Virgin

Virgin on vinyl: from “Tubular Bells” to The Chemical Brothers

In short: Virgin was founded in England by Richard Branson in 1972. The first LP was Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells”, followed by German electronic music such as Tangerine Dream, the Sex Pistols, eighties synth-pop and, in the nineties, Massive Attack, The Chemical Brothers and, from France, Daft Punk. The Vinyl Room currently has 82 Virgin records, above all electronic music.

From our stock

Virgin first pressings

House, electro & techno

Trip-hop & downtempo

Rock & pop

New in

→ Mute · Krautrock · House · How to spot a first pressing

What makes Virgin special?

Richard Branson first ran a mail-order record business and a record shop, then founded his own label with friends. The very first LP, Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells”, became a worldwide success. Virgin stayed curious: in the seventies German bands like Tangerine Dream and Faust came out here – in our stock, for example, Ashra’s “Correlations” –, and in 1977 the Sex Pistols. The eighties brought synth-pop and new wave, such as Heaven 17’s “Penthouse And Pavement”.

In the nineties Virgin became one of the leading labels for electronic music: Massive Attack and The Chemical Brothers in England, Daft Punk and AIR through Virgin in France. That is exactly what shapes our stock – maxis and albums by The Chemical Brothers, French house from Cassius and Daft Punk, trip-hop, plus soul and R&B from Janet Jackson, Joss Stone and Kelis.

FAQ

Who founded Virgin Records? Richard Branson, in England in 1972, together with Simon Draper, Nik Powell and Tom Newman.

What was the first Virgin record? Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” (1973).

Did Daft Punk come out on Virgin? Yes, Daft Punk’s debut “Homework” (1997) came out on Virgin in France.

What music do you have on Virgin? Mostly electronic – house, electro, techno and trip-hop –, plus rock, pop and soul, 82 records in all.