What record labels series do you miss ?

[Barbirollians]

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 ?

[makropulos]

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 ?

What a nice nostalgia trip. I'd nominate Ace of Clubs and its successor Eclipse, the two Decca bargain labels - so many things including some that have still not made it on to CD (the live premiere of the Britten Missa Brevis on an Eclipse LP, for instance).

[Bryn]

The Heliodor Wergo bargain LPs (just under £1 when i used to buy them). Lots of wonderful 'new' music. Many of the recordings are still around on the Wergo label, but at much higher prices, even in relative terms.

[Lion-of-Vienna]

Golden Guinea! The Little Orchestra of London's LPs under Leslie Jones were my first exposure to the early Haydn symphonies. I still have my mono LP of nos 31, 19 and 45 with a large picture of a french horn on the cover.

[Alison]

There was something about the Collins Classics label I used to like; maybe I associate the label
with when I first bought discs for myself.

All those PMD recordings for example.

And orchestral ones with Hilary Davan-Whetton, Alexander Gibson and Jacek Kaspszyk.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Ace of Clubs, and Ace of Diamonds. I seemed to collect so many of these. I quite liked Turnabout too - some interesting repertoire.

Oh, and Philips Fontana.

[PJPJ]

I was hooked by Ace of Clubs and Heliodor, later Fontana - got my love for Van Beinum and Fricsay from those bargain LPs.

[Chris Newman]

Turnabout were good for early music. I miss very much the Unicorn and Unicorn Kanchana label which had excellent Jascha Horenstein Mahler and Nielsen recordings. Saga had some poor pressings but had many good recordings with Alexander Gibson and the Scottish National and Yevgeny Mravinsky and the Leningrad Phil. In the HMV/EMI stable there were some exciting bargain LPs on the HQM and HQS labels.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I suppose one always aspired to premium labels such as EMI Angel (SAN) and Decca SET...

[Bryn]

Turnabout gave me my first Cage recording on LP: Fontana Mix, (I got the LP for Berio's Visage). The programme notes on the back of the sleeve also introduced me to the name Cornelius Cardew. So I guess the Turnabout label must take the blame.

[Barbirollians]

I suppose one always aspired to premium labels such as EMI Angel (SAN) and Decca SET...

Ah yes - a great sense of treat and luxury when one brought home an HMV ASD label ! Such as ASD 2500 .

[MickyD]

Unquestionably for me it's the L'Oiseau Lyre Florilegium series - I used to eagerly await each new release. Quite apart from the excellent recordings, every sleeve was a delight and there were extensive notes on a separate insert tucked into the sleeve. The CD reissues never had the same feel about them.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Whilst enjoying the reminiscing, I do wonder whether some of the nostalgia is for the impressive size of the LP covers. Having the same designs on a CD cover is like comparing a painting with a postcard of the same picture. As for a download, all you get is a postage-stamp-size rearrangement of the magnetic particles on your hard drive.
But whether the boring-as-hell Naxos covers would look any better in a larger format is open to speculation...

[barber olly]

Ace of Clubs, and Ace of Diamonds. I seemed to collect so many of these. .

I would agree with this. In fact Decca through its main label and reissue labels kept a large proportion of its output almost continuously available. I now, however, find it somewhat disconcerting that the Philips label has been dropped and now see Decca labels on reissues of Brendel, Colin Davis et al which should have Philips on them. It is however good to have them available!

[Ferretfancy]

I bought a mint condition Turnabout a couple of days ago,judging by the lack of marks around the spindle hole it had never been played. Baroque Trumpet Concertos with the Wurttemberg CO, Mainz CO, and various soloists. With a bit of top cut it sounds good, and the contents are fun. I always liked their colourful sleeves.
I've still got lots of Ace of Diamonds in my collection with those Vienna Octet recordings and others, they always seemed to be better pressings than some of the full price Deccas. I've since bought some of them again as CD reissues on Eloquence, but kept the originals.
I wish I had bought more Heliodors, and still treasure my copy of Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto with Annie Fischer and Fricsay, coupled with the Mozart Concert Rondos.