CBS

CBS on vinyl: Columbia for Europe

In short: CBS is the name under which Columbia recordings came out from the early sixties in many countries outside North America, especially in Europe. The reason: there the name “Columbia” belonged to another company, the British EMI. That’s why European editions of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Santana or Earth, Wind & Fire usually carry the CBS label, often orange in the sixties and seventies. The Vinyl Room currently has 53 CBS records, mostly from Europe.

From our stock

CBS first pressings

Rock & pop

Soul, disco & jazz

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What makes CBS special?

Anyone who bought a Bob Dylan or Simon & Garfunkel record in Germany, England or Scandinavia in the sixties, seventies or eighties usually held a CBS pressing. It was often pressed in that country, sometimes with its own cover or catalogue number – a whole topic of its own for collectors.

Our stock shows the range: The Clash’s “Combat Rock”, Leonard Cohen’s “I’m Your Man”, “Illuminations” by Carlos Santana and Alice Coltrane, jazz from Jack DeJohnette and the Clarke-Boland Sextet, soul and disco from Isaac Hayes and Van McCoy – and CBS editions from Mexico and India.

FAQ

Why do European Dylan records say “CBS” instead of “Columbia”? Because in Europe and many other countries the name Columbia belonged to another company for a long time. From the early sixties Columbia therefore released its records there as CBS.

Is a CBS pressing a first pressing? It can be for its country. But the very first edition of an American album is usually the US pressing on Columbia.

What happened to CBS? Sony bought CBS Records in 1988; since 1991 the company has been called Sony Music.

What music do you have on CBS? Rock, pop, soul, disco and jazz, mostly from the eighties – 53 records in all.