey's ones, particularly his Symphonic Synthesis on Boris Godunov, much more fun than the opera! ( I'll get me coat !)
I spent ages with SQ recordings with a couple of decoders, neither of which did much of a job, the Fremaux Saint-Saens 3 did sound spectacular though, and another great sound with the same forces was the collection including Massenet's El Cid ballet music. Both recorded in Birmingham Town Hall.

[Stunsworth]

...the Fremaux Saint-Saens 3 did sound spectacular though, and another great sound with the same forces was the collection including Massenet's El Cid ballet music. Both recorded in Birmingham Town Hall.

I had that one too, They were both popular classical demonstration disks at hifi shows in the 70s.

[barber olly]

Phase 4 recordings were done by the Decca team who normally recorded pop music, but using the same mixing desk at Kingsway Hall and elsewhere. James Lock said that when the classical team arrived after a Phase 4 session their first job was to clean the spilt coffee out of the faders. Super wide, very small dynamic range, and very colourful, some of them were very enjoyable weren't they? I particularly liked Stokey's ones, particularly his Symphonic Synthesis on Boris Godunov, much more fun than the opera!

I had a Stokowski sampler on Decca World of...(Another good label which was used by Decca to rescue and reissue its RCA recordings after the agreement with the American company ceased), it a wonderfully overblown Marche Slave and a Great Gate of Kiev which had an ending to match any 1812!

[Colonel Danby]

One of my early purchases was Sir Colin Davis in Dvorak Eight on a Philips release full price: totally awsome. I've got the whole lot with Kertesz (before he went for a swim off Tel Aviv) and some of Järvi's Chandos set, but Sir Col beats them all in the "English" Symphony. It's a shame that Philips are no longer to produce under their own name...