Probably the most northerly record company on this site. Grampian Records was based in Wick; it issued records from the early '60s until at least the mid '70s. Singles were numbered in the NAN-1000s; catalogue numbers suggest that there were at least thirty-five of them, but I haven't been able to trace any between NAN-1027 and NAN-1035, so perhaps not all of the numbers may have been used. There were separate GRA-100 and RLP-300 series for EPs. The fare on offer appears to have been standard Scottish Traditional material in the main, mixed in with some Country music, though there were occasional deviations: NAM-1008, 'I'm Coming Home' by Beat group The Nomads, which dates from 1965, is particularly collectable, and a Various Artists EP from 1968, 'State Of Flux', fearuring Fingal McCool, Zebedie's Morgue and The Blend is also reputed to be sought-after.
Four basic label designs were used, though the positioning of the minor credits varied. The original design had the name in an arc at the top and the company's address at the bottom (1); after half-a-dozen issues or so the perimieter credits shrank and collected at the top (2). NANs 1019 to 1021, which came out c.1967, were given a boxed logo (3), as was the 'State Of Flux' EP. The arc logo returned with NAN-1022, in 1967 and lasted until NAN-1027. There was some variation in the colour scheme: occasional EPs had red or powder-blue labels with black printing. The powder-blue label with the simplified logo (4) is the only one of the four to date from the '70s. That particular single, 'Shetland Oil' b/w 'Your Baby Has Gone Down The Plughole' by Harry H. Corbett (NAN-1035; 1074) is the only Grampian single I've found from our decade, though an EP, The Marlettes' 'I'm Going To Parcel Up My Broken Heart', was issued in 1973; after 1968 the vast majority of Grampian records seem to have been LPs. James Johnston appears to have been responsible for producing much of Grampian's musical output. After it stopped issuing its own records the company concentrated on manufacturing cassettes, and later CDs, for other companies, and was a major supplier to the likes of EMI, CBS and Polygram. It is reported to have gone into liquidation in 2003.
Copyright 2010 Robert Lyons.