Deutsche Grammophon started life in 1890 as the German branch of the Berliner Gramophone Company. It was based in Hanover. In 1941 it was purchased by the Siemens electronics corporation, which joined up with Philips in 1962 to form the DGG/PPI record group. A giant in the field of Classical music, Deutsche Grammophon flourished as part of the Polydor family far beyond the period covered by this site and is still going today. In the 1950s and early '60s it issued a good number of EPs, some of which were pressed in Germany but given sleeves with notes in English and credit for manufacture and distribution given to the British arm of Deutsche Grammophon. Such British pressings as I have seen have solid centres (1), while the German ones have large spindle holes (2). The monochrome version (5), which is from 1974, also appears to have been pressed in Germany but was issued here. By the time the '70s rolled around, the market for Classical music had become almost entirely album based; the company therefore concentrated on the 12" format, and released very little in 7" form. The only British 7" singles from that decade that I have managed to trace are listed below. The '1967' on the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra single (3) refers to the year in which the tracks were first issued; the single itself dates from c.1973. The fourth record pictured above, marrying as it does the Siegel-Schwall blues band with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, can safely be filed away under 'Weird But Memorable'. Manufacture and distribution in the 1950s were by Heliodor, which became Deutsche Grammophon (Great Britain) Ltd in September 1958.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.