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Mini Imperials

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The Crystalate manufacturing Co Ltd of Tonbridge, Kent, 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.

The last few in this list, such as the Jack Payne and Jack Gordon records are relatively common by comparison with the others, suggesting being given away more copiously!

It goes without saying, I hope, that if anyone reading this has any additional information, then they will email me.









As mentioned above, most of the information here was provided by Steve Walker from research he and his late father have done over many years.
Please email me if you can add anything to these listings.

Thanks to the following people for supplying extra details: John Culley, Graham Farnell, Steve Icke, Christian Zwarg

The earliest mini-Imperials show (usually only 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.

Page last updated on: October 16, 2023

Matrix Number Title Artist(s) Couplings
EX-2 Bachelor Joe Harry Thornton (Imp 1283) EX-3
EX-3 Please Play Me EX-2
   
EX-7 / 1001 Sweet Chiming Bells (shows "catalogue" no of 1001 on some issues) Billy Whitlock (bell solo) EX-13, EX-15, EX-16, EX-24, C-5, C-6, 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-16 (as C-16 on label)
EX-14 Please Play Me   (allegedly for Lewis's Department Store, Birmingham) EX-12, EX-15
EX-15 Step Lightly (march) London Fire Brigade Band EX-7, EX-14, C-8
EX-16 Blue Danube Waltz Imperial Dance Orchestra (= maybe LFBB) EX-7, EX-13, 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. [Some details from Crystalate ledgers].

Matrix Number Title Artist(s) Couplings
C-1    
C-2 A Black Cat Message [Peter Rush [sic ledger, prob. Ramon Newton)] (rec. 15/6/27) C-3
C-3 Plantation Melodies (one-step) Greening's Dance Orch (rec. 30/6/27) C-2
C-4 Valse Caprice (Raie da Costa) Piano solo (Roy Denge (?) - sic ledger)  (rec. 11/5/28)
C-5 Wedding March (Mendelssohn) Band  (rec. 11/5/28) EX-7, C-23 (A) (J)
C-6 A Medley (Where Has My Little Dog Gone?; Camptown Races) Imperial (Military) Band  (rec. 11/5/28) EX-7, C-21  (C) (H)
C-7 Sailor's Hornpipe Imperial Band (rec. 11/5/28) C-12, C-13 (D), C-24 (K)
C-8 Wedding March (or Regimental March - sic ledger) Imperial Military Band EX-15
C-9-1-2 Tally Ho ! (part 1)   C-5 (A)
C-10-1-2 Tally Ho ! (Part 2) [Hadlow Dance Orch - t/tb/2 sax/p/bb/d - sic ledger] C-12 (B)
C-11-1-2 Tally Ho ! (Part 3) Imperial Military Band (or Band*) C-18 (E), C-26* (M)
C-12-1-2 Union Jack Medley (part 1) Imperial Military Band C-10 (B)
C-13-1-2 Union Jack Medley (part 2)   C-7 (D)
C-14-1-2 Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 1)   C-6 (C)
C-15-1-2 Union Jack Medley (part 3)   C-16 (F)
C-16-1-2 Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 2)   C-15 (F)
C-17-1-2 Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 3)   C-19 (G)
C-18-1-2 Hilarity (part 1)   C-11 (E)
C-19-1-2 Hilarity (part 2)   C-17 (G)
C-20-1-2 Union Jack Medley (part 4)  
C-21 In The Heart Of A Sunset (fox-trot) anon (= Stan Greenng's Band) C-6 (H)
C-22 Glad Rag Doll (fox trot) (as "Glad Rag Dog" ! ) anon (= Stan Greenng's Band) EX-16 (as C-16 (I))
C-23 Happy Days And Lonely Nights (fox-trot) anon (= Stan Greenng's Band) C-6 (J)
C-24 Carolina Moon Billy Walsh (= Cavan O'Connor) C-7 (K)
C-25 Forever Billy Walsh (= Cavan O'Connor) EX-7 (L)
C-26 Sweetheart Of All My Dreams anon (= Cavan O'Connor)(with orch accmp) C-11 (M)
       
C-32 Marmite - What Is It ? Albert Whelan C-33  [red label]
C-33 Ma Might Albert Whelan C-32  [ditto]
       
C-38 A Talk Albert Whelan C-52
       
C-52 Molly G. Jack (= Jack Plant) 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
CP-116 [sic] A Talk By Milton   C-117
C-117 The Milton Prosperity Song (6/8 fox trot)   C-115, C-116
C-118    
C-119 Hilarity (one-step)   C-120
C-120-2 Buy Imperially   C-119
C-121-3-4 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 C-5
C-9
Wedding March
Telly Ho ! (part 1)
B C-10
C-12
Tally Ho ! (part 2)
Union Jack Medley (part 1)
C C-6
C-14
Medley (Where Has My Little Dog Gone?; Camptown Races)
Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 1)
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 C-17
C-19
Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 3)
Hilarity (part 2)
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 "Glad 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 C-11
C-26
Tally Ho!
Sweetheart Of All My Dreams
Band
Vocal
(= Cavan O'Connor)

Finally, There is one solitary Rex issue known; details below: I have been told that there are more Rex minis, but with no details known, I can't put anything here yet!

Matrix Number Title Artists
8
6
Part 1: Reginald Dixon Himself
Part 2: I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside
Reginald Dixon (Wurlitzer organ)