The H.M.V. Record Label.
As it appears on the British ‘B’ series,
1912 – 1958.
Introduction. In 2000, the City of
Classification of HMV labels used in the “B” series.
by
Han Enderman.
HMV variable features [at 5 = at
1. Position
of the catalogue number.
a. in center, in
rectangle below spindle hole
b. at 5
c. at 3; prefix (B)
followed by dot
2. Size
of trademark (dog + gramophone in half-circle) [= Nipper trademark]
a. large (i.e.
spindle hole within tmk); text "TRADE MARK REGD" around spindle hole
b. small (i.e.
spindle hole below tmk); text "TRADE MARK REGD" above spindle hole
3.
Colour of trademark
a. in colour;
background light
b. in colour;
background dark
c. monochrome
d. dog + gramophone
in outline (not a chronological type)
4. Lower
margin text about manufacturer
a. absent (text - as in b - is shown below trademark)
b. "Record
manufactured by THE GRAMOPHONE CO., LTD., Hayes,
c. text reduced to:
"THE GRAMOPHONE CO., LTD."
5. Typefaces
of cat. no., tune title, mx. no.
a. characteristic
early typeface
b. sanserif typeface
6. Presence of 2
quadrants, in the lower part of the label at 4-5 & 7-8 o'clock positions,
containing information (performance, mx. no. & cat. no.).
a. white, gold-lined
quadrants
b. quadrants not
white but in same colour as the remaining part of the label
7. Position
of mx. no.
a. at 6
b. at 7
c. at 9
8. Statement
SPEED 78
a. SPEED 78
(underlined) in right quadrant at 4
b. SPEED 78 (not
underlined) at 4
c. SPEED 78 at 9
d. only 78 at 9
(after mx. no.)
9. Side
indication (A/B) at 7
10. Made
in
a. in small letters
in italics
b. in capitals
11. Performance
details (dance orchestra, &c).
a. at 8
b. at 9
c. omitted
Minor features not used to distinguish
label types are:
- Small variations within the
trademark (like shape of dog, horizontal line) - The picture of the dog is slightly
different in the various label types, but it is not known if this is a
diagnostic feature.
- Minor colour variations in the
trademark and in the cat. no. panel in type #A
- Size of typefaces
- Mx. no. between brackets or not
- The use of capitals or small letters
for composers and performance details.
Though these variations can be
described, they seem not useful for a further subdivision, especially since
they seem to vary at random.
LABEL TYPES
3 major label types (A-C) are distinguished
here, based on the position of the cat. no.
The 22 label types (#A1-5, B1-8, C1-9)
in chronological order are:
#A1 [B-101 - B186; 1912 to May 1913]
FULL DESCRIPTION
Cat. nr in rectangle below spindle hole, on
yellow or cream background.
Tmk large (with text "TRADE MARK REGD" around
spindle hole), in colour.
Background in tmk mainly yellow.
Tmk not bounded by a golden border.
Text "Record manufactured
by THE GRAMOPHONE CO., LTD., Hayes, Middlesex, England." below tmk.
Characteristic
early typeface.
Tune title in
capitals, composer not in capitals [not known if this is characteristic for
type #1].
Performance
description next to rectangle with cat.nr.
Mx.nr at 6 [= at
#A2 [B-187 - ca. B-688]; May 1913 to September 1916]
Background in tmk dark.
Tune title not in capitals; composer
in capitals.
#A3 [B-689 - B-751; September 1916 to
January 1917]
Tmk gold-lined and with dark
background. Dog & Gramophone outlined with yellowish-green tint.
Wide rim outside circular borderline. (N.B.
This type A3, seemingly fairly rare, is here illustrated from a C series (12”
(30cm) disc); when a 10” (25cm) B series example is available, it will appear
here. NF.)
#A4 [B-752 - B-808; January 1917 to July
1917]
As #A3, except more details in dark
background (floor visible).
#A5 [B-809 - B-881; July 1917 to February
1918]
Tmk monochrome.
Cat.nr in rectangle against white
background.
#B1 [B-882 - B-1044; February 1918 to
September 1919]
Cat.nr at 5.
Text about manufacturer along lower
margin.
Two white, gold-lined quadrants in the
lower part of the label, at 7-8 & 4-5 o'clock positions, containing
information (performance, mx.nr & cat.nr)
Performance details at 8.
Mx.nr at 7 (between brackets).
#B2 [B-1045 - B-1930; September 1919 to
February 1925]
Tmk in colour. Dog in slightly
different position.
#B3 [B-1931 - B-2283; February 1925 to
April 1926]
Quadrants (gold-lined) not white, but
in the basic colour of the label.
