Vinyl Record Materials
Shellac
Materials devoted to make records have changed and evolved several times over the years. The earliest disc records produced between 1889-1894 were made of various materials including wax and rubber. Shortly after, a shellac based compound had been experimented with leading to it becoming the standard material. Each manufactures exact formula varied, but records were typically made using cardboard and fiber which were coated with a shellac (wax) resin. These shellac discs are not known for allowing a quiet, noise free surface. Shellac records are commonly very brittle and must be handled quite carefully. Shellac 78s can break with the remaining pieces loosely connected with the label. They can still be playable …show more content…
They technically began to appear as early as the 1900’s, but not as discs, instead as square postcards with small records glued on the illustration. Picture discs first appeared sometime throughout the 1920’s, yet they did not become fairly popular until the 1930’s. The artwork within these 1930’s picture disc releases vary from images designed for the music it accompanied, film graphics and even political images with accompanying propaganda. Prior to the 1940’s, most picture disc records were printed cardboard with an application of a very thin plastic, creating substandard audio.
Following the end of World War II picture discs started to become popular again. Vogue Record’s, a short-lived Detroit based label, are noteworthy amongst collectors for their release of picture discs throughout the 1940’s. These releases were a hit due to their ability to create attractive picture discs while still maintaining quality sound. Notwithstanding, the company was short lived and went out of business only a year after releasing approximately 65 …show more content…
Some of the first modern rock picture discs to be released during this time included Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath” (1974), Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” (1973), Boston’s “Boston” (1976) and “To Elvis: Love Still Burning” a various artist compilation released by Pickwick Records, which was credited by Billboard Magazine as the first picture disc to be released in the USA.
Pickwick Records, an independent label based in Arizona released this tribute compilation album, “To Elvis: Love Still Burning” on an initial run of 6,000 copies, which were made for sale through a bi-weekly newsletter, “The Record Digest”. After the initial release of 6,000 copies word got around quickly and the next pressing Pickwick Records did to fill back orders was for 20,000 units. The success of this release showed the record industry that without a doubt there was a market for picture discs.
With picture discs continuing to be trendy they have evolved to include shaped picture discs that compliment the image. Early examples include Devo’s “Beautiful World” which was shaped like an astronaut head, Guns N Roses “Nighttrain” which was in the shape of a suitcase, Joe Strummer “Love Kills” shaped like a gun and Gary Numan’s “Berserker” which was shaped like Gary Numan’s
Shellac
Materials devoted to make records have changed and evolved several times over the years. The earliest disc records produced between 1889-1894 were made of various materials including wax and rubber. Shortly after, a shellac based compound had been experimented with leading to it becoming the standard material. Each manufactures exact formula varied, but records were typically made using cardboard and fiber which were coated with a shellac (wax) resin. These shellac discs are not known for allowing a quiet, noise free surface. Shellac records are commonly very brittle and must be handled quite carefully. Shellac 78s can break with the remaining pieces loosely connected with the label. They can still be playable …show more content…
They technically began to appear as early as the 1900’s, but not as discs, instead as square postcards with small records glued on the illustration. Picture discs first appeared sometime throughout the 1920’s, yet they did not become fairly popular until the 1930’s. The artwork within these 1930’s picture disc releases vary from images designed for the music it accompanied, film graphics and even political images with accompanying propaganda. Prior to the 1940’s, most picture disc records were printed cardboard with an application of a very thin plastic, creating substandard audio.
Following the end of World War II picture discs started to become popular again. Vogue Record’s, a short-lived Detroit based label, are noteworthy amongst collectors for their release of picture discs throughout the 1940’s. These releases were a hit due to their ability to create attractive picture discs while still maintaining quality sound. Notwithstanding, the company was short lived and went out of business only a year after releasing approximately 65 …show more content…
Some of the first modern rock picture discs to be released during this time included Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath” (1974), Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” (1973), Boston’s “Boston” (1976) and “To Elvis: Love Still Burning” a various artist compilation released by Pickwick Records, which was credited by Billboard Magazine as the first picture disc to be released in the USA.
Pickwick Records, an independent label based in Arizona released this tribute compilation album, “To Elvis: Love Still Burning” on an initial run of 6,000 copies, which were made for sale through a bi-weekly newsletter, “The Record Digest”. After the initial release of 6,000 copies word got around quickly and the next pressing Pickwick Records did to fill back orders was for 20,000 units. The success of this release showed the record industry that without a doubt there was a market for picture discs.
With picture discs continuing to be trendy they have evolved to include shaped picture discs that compliment the image. Early examples include Devo’s “Beautiful World” which was shaped like an astronaut head, Guns N Roses “Nighttrain” which was in the shape of a suitcase, Joe Strummer “Love Kills” shaped like a gun and Gary Numan’s “Berserker” which was shaped like Gary Numan’s