|
Dance Band Encyclopaedia |
Labels |
Mini Imperials |
| Home page | Introduction | Label Index | Musicians | Sound Files |
| The
Crystalate manufacturing Co Ltd of Tonbridge, seemed to have a desire to
produce records of as many different sizes as possible. This page is an
attempt to document all the very tiny records they produced (3½"
in diameter) which, I suspect, were given away as promotional gifts.
Almost all the information here had been very kindly provided by Steve Walker, The fact that it has taken decades of collecting by Steve and his late father, Ted, to produce even this, shows how hard to find these records are. I suspect most would have been thrown away after a few days or weeks. It goes without saying, I hope, that if anyone reading this has any additional information, then they will email me. |
The earliest mini-Imperials show (in the wax) a matrix series with an EX- prefix. Only the following have been found so far. All are on the familiar light-and-dark mauve label, except the coupling of EX-7 and EX-24 which is on the earlier blue label. The coupling of EX-7 and C-5 shows "C-5" on the label of both sides, but still also shows "1001" on the EX-7 side.
| Matrix Number | Title | Artist(s) | Couplings |
| EX-7 | Sweet Chiming Bells (shows "catalogue" no of 1001) | Billy Whitlock (bell solo) | EX-13, EX-15, EX-24, C-5, C-25 (L) |
| EX-12 | Regimental March (Grenadier Guards) | London Fire Brigade Band | EX-13, EX-14 |
| EX-13 | Take Her The Longest Way Round (Fox-Trot) | Greening's Dance Orchestra | EX-7, EX-12 |
| EX-14 | Please Play Me | EX-12 | |
| EX-15 | Step Lightly (march) | London Fire Brigade Band | EX-7, C-8 |
| EX-16 | Blue Danube Waltz | Orchestra | C-22 (I) |
| EX-24 | Please Play Me | Albert Whelan | EX-7 |
The rest of the issues use a C- prefixed matrix (some, rather confusingly use "CP-" which Crystalate used for their 10" contract pressings). Sometimes an EX- series matrix is renumbered as a C- series one, just to really confuse the issue. Some of these issues are given an alphabetic code as a pseudo-catalogue number, as shown after the coupling. The Robbialac item doesn't have an Imperial label, but its own personalised one.
| Matrix Number | Title | Artist(s) | Couplings |
| C-1 | |||
| C-2 | A Black Cat Message | C-3 | |
| C-3 | Plantation Melodies (one-step) | Greening's Dance Orch | C-2 |
| C-4 | |||
| C-5 | Wedding March | Band | EX-7, C-23 (J), |
| C-6 | A Medley | Imperial Band | C-21 (H) |
| C-7 | Sailor's Hornpipe | Imperial Band | C-12, C-13 (D), C-24 (K) |
| C-8 | Wedding March | Imperial Military Band | EX-15 |
| C-9 | |||
| C-10 | |||
| C-11 | Tally Ho ! (Part 3) | Imperial Military Band | C-18 (E) |
| C-12 | Regimantal Marches | Imperial Military Band | C-7 |
| C-13 | Union Jack Medley (part 2) | C-7 (D) | |
| C-14 | |||
| C-15-2 | Union Jack Medley (part 3) | C-16 (F) | |
| C-16 | Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 2) | C-15 (F) | |
| C-17 | |||
| C-18-2 | Hilarity (part 1) | C-11 (E) | |
| C-19 | |||
| C-20 | |||
| C-21 | In The Heart Of A Sunset (fox-trot) | dance band | C-6 (H) |
| C-22 | Glad Rag Doll (fox trot) (as "Glag Rag Dog (!)") | dance band | C-16 (I) |
| C-23 | Happy Days And Lonely Nights (fox-trot) | dance band | C-6 (J) |
| C-24 | Carolina Moon | Cavan O'Connor (as Billy Walsh) | C-7 (K) |
| C-25 | Forever | Cavan O'Connor (as Billy Walsh) | EX-7 (L) |
| C-38 | A Talk | Albert Whelan | C-52 |
| C-52 | Molly | Jack Plant (as G. Jack) | C-38 |
| C-63 | Robbialac (part 1) | C-91, C-95 | |
| C-91 | Robbialac (part 2) | C-63 | |
| C-95 | Robbialac (part 2) | C-63 | |
| C-115 | A Talk By Milton | C-117 | |
| C-116 | |||
| C-117 | The Milton Prosperity Song (6/8 fox trot) | C-115 | |
| C-118 | |||
| C-119 | Hilarity (one-step) | C-120 | |
| C-120-2 | Buy Imperially | C-119 | |
| C-121-3 | Part Two - Time Alone Will Tell | Jack Plant (as Jack Gordon) | C-122 |
| C-122-2 | Part One - Buy Imperially | C-121 | |
| C-123-3 | Jack Payne Himself | Jack Payne | C-124 |
| C-124-2 | Say It With Music (fox trot) | Jack Payne & his Band | C-123, C-126 |
| C-125 | |||
| C-126-1-2 | Jack Payne Himself | Jack Payne | C-124 |
Just for fun, here is a list of the alphabetical catalogued items, by letter.
| Catalogue Letter | Matrix Number | Title | Artists |
| A | |||
| B | |||
| C | |||
| D | C-7 C13 |
Sailor's
Hornpipe Union Jack Medley (part 2) |
Imperial
Band |
| E | C-11 C-18 |
Tally
Ho ! (Part 3) Hilarity (part 1) |
Imperial
Military Band |
| F | C-15 C-16 |
Union
Jack Medley (part 3) Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 2) |
|
| G | |||
| H | C-6 C-21 |
A
Medley In The Heart Of A Sunset (fox-trot) |
Imperial
Band dance band |
| I | EX-16 C-22 |
Blue
Danube Waltz Glad Rag Doll (fox trot) (as "Glag Rag Dog (!)") |
dance band |
| J | C-5 C-23 |
Wedding
March Happy Days And Lonely Nights (fox-trot) |
Band dance band |
| K | C-7 C-24 |
Sailor's
Hornpipe Carolina Moon |
Billy Walsh (Cavan O'Connor) |
| L | EX-7 C-25 |
Sweet
Chiming Bells (shows "catalogue" no of 1001) Forever |
Billy
Whitlock Billy Walsh (Cavan O'Connor) |
| M |
Finally, There is one solitary Rex issue known of, details below:
| Matrix Number | Title | Artist(s) | Couplings |
| 6 | Part Two - I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside | Reginald Dixon (organ) | 8 |
| 8 | Part One - Reginald Dixon himself | Reginald Dixon | 6 |