NOTE: This also applies to, for
example, the HMV D & E series, which have a different basic colour.
Title & cat. no. in a new, larger,
bold, sanserif typeface.
Title in capitals.
#B5 [B-2284 - B-2332; May 1926 to
September 1926]
Text SPEED 78 (underlined) in right
quadrant at 4.
#B6 [B-2333 - B-4256; September 1926 to
October 1932]
Lines bordering the quadrants absent.
SPEED 78 not underlined.
There seem to have been experiments
with various slightly different typefaces. Some labels use a larger, elongated
font for title & cat.nr.
The other information (artist,
composer, performance, mx, &c) also in sanserif typeface.
The performance description may be in
capitals or in small letters.
Side indication (A/B) at 7.
Text along upper margin: "This
Copyright, Patented Record may not be sold below price fixed by the Patentee,
nor publicly performed."
Side indication (A/B) omitted.
Mx.nos. between brackets or not.
NOTE that this is the first upper
margin copyright text. An earlier text listed by Andrews & Bayly (“This
Copyright Record must not be Sold below Price fixed by the Patentee nor
Publicly Performed.”) must be an error.
Cat.nr at 3. Prefix (B) followed by
dot.
Cat.nr printed below tmk and not
extending beyond tmk.
Performance description (if present)
and speed at 9.
Mx.nr at 6, but at 7 if there is
insufficient space; between brackets or not.
Tune title in smaller typeface (always
in capitals).
#C2 [B-8253 - B-8884; January 1935 to
April 1939]
Tmk small (spindle hole outside the
tmk and text "TRADE MARK REGD." above the hole).
Upper margin text: "This Patented
Copyright Record must not be sold below price fixed by Patentee, nor publicly
performed."
Upper margin text: "Copyright
Patented Record. Not to be publicly performed without licence nor sold below
price fixed by Patentees."
At present the latest issue reported
with this margin text (including the word "nor") is B-8636.
Cat.nr usually extending beyond the lower
border of the tmk, and thus nearer to the right label margin.
Mx.nr not between brackets.
Same upper margin text as before,
except "or sold" instead of "nor sold" (It seems that the
letter n was usually merely removed, resulting in additional space before the
word "or".)
#C5 [B-8885 - B-9473; May 1939 to May
1946]
Tmk monochrome.
Lower margin text reduced to:
"THE GRAMOPHONE CO., LTD."
#C7a [B-9474 - B-9681; June 1946 -
September 1948]
Text "Made in
In the last issues of type #C7a the
performance description (at 9) is absent, like in #C8.
#C8 [B-9682 - B-10968; September 1948 to
1958]
Upper margin text, occupying (together
with the lower margin text) the complete margin: "Copyright Patented
Record. Not to be sold (...) Prohibited."
Text "Made in
Only "SPEED 78" at 9.
Performance description absent, except
in (some or all) reissues.
Mx. no. followed by "78" at
9 (word "SPEED" omitted).
© Han Enderman 2005.
Note:
-1. The full details of the book which
inspired this web page: ‘Catalogue of HMV “B” Series Records’. Frank Andrews
& Ernie Bayly. City Of
Appendix.
In the course of 46 years and nearly nine
and half thousand issues there are bound to be many ‘exceptions to the rule’.
They might be termed ‘hybrids’. Obviously, a record with a long catalogue life would
appear with many sorts of labels as it was re-pressed. They even used up old
label stocks; the two illustrations above of the ODJB HMV B-1022, Han’s types
B1 and B2, are from the same disc. What we don’t
want to see is a 1935 record with a 1932 label! There are, however, a few
notable ‘orphan’ labels to be found in the B- series, and some of them are
given here.
1.
Essentially, all HMV labels are ‘large’ (3.375", ~8.6cm) until Han’s type
C1 of the early 1930s. From type C2, they are ‘small’ (3", ~7.6cm).
However, from about 1924, when the groove of a record ran on very long, smaller
labels were produced as and when required. Generally speaking these will keep
the design of the normal size label, as we would expect. But there is one
important departure from this. There is apparently no small version of Han’s type B1 & B2, the ‘white quadrant’
label. Here is seen HMV B-1741, issued in January 1924. We would expect the B2
label type. But, as it a small label,
it has no white quadrants. Both sides of B-1741 have these ‘early small
labels’. Their size is only 2.875" (7.3cm). B-1748 was issued in February 1924, and has
this small label on one side, and the large white quadrant label on the other.
It would appear that these small labels were engendered by Victor making longer
cuts and reducing the size of their labels too, at this period. HMV followed
suit, maybe a little later.
