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Parlophone was founded Parlophon by the Carl Lindström Company in 1896. The name Parlophon was used for gramophones before the company began making records of their own. The label's ? trademark is a stylised blackletter L that stands for Lindström. On 8 August 1923, the British branch of Parlophone (with the "e" added) was established.
In 1927, the Columbia Graphophone Company acquired a controlling interest in the Carl Lindström Company, including Parlophone. Parlophone became a subsidiary of Electric and Musical Industries (EMI), after Columbia Graphophone merged with the Gramophone Company in 1931.
In 1950, Oscar Preuss hired producer George Martin as his assistant. When Preuss retired in 1955, Martin succeeded him as Parlophone's manager with Parlophone specializing in mainly classical music, cast recordings, and regional British music, but Martin also expanded the reach into novelty and comedy records. One notable example is The Best of Sellers, a collection of sketches and comic songs by Peter Sellers undertaken in the guise of a variety of comic characters. It reached number three in the UK Albums Chart in 1958. Others include the albums of the comedy music double act Flanders and Swann. Musicians signed to the label included Humphrey Lyttelton and the Vipers Skiffle Group.
A consistently successful act for Parlophone was teen idol Adam Faith, who was signed to the label in 1959. The label gained significant popularity in 1962 when Martin signed Liverpool band The Beatles. Parlophone gained more attention after signing the Hollies, Ella Fitzgerald, and Gerry and the Pacemakers in the 1960s. Martin left EMI/Parlophone to form Associated Independent Recording (AIR) Studios in 1965. Norman Smith took over as Parlophone director, though EMI chairman Sir Joseph Lockwood unsuccessfully attempted to recruit Joe Meek for the job.
Parlophone became dormant (except for Beatles reissues) in 1973 when most of EMI's heritage labels were phased out in favour of EMI Records, only to be revived in 1980. The first single released on the revived label was by British group The Cheaters (Parlophone – R6041) During the next decades the label signed Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran, Roxette, Radiohead, Supergrass, Guy Berryman, The Chemical Brothers, Blur, Coldplay, Kylie Minogue, Damon Albarn, Conor Maynard, Gabrielle Aplin, and Gorillaz. |
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