PROBE GOLDIES 45
Probe Goldies
45 was, as its name suggests, a part of Probe Records which was primarily
dedicated to reissues of singles, and in the main its product consisted of some
of the better-selling records from the catalogue of parent company ABC/Dunhill.
There were exceptions: 'Music Week' of the 15th of April 1972,
commenting on the label's launch, reported that it would also be used to 'give
new exposure' to R&B hits from the USA which had not charted in the UK;
which explains some of the more obscure (to British eyes) items
in the discography below. The article said that after the first batch of five double
'A' sided singles the intention was that there would
be two releases a month. As was the case with Probe itself, Probe Goldies
45 was handled by EMI. Catalogue
numbers were in the GFF-100s; they reached GFF-125 but a couple seem not to
have been used. The only change in the label design was a minor one: in
August 1973 a reference to 'The Gramophone Co.' at 10 o'clock (1)
was altered to refer to 'EMI Records' (2). Most of the EMI
group labels underwent a similar tweak at or about the same
time, Probe included. The main Probe label was discontinued in the summer
of 1974, when it was replaced by the new ABC label; Probe Goldies 45 also bit
the dust, but there hadn't been any releases in the series since the previous
September. Three Probe Goldies 45 singles received straight reissues on
ABC over the next few years, GFF-101 as ABC-4042 (3/75), GFF-107 as ABC-4123
(6/76), and GFF-124 as ABC-4131 (9/76), while several of its other tracks were
reissued with different partners.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.