Let polymers face the Music
Ron E Copleston

A pity that we cannot bring to readers the extensive music which was the main feature of a recent presentation to the PHS under this title at North London University. However, the accompanying history of recorded sound from the earliest days is of great interest in itself.

Early history of the 78 rev/min record

As is well known, Thomas Alva Edison was the first to record sound and reproduce it mechanically. And the first to succeed commercially with recorded sound as a means of home entertainment as distinct from penny-in the-slot fairground entertainment was Emile Berliner, a German immigrant from Hanover who taught himself the physics of sound after settling in Washington at the age of 19. The first Berliner records (known as plates) were 51n [12.7cm] in diameter and were played on hand-propelled machines that depended for successful performance on the resilience of the rubber band that stretched between two wheels to the turntable, plus that of the wrist of the person winding the machine. These machines and records were sold between 1889 and 1893 by Kammerer & Reinhardt of Waltershausen and the principal British outlet was Parkins & Gotto of Oxford Street, London.

From the beginning of the gramophone industry, a succession of companies included in their advertising claims to superiority that were not always supportable on close examination. The Crystalate Gramophone Record Company, late of Tonbridge, Kent, claimed to be the oldest record producer in Britain. The truth of this can fairly easily be established, as the company that produced records under licence from Berliner did not begin to press discs in this country until 1908. The Columbia Gramophone Company followed suit, and Edison Bell joined in in 1909. The single-sided Imperial records that were on sale in the UK in the Edwardian era were imported from the USA, and such marques as Beka, jumbo and Favorite were all pressed in Germany. By the time the First World War broke out in 1914, arrangements had been made for several of these brands to be pressed in or near London - a fact, in the spirit of the times, proudly announced on their labels. Not long before the war, however, a make called Popular made its first appearance, and these records were of Crystalate origin. On balance, 1 respect the company's claim of manufacturing precedence.

Between 1920 and 1939, literally tens or even hundreds of labels associated with Crystalate were on the market, although the actual Popular label was abandoned in 1921. Crystalate bought out The Vocalion Gramophone Company in 1932 when the principal labels included Rex, Nine-Inch Broadcast, and Ten-Inch Broadcast. From the early postwar years, Crystalate was very much involved in producing the 1 mini-disc', some of which were sold in Marks & Spencers, Woolworths and probably other stores for sixpence [21/2p] each between 1930 and 1937, with labels such as Crown, Embassy and Eclipse. In 1937, Crystalate was absorbed in Decca which itself was purchased by Polygram (Philips).

For the record, HMV made the very first electric gramophone in the UK in 1927, at a cost of £ 170.

From 1940 to the present day

 78 rev/min records.
 These were normally ten inches [25.4cm] in diameter (the 'minidiscs' mentioned above measured five inches [ 1 2.7cm], and are very rare today). There were also twelve-inch records for a longer playing time, which was four-and-a-half or six minutes compared to approximately three minutes for a normal ten-inch record. Although different polymer recipes were used by the moulding companies, who were usually secretive about the ingredients, shellac compounds were found best.
A typical formulation was:
(% by weight)
TN shellac 26
Garnet lac 3
Rosin 1
Slate powder(250/300 mesh) 63
Carbon black 3
Copal 4
78 rev/min record groove dimensions:
0.006in [0. 150mm] At top, width minimum
0.00 1in [0.025mm] Radius at bottom maximum
90' ± 5. Included angle

Such 78 rev/min records were on sale in general shops until about 1958, and in specialist outlets until 1960.

Extended-play (EP) records:
These 45 rev/min records were usually seven inches [17.8cm] in diameter and were moulded in a vinyl-based polymer rather than shellac. This resulted from the Second World War, when US armed forces in Europe were sent American V (vinyl) discs because of breakages in transit experienced with shellac. The vinyl type consequently became known as the 'unbreakable' records. They could be moulded more accurately with micro-grooves, leading to longer playing time, smaller records and avoidance of the background hiss associated with shellac.
The companies were even more secretive about their vinyl formulations, but a
typical compound was:
(Parts by weight)
Polymer 100
Lead stearate 1.5
Carbon black 1.5

Suitable formulations have been produced from polyvinyl acetate, vinyl acetate/vinyl chloride copolymer, and vinyl chloride/vinylidene chloride copolymer resins. The early V discs used pastel-coloured pigments to fill the clear vinyl resin, but carbon black later fulfilled the function of making the grooves readily visible.

Following the wartime development of V disc technology, the first vinyl records from American production went on general sale in 1948. Columbia and HMV launched their EPs in the UK in 1954, priced 9s 3d [461/2p].

Long-play (LP) records:
LPs, played at 331/3 rev/min, are usually twelve inches [30.5cm] in diameter, although there were seven-inch [ 1 7.8cm] and ten-inch [25.4cm] discs especially for jukeboxes , as well as a very few eight-inch [20.3cm] specimens. Decca celebrated its twenty-first anniversary in June 1950 with the launch of the first LPs in the UK that could now play music for 20 to 30 minutes per side. In 1952, the purchase of the rights to issue Deutsche Grammophon material on the Decca-Polydor label gave Decca access to many well-known Continental artistes to add to its already not inconsiderable classical collection. The first two titles to be issued were The Marriage of Figaro and Vaughan Williams' Sixth Symphony, at a price of 39s 6d [197 1/2p]. In 1958, Pye Records issued its first stereo records.

EP and LP record groove dimensions:
0.002in [0.05lmm] At top, width minimum
0.0015in [0.004mm] Radius at bottom maximum
90' ± 5. Included angle

Compact cassettes and discs:
In about 1960, compact cassette tapes were sold with ready-recorded music for use on hi-fi systems or the new Walkman personal players. Blank cassettes were also available for recording via a microphone from any sound source, in which case the puchaser needed to know what length of playing time was required, and what grade and make of tape. Some early makes are no longer available, but among those still on sale are those by Philips, TDK, BASF, EMI, Maxwell, Fuji and Memorex. Normal tapes consist of a polymer multilayer incorporating high-density ferric particles. Other types, needing suitable equipment to take advantage of their superior quality, include FeCr, Cr02, and Metal.
Finally, compact discs are a digital recording method developed from a Philips and Sony project of 1976. Usually they are bought with ready recorded music, which may either be based on a digital code signal from an original live performance or taken from a previous 78 rev/min, EP or LP recording, quite often electronically or computer enhanced.