2. A very minor
variant occurs on this label, where a two-sided disc is designated on the main
text of the label as ‘Part 1’ and ‘Part 2’. But in addition, ‘No.1’ &
‘No.2’ appear in small print, right at the top of the label, outside the
border. This disc was the first one of these I had ever seen, so acquired it. I
showed it to someone, who told me that this was quite a common thing done, in earlier days, with multi-part works.
Its use on this issue might, therefore, be anomalous?
3. There
are HMV B-series records with a plum label. This colour was introduced with the
advent of the HMV BD- series in the early 1930s, in the face of the continuing
depression. These were slightly cheaper, and accordingly had the trade mark
printed only in outline. (The idea of a ‘cheap HMV’ would, at one time, been
unthinkable!) Equally unthinkable - and still is, for that matter - is a single
series that sells at two different prices, depending on the colour of the
label. Yet HMV did this. Certain fundamental Jazz issues (and perhaps others; I
do not know), in the B-series were given plum labels and sold at the price of a
BD- series. The ‘label copy notice’ or whatever EMI called them, stipulated the
label size. Here is shown Ellington’s ‘Three Little Words’ on B-5945, which originally appeared in January
1931 on Han’s type B6 label.
By the
mid 1930s it had been ‘downgraded’ in price, but it was still B-5945; and
therefore still had its large label. Again with Ellington, ‘Dinah’ appeared in
June 1932on B-6175 with a compulsory small label, as the cut is long. (The
large label was still the standard in 1932; cf type C1 above, B-6351.) After a
few years, B-6175 was demoted to BD- level and so appeared with a plum label,
though small, naturally. I am not sure when this anomalous ‘bipartite’ price
structure ended. I imagine the more logically-minded record dealers welcomed
its demise!
4. There are, of course, large labels in sepia. The
label copy notices stipulated the retention of the large label; so naturally,
any of these discs still in
catalogue in May 1939 subsequently appeared with sepia labels, such as this
Ellington. B-4869 (part of an export series, but readily available to special
order within the U.K.) was issued in November 1931. It was deleted as late as
June 1957! (I can’t help remarking that B4869 is relatively common to this day,
and would struggle, even if N-, to fetch £2 (~US $3.75) at a record bazaar in
2006. Alas, its neighbour in the HMV catalogue, King Oliver’s ‘Olga’ on B-4870,
in spite of dwelling there from November 1931 to November 1938, attracted very
few purchasers. John R.T. Davies told me that it took him forty years to find a
copy of ‘Olga’!)
5. This
record probably shouldn’t be here. It’s a kind of unknown migrant. However, I
include it because it is an HMV B-
series. But not one ‘Made in England’, that’s for sure. Yet it doesn’t tell us
where it actually was made. This is quite unusual. For example, there are
plenty of Indian HMVs with the regular B- prefix knocking around (largely
brought back to the U.K. by Service Personnel); and, as far as I recall, they
all say: ‘Made in India’. They also tend to play rather better than our own
domestic product, but that’s by the way; and in any case, don’t they all! No, I
have a hunch that this lovely laminated pressing of HMV B-9363 was made in
France, at the EMI plant at Ivry-sur-Seine. B-9363 was issued in the U.K. in February
1944 and deleted in April 1950. I’m assuming that whatever troubles the French
pressing plant suffered during WW2, it was eventually working fine, and these
were pressed there, not for the British market, but for some other. Heaven
knows which. One thing is certain, it was pressed in a hurry! As you can see,
part of the label is folded under, and the pressing is wildly off-centre; a
previous owner has gouged out the hole with a ‘blunt instrument’ to get it to
play properly.
6.
Lastly (for now), you will have seen that after May 1939, all HMV B- series
labels had the Trade Mark in sepia, this drabness continuing for nineteen dreary years. But this is
actually not true. At least one B- series appeared post-WW2 with a coloured
label! Harry Hayes’s B-9450 proclaims that it is of the 1945 Swing music
series, and was indeed issued in December 1945 and deleted in March 1949. And
it has a coloured Trade Mark. Mike Thomas - who furnished this scan - believes
that this was Harry Hayes’s signature tune, and because of this, they allowed
it to be issued in colour. (Saxophonist Hayes’s records, though alas little
regarded today, are in fact excellent and deservedly sold very well when they
came out. This may have induced EMI to grant this singular boon.) If anyone
else knows of coloured B- series with catalogue numbers above B-8885, we would
love to hear of it, please!
Again I acknowledge gratefully the
generous and unstinting help of Han Enderman, Dr. Rainer Lotz and Mike Thomas
for making this page possible.
If you have any comments, observations,
corrections &c., please feel free to email me at: jazz@normanfield.com; it would be great to hear from you!
Page commenced 30th
May 2005.
Page revised 8th
September 2005.
Page revised 1st
November 2010.