Catalogue numbers started at 1000 using the blue label style seen on the left here. Unusually, the numbering went forward for new recordings, but backward (from 999 to about 800) for old recordings. Interestingly, the design is similar to the American Imperial label which appeared briefly in the early 1900s. They reached 2953 by 1934 when the label was dropped in favour of the new Rex label. The English matrix numbers started at about 2800 in 1920 and reached about 6550 by the label's demise in 1934.
In 1923, an arrangement with America's
Banner record company meant their masters started appearing on Imperial in
England. They were given control numbers on the labels, starting in the
low 100's, though often the original matrix number was visible in the
run-off area near the label.
Banner started electrical recording, albeit of a rather crude type, in
1925, and some early examples are found on the later blue label, right, but Imperial introduced the attractive purple label soon after.
They didn't start their own electrical recordings until 1927, long after
all other companies had switched to electrical.
It is possible to find some English
masters recorded using both the acoustical and electrical processes, and
often cross-coupled with acoustic on one side and electrical on the other.
When the Crown company of America started in 1931 Imperial started using
their masters and Banner masters appeared less often. Later Imperials use
masters from ARC/Brunswick (which included Banner). When Jack Payne signed
to the label in 1932, Imperial made the unprecedented step (in England) of
including Jack's likeness on the label, (see bottom right), and almost all
the last issues in 1933 & 1934 are by Payne. Recording quality
gradually improved and was quite favourable comparable with more expensive
makes by 1933.
The majority of Imperials are 10", sold at 1/6 or 1/3 (equivalent to 7.5p or 6.5p), but there were exceptions. Some publicity disks were issued of about 3" or 3.5". For more information about these, click here. The one advertising Jack Payne's addition to Imperial's roster was one, but there were others. 12" records, usually of a light classical nature were originally issued on the Crystallate label, but later the familiar red Imperial label was used, and a T-serial catalogue number. 10" light classical sides were generally issued with the early red label seen just below right, but this one shown here is the only dance band item I have seen on the "classical" label - and it is a hot alternate take too!
Dance Bands on Imperial
Most of the early Imperials are by
Derrick's Band. Jack Derrick was the saxist-leader of this small band
which is thought to be part of Jack Hylton's organisation. Most subsequent
sides are by a studio band under the direction of Stan Greening, using the
usual musicians associated with him.
By the start of the "Purple" era, Teddy Brown's band was making
sides for the label, generally featuring his rather (to my ears) annoying
repetitive xylophone playing (labelled as "xylophone effects").
Ace
arranger and bandleader, Ronnie Munro, made a few good acoustic sides labelled as
"Buddy Rose and his Orchestra", and Syd Roy's Lyricals also made some good titles,
some being the earliest electrical ones in 1927.
With the advent of electrical recordings, Stan Greening's name
ceased to appear on the labels, though he was involved with Crystalate until at
least 1932, when he had to form a band to record 4 sides which had been
scheduled to be recorded by Jack Payne.
Jay Whidden's Carleton Hotel Band
recorded copiously for Imperial from 1928 to 1930. At the time the label changed
to red, Jay Wilbur joined the company as musical director, from the failed
Dominion Record Company, and he recorded many sides until 1933 when he launched
Rex records, leaving Jack Payne in sole "charge" of Imperial for a
further year.
Following Vocalion's takeover of Crystalate, they formed a hybrid label called Imperial Broadcast (see picture). This seems to have been short-lived and the repertoire was usually classical, though the occasional popular item turns up as you can see.
Imperial generally relied on Banner to provide the majority of their dance records, with band such as Sam Lanin, Adrian Schubert, Fred Rich, Nathan Glantz, Vincent Lopez and Harry Reser. A few sides by Fletcher Henderson's orchestra, with cornettist Louis Armstrong, were issued too. The American electrical recording were rather boxy to start with but soon improved, though they can be rather inconsistent, varying between a rather thin, slightly distorted sound to the recordings from Cameo records with their rather boomy bass response. (Banner, Cameo and Perfect in America seemed to swap recordings at random!).
Some of the American masters were issued under pseudonyms, though this was generally to hide Adrian Schubert's studio recordings; The usual name was "Imperial Dance Orchestra" (I bet it took a bit of hard thinking to come up with that one!), later "Majestic Dance Orchestra". The main problem, though, seems to be mis-labellings, i.e. sides by one band issued as by another.
Surfaces on Imperial records were generally quite smooth, often better than most more expensive makes.
Imperial Junior was a 7" disc produced in England, but only sold in Australia. It dates from the mid-1920s and there are many dance band recordings on this label, mainly by studio bands directed by Ronnie Munro and Stan Greening. Matrices are in the DC- series found on Victory and 7" Kiddyphone and Oliver. My thanks to Derek Kell for the Imperial Junior label scan.
