The custom recording label of the Hollick & Taylor studios of Birmingham, and thus an elder sister to Grosvenor (q.v.). The type of music which appeared on Hollick and Taylor seems in the main to have been the same kind of thing which appeared on other pay-to-record labels: discs by school and church choirs, club / cabaret artists, brass bands, and so on. Occasionally some of those artists had recorded, or would record, for other companies: the Rockin' Berries (7) and the Fortunes had had a number of hits, and Renato Pagliari (5) eventually teamed up with Renée and had a number one with 'Save Your Love' in 1982. The band called Unicorn which made 'Going Home' (HT/SP-1258), however, was not that which recorded for Transatlantic - thanks to Neil Murray for that information. Singles and EPs shared the same 1000 numbering; EPs were prefixed HT/EP with an additional 'S' if the record was stereo, while singles had an HT/SP prefix, again with the conditional 'S'. The Hollick and Taylor studios started up in the early '60s; the earliest record that I have been able to date was from 1964 but there were many others previous to it. Early labels had a striking yellow-and-black-and-white design (1, 2), which lasted until at least HT/EP-1101 and appears to have been used for some time after that for the company's tape-to-disc service. The simpler green-on-white design (3) which followed it seems not to have lasted for long, and was replaced by a more professional-looking one which came in various colour combinations (4). The 'company sleeve' (9) is from 1977, and is blank on the front. The first scan is numbered HT EP 1094; at a guess it dates from the mid '60s. See also the 'Highland Arts' and 'Gallery' labels. The few 7" Hollick & Taylors I have been able to track down are listed below. Pressing of those that I have seen in the vinyl has been either by British Homophone, Decca or Orlake. Thanks to Christophe of Inoxydable Records for the scan of the pale blue-green label and for discographical input.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.