AK'er Gang-Twanger asked an interesting question in the London Phase 4 thread. He asked if there were any online guides to classical LP labels. I don't have links to any such guides, but I do have a few opinions to share from my years of collecting classical vinyl.
RCA was an all-out audiophile label in the early days of stereo, with some of the greatest musical artists in the world on their roster. They offered stereo open-reel tapes starting in 1954 and stereo records starting in 1957 or 1958. The earliest stereo LPs have the dog-and-gramophone logo surrounded by red shading. These so-called "Shaded Dogs" generally command the highest prices in the used market. Later issues, including the "No Dog" and "Late Dog" pressings from the 1970s, can sound nearly as good at far lower prices. From an audiophile perspective, RCA made a major blunder in the mid-1960s. They introduced a process called "Dynagroove" that supposedly made their records sound better on cheap phonographs. The process included dynamic range compression, static equalization, and pre-distortion of the signal to counteract the distortion that a typical ceramic cartridge would introduce in playback. Dynagroove pressings sound pretty bad on a quality system and are best avoided. Thankfully RCA abandoned Dynagroove after a few years and went back to making un-gimmicked records. RCA also made "Dynaflex" records in the early 1970s that contained less vinyl than their earlier issues. These tend to warp easily, but can sound just fine if you use a record clamp or weight in playing them.
Victrola was RCA's budget classical label, where recordings from the back catalog were reissued at bargain prices. Many of these are excellent. The earliest issues had plum-colored labels. Later pressings used a pink label.
Mercury was also an audiophile label. Their early pressings can sound amazing, though J. Gordon Holt noted that the cutters had a high-frequency response peak that unfortunately lined up with a response peak in the company's favorite microphones. As a result, the highs on these LPs can be somewhat aggressive. The "Golden Imports" reissues from the 1970s, re-cut and pressed by Philips in the Netherlands, have less of the HF peak, but the re-equalization that Philips applied may not be to everyone's taste. The best-sounding Mercury reissues I've heard have been the CDs that Wilma Cozart Fine transferred for the company. Mercury issued some back catalog items on a budget label called Wing.
Angel, a division of Capitol, pressed and marketed EMI recordings in North America. Capitol made some remarkable classical recordings of their own in the late 1950s, but left that business to concentrate on popular music in the 1960s. Many collectors claim that the British EMI pressings sound better than the U.S.-pressed Angels. I would tend to agree, though I have quite a few Angel records that sound very good. Angel also released some fine recordings from the Soviet recording company, Melodiya, in the 1970s. Angel's budget label, Seraphim, could be a mixed bag sonically, but offered many fine performances on LP.
Columbia, like RCA, had some great artists on its roster. The earliest stereo Columbias sounded quite good. By the mid-1960s, Columbia had adopted a house sound with a boosted treble and a rolled-off bass, and most of their recordings of that era had that house sound. Columbia's Epic label was home to the Cleveland Orchestra and a number of other top-flight classical musicians. Their budget label, Odyssey, made the Columbia and Epic back catalogs available to collectors at low prices.
London was the North American distribution arm of British Decca. There are rumors, never definitively confirmed but often circulated, that the London issues were equalized for more "boom and tizz" than the home-market issues on the Decca label. Decca specialized in opera recordings, but also had some top-flight orchestras and soloists on its roster. London's budget label was called Stereo Treasury.
Many of the early Everest recordings, issued before Harry Belock lost control of the company he founded, are musically and sonically superb. By the 1970s, Everest's pressing quality was so-so at best.
The major European labels were Deutsche Grammophon and Philips. Both were known for silent pressings and good sound quality, and both had noted artists such as Von Karajan (DG) and Haitink (Philips) on their rosters.
RCA was an all-out audiophile label in the early days of stereo, with some of the greatest musical artists in the world on their roster. They offered stereo open-reel tapes starting in 1954 and stereo records starting in 1957 or 1958. The earliest stereo LPs have the dog-and-gramophone logo surrounded by red shading. These so-called "Shaded Dogs" generally command the highest prices in the used market. Later issues, including the "No Dog" and "Late Dog" pressings from the 1970s, can sound nearly as good at far lower prices. From an audiophile perspective, RCA made a major blunder in the mid-1960s. They introduced a process called "Dynagroove" that supposedly made their records sound better on cheap phonographs. The process included dynamic range compression, static equalization, and pre-distortion of the signal to counteract the distortion that a typical ceramic cartridge would introduce in playback. Dynagroove pressings sound pretty bad on a quality system and are best avoided. Thankfully RCA abandoned Dynagroove after a few years and went back to making un-gimmicked records. RCA also made "Dynaflex" records in the early 1970s that contained less vinyl than their earlier issues. These tend to warp easily, but can sound just fine if you use a record clamp or weight in playing them.
Victrola was RCA's budget classical label, where recordings from the back catalog were reissued at bargain prices. Many of these are excellent. The earliest issues had plum-colored labels. Later pressings used a pink label.
Mercury was also an audiophile label. Their early pressings can sound amazing, though J. Gordon Holt noted that the cutters had a high-frequency response peak that unfortunately lined up with a response peak in the company's favorite microphones. As a result, the highs on these LPs can be somewhat aggressive. The "Golden Imports" reissues from the 1970s, re-cut and pressed by Philips in the Netherlands, have less of the HF peak, but the re-equalization that Philips applied may not be to everyone's taste. The best-sounding Mercury reissues I've heard have been the CDs that Wilma Cozart Fine transferred for the company. Mercury issued some back catalog items on a budget label called Wing.
Angel, a division of Capitol, pressed and marketed EMI recordings in North America. Capitol made some remarkable classical recordings of their own in the late 1950s, but left that business to concentrate on popular music in the 1960s. Many collectors claim that the British EMI pressings sound better than the U.S.-pressed Angels. I would tend to agree, though I have quite a few Angel records that sound very good. Angel also released some fine recordings from the Soviet recording company, Melodiya, in the 1970s. Angel's budget label, Seraphim, could be a mixed bag sonically, but offered many fine performances on LP.
Columbia, like RCA, had some great artists on its roster. The earliest stereo Columbias sounded quite good. By the mid-1960s, Columbia had adopted a house sound with a boosted treble and a rolled-off bass, and most of their recordings of that era had that house sound. Columbia's Epic label was home to the Cleveland Orchestra and a number of other top-flight classical musicians. Their budget label, Odyssey, made the Columbia and Epic back catalogs available to collectors at low prices.
London was the North American distribution arm of British Decca. There are rumors, never definitively confirmed but often circulated, that the London issues were equalized for more "boom and tizz" than the home-market issues on the Decca label. Decca specialized in opera recordings, but also had some top-flight orchestras and soloists on its roster. London's budget label was called Stereo Treasury.
Many of the early Everest recordings, issued before Harry Belock lost control of the company he founded, are musically and sonically superb. By the 1970s, Everest's pressing quality was so-so at best.
The major European labels were Deutsche Grammophon and Philips. Both were known for silent pressings and good sound quality, and both had noted artists such as Von Karajan (DG) and Haitink (Philips) on their rosters.
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