Parlophone

Parlophone on vinyl: the Beatles’ label

In short: Parlophone has German roots – the sign that looks like a pound sign is a decorated “L” for founder Carl Lindström. From the twenties it was a British company, later part of EMI. Under George Martin the Beatles signed here in 1962; later came Pet Shop Boys, Blur, Radiohead, Coldplay and Gorillaz. The Vinyl Room currently has 73 Parlophone records.

From our stock

Parlophone first pressings

Synth-pop & electronic

Rock & pop

New in

→ The Beatles · Mono or stereo? · Synth-pop · How to spot a first pressing

What makes Parlophone special?

In the fifties Parlophone was a rather small EMI label, known for comedy records. That changed when George Martin signed a band from Liverpool in 1962: “Love Me Do” started the Beatles’ story, and their British albums came out on Parlophone until the band founded its own label, Apple, in 1968 – in our stock “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. In the UK they were available in mono (PMC) and stereo (PCS) until the end of the sixties.

From the eighties Parlophone again became one of the leading labels for British pop: Pet Shop Boys with “West End Girls” and “It’s A Sin”, Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, in the nineties Blur and Radiohead, later Coldplay and Gorillaz. Our stock shows it too – lots of synth-pop, house and indie, plus Paul McCartney, The Verve and, with Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, a Danish rock band.

FAQ

Why does Parlophone have a pound sign? It isn’t a pound sign but a decorated “L” – for Carl Lindström, whose company Parlophone goes back to.

Which label did the Beatles come out on in the UK? On Parlophone, from 1962. From 1968 new Beatles records came out on their own label, Apple.

How do I tell mono from stereo on Parlophone? On British Parlophone LPs of the sixties by the catalogue number: PMC for mono, PCS for stereo. Other countries and later editions use other numbers. More in our guide Mono or stereo?.

What music do you have on Parlophone? Electronic and synth-pop, rock, pop and indie – 73 records in all.