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I've been inundated with emails about these 78s and it's great hearing some of your tales of records, bands, and the memories that go along with them!
Such a lot of people wanted reminding of the various labels and covers that here is a start at least. I might need help - if you spot errors then let me know! This Decca label and cover pre-dates my memory I'm afraid! The record is Billy Cotton and his Band playing "Ain't It Nice?". Vocal refrain by "The Bandits". "The Billy Cotton Band Show" ran for years on both TV and radio. Remember his call "Wakey Waaaakey!" preceding his signature tune "Somebody Stole My Gal". |
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It could be that the two covers shown belong to the records the other way around! All the Decca records in our collection had plain brown paper covers or shop card covers.
This is "Rock With The Caveman" by Tommy Steele. I often wondered how he would have fared had he stuck to rock 'n' roll instead of heading into movies and "Little White Bull" and "Half a Sixpence". As it is he had a phenomenal career in show business. We saw him a few years ago playing the Tony Curtis part in "Some Like It Hot" on stage and he could still cut the mustard! |
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Panachord was Decca's cheaper label. Records released on Panachord were by less well-known artists. Though this example - "This Is No Dream" by Ed Loyd and his Orchestra - picked up on a market for 50p is a cracker for dance band fans and is in mint condition.
A few Decca artists on 78s were: Winifred Atwell, David Whitfield, Ted Heath and his Band, Dave King, Max Bygraves, Frank Chacksfield, Flanagan and Allen, Stephane Grapelly, Lord Rockingham's XI, Edmundo Ros, Joan Regan and a chap called Jimmy Young who went on to do rather well on Radio 2! |
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Then 45s took over and Decca sported a bright orange label, losing the "Supreme Records" tag line but keeping the "ffrr" trademark.
Many artists made the transition and Decca picked up The Bachelors, Val Doonican, The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull and Billy Fury to name but a few. Quite a number of these artists had or still have very long careers.
Decca have made a couple of errors in their past, refusing to let Buddy Holly record rock 'n' roll and turning down The Beatles! |
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Decca released many Extended Play (EP) 45s with 4 or even 6 tracks. This example contains the six songs commissioned for Kathy Kirby's entry in the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest, being held in Naples in March 1965.
The EP labels were a lighter shade of blue than standard 45s and covers were laminated. In fact the rear cover announces; "Laminated with 'Clarifoil' made by British Celanese Limited ". Cleverly, they laminated a small hair onto this particular cover! |
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By the end of the 1960s Decca had gone for a new sleeve but retained the corporate colouring on the label.
Still hitting the charts, but rather less frequently than the big EMI labels, they had a stable of artists including Marmalade, Robin Sarstedt (brother of Peter Sarstedt of "Where Do You Go To My Lovely" fame) and Alan Price. |
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