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Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records
Posted: Fri May 07, 2021 3:26 pm
by smitharthur
Last weekend, as part of a collection, I purchased several Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records, 12", in near flawless condition. One is an Evan Williams' from 1906. While I would never characterize these records as "rare", being here in the US, they certainly do seem to be less common than Victor Records. From the little I know about the label, the company was in this iteration for only a few years, before eventually becoming HMV.
Does anyone else in the group have any of these records? Or, know much about the history of them? Were they all recorded in London/UK?
Thanks, Arthur
Re: Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records
Posted: Fri May 07, 2021 3:38 pm
by Wolfe
I have G & T records I've bought from record vendors. I've never seen one "in the wild" in the U.S.A. The Gramophone Company recorded in different places in the early 20th century. England, Italy, Russia, etc. Check the bio of Fred Gaisberg.
Re: Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 4:17 am
by epigramophone
By 1900 The Gramophone Company's sales were already booming, but some thought that the boom might not last, so they decided to diversify the business by purchasing the Lambert Typewriter patents. A newly incorporated company was registered as The Gramophone and Typewriter Ltd in December 1900.
The typewriter was not a great success, and in November 1907 the company dropped the word from it's name and returned to being The Gramophone Company Ltd, later known as HMV. It follows therefore that G&T records date between December 1900 and November 1907. Some G&T labels show where they were recorded.
Re: Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 6:00 am
by recordmaker
As far as I know the process for the London company and all the sister companies ( see disc label ) was to label the same recording with the regional company label so if this record was issued in the USA is would have been with a Victor label and a DG label in Germany etc.
At this time ( 1900- 1907 ) the record production for Europe was based in Hanover so the physical records would have need to have a considerable journey to have been sold ( if Victor would have allowed it) in the USA at the time of production.
If this was the case then G and T labeled records would be very rare in the wild in the USA.
Re: Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 4:45 pm
by Wolfe
Victor did issue some G & T / Gramo. Co. recordings early on, from matrices that were sent over. No need to ship actual records.
Re: Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records
Posted: Sat May 08, 2021 5:25 pm
by Inigo
Nevertheless, in Europe we see G&T records pressed by Victor Talking Machine Co for the Gramophone & Typewriter Co Ltd And Sister Companies, so stated textually on the labels, which are of the G&T type! So Victor exported finished pressings to Europe! These don't have at the back the REPRODUCED IN HANOVER legend, but they have the GRAMOPHONE back with the writing angel...
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Re: Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records
Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 6:44 am
by Menophanes
Inigo raises an interesting point. I have always assumed that, on these Victor/G.& T. labels, the phrase 'made by' meant 'recorded by' rather than '[physically] manufactured by': in other words, that these were pressed in Europe from imported Victor masters. (In this connection, it strikes me that these 'joint' labels use exactly the same design and typefaces as those printed, presumably in Germany, for normal G.& T. products.) However, this would not account for the fact (new to me) that these records are not marked REPRODUCED IN HANOVER (or, occasionally, REPRODUCED IN RIGA) on the back.
Des anyone actually know where this type of record was pressed?
(Incidentally, the word 'Company' never formed part of the Gramophone & Typewriter name; 'Typewriter' is always immediately followed by 'L[imi]t[e]d', as shown in Inigo's examples.)
Oliver Mundy.
Re: Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records
Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 8:30 am
by smitharthur
I always thought these were recorded and pressed in London. But, what do I know?
Re: Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records
Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 8:52 am
by epigramophone
Menophanes wrote: ↑Mon May 10, 2021 6:44 am
Inigo raises an interesting point. I have always assumed that, on these Victor/G.& T. labels, the phrase 'made by' meant 'recorded by' rather than '[physically] manufactured by': in other words, that these were pressed in Europe from imported Victor masters. (In this connection, it strikes me that these 'joint' labels use exactly the same design and typefaces as those printed, presumably in Germany, for normal G.& T. products.) However, this would not account for the fact (new to me) that these records are not marked REPRODUCED IN HANOVER (or, occasionally, REPRODUCED IN RIGA) on the back.
Des anyone actually
know where this type of record was pressed?
(Incidentally, the word 'Company' never formed part of the Gramophone & Typewriter name; 'Typewriter' is always immediately followed by 'L[imi]t[e]d', as shown in Inigo's examples.)
Oliver Mundy.
I also assume that "made by" meant "recorded by", i.e. that Victor recorded matrices were sent to Europe for pressing and labelling.
Sending G&T matrices to the USA for pressing, and for those pressings to be sent back to Europe would have made no economic sense.
Re: Gramophone & Typewriter Company Monarch Records
Posted: Mon May 10, 2021 2:32 pm
by Inigo
Yes, maybe it was only a time when they decided to say in the labels that these were American recordings. To be true, all my other G&Ts (not saying nothing of Victor) are european gramophone recordings. Nevertheless, I only have two of these Victor /G&Ts, CBS both are American Victor recordings.
Maybe they pressed them in Camden and exported them to Europe, using their own matrices. But there are distinctive pressing features that are very different from the Victor products of the time, i.e. the ridge at the run of the record and around the label area, etc, that were original from the european metal parts. American records of this time were different.