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The
Crystalate manufacturing Co Ltd of Tonbridge, Kent, seemed to have a desire to
produce records of as many different sizes as possible. This page is an
attempt to document all the very tiny records they produced (3½"
in diameter) which, I suspect, were given away as promotional gifts.
Almost all the information here had been very kindly provided by Steve Walker, The fact that it has taken decades of collecting by Steve and his late father, Ted, to produce even this, shows how hard to find these records are. I suspect most would have been thrown away after a few days or weeks. The last few in this list, such as the Jack Payne and Jack Gordon records are relatively common by comparison with the others, suggesting being given away more copiously! It goes without saying, I hope, that if anyone reading this has any additional information, then they will email me.
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As mentioned above, most of the information here
was provided by Steve Walker from research he and his late father have done over
many years.
Please
email me if you can add anything to these
listings.
Thanks to the following people for supplying extra details: John Culley, Graham Farnell, Steve Icke, Christian Zwarg
The earliest mini-Imperials show (usually only in the wax) a matrix series with an EX- prefix. Only the following have been found so far. All are on the familiar light-and-dark mauve label, except the coupling of EX-7 and EX-24 which is on the earlier blue label. The coupling of EX-7 and C-5 shows "C-5" on the label of both sides, but still also shows "1001" on the EX-7 side.
Page last updated on: October 16, 2023
Matrix Number | Title | Artist(s) | Couplings |
EX-2 | Bachelor Joe | Harry Thornton (Imp 1283) | EX-3 |
EX-3 | Please Play Me | EX-2 | |
EX-7 / 1001 | Sweet Chiming Bells (shows "catalogue" no of 1001 on some issues) | Billy Whitlock (bell solo) | EX-13, EX-15, EX-16, EX-24, C-5, C-6, C-25 (L) |
EX-12 | Regimental March (Grenadier Guards) | London Fire Brigade Band | EX-13, EX-14 |
EX-13 | Take Her The Longest Way Round (Fox-Trot) | Greening's Dance Orchestra | EX-7, EX-12, EX-16 (as C-16 on label) |
EX-14 | Please Play Me (allegedly for Lewis's Department Store, Birmingham) | EX-12, EX-15 | |
EX-15 | Step Lightly (march) | London Fire Brigade Band | EX-7, EX-14, C-8 |
EX-16 | Blue Danube Waltz | Imperial Dance Orchestra (= maybe LFBB) | EX-7, EX-13, C-22 (I) |
EX-24 | Please Play Me | Albert Whelan | EX-7 |
The rest of the issues use a C- prefixed matrix (some, rather confusingly use "CP-" which Crystalate used for their 10" contract pressings). Sometimes an EX- series matrix is renumbered as a C- series one, just to really confuse the issue. Some of these issues are given an alphabetic code as a pseudo-catalogue number, as shown after the coupling. The Robbialac item doesn't have an Imperial label, but its own personalised one. [Some details from Crystalate ledgers].
Matrix Number | Title | Artist(s) | Couplings |
C-1 | |||
C-2 | A Black Cat Message | [Peter Rush [sic ledger, prob. Ramon Newton)] (rec. 15/6/27) | C-3 |
C-3 | Plantation Melodies (one-step) | Greening's Dance Orch (rec. 30/6/27) | C-2 |
C-4 | Valse Caprice (Raie da Costa) | Piano solo (Roy Denge (?) - sic ledger) (rec. 11/5/28) | |
C-5 | Wedding March (Mendelssohn) | Band (rec. 11/5/28) | EX-7, C-23 (A) (J) |
C-6 | A Medley (Where Has My Little Dog Gone?; Camptown Races) | Imperial (Military) Band (rec. 11/5/28) | EX-7, C-21 (C) (H) |
C-7 | Sailor's Hornpipe | Imperial Band (rec. 11/5/28) | C-12, C-13 (D), C-24 (K) |
C-8 | Wedding March (or Regimental March - sic ledger) | Imperial Military Band | EX-15 |
C-9-1-2 | Tally Ho ! (part 1) | C-5 (A) | |
C-10-1-2 | Tally Ho ! (Part 2) | [Hadlow Dance Orch - t/tb/2 sax/p/bb/d - sic ledger] | C-12 (B) |
C-11-1-2 | Tally Ho ! (Part 3) | Imperial Military Band (or Band*) | C-18 (E), C-26* (M) |
C-12-1-2 | Union Jack Medley (part 1) | Imperial Military Band | C-10 (B) |
C-13-1-2 | Union Jack Medley (part 2) | C-7 (D) | |
C-14-1-2 | Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 1) | C-6 (C) | |
C-15-1-2 | Union Jack Medley (part 3) | C-16 (F) | |
C-16-1-2 | Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 2) | C-15 (F) | |
C-17-1-2 | Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 3) | C-19 (G) | |
C-18-1-2 | Hilarity (part 1) | C-11 (E) | |
C-19-1-2 | Hilarity (part 2) | C-17 (G) | |
C-20-1-2 | Union Jack Medley (part 4) | ||
C-21 | In The Heart Of A Sunset (fox-trot) | anon (= Stan Greenng's Band) | C-6 (H) |
C-22 | Glad Rag Doll (fox trot) (as "Glad Rag Dog" ! ) | anon (= Stan Greenng's Band) | EX-16 (as C-16 (I)) |
C-23 | Happy Days And Lonely Nights (fox-trot) | anon (= Stan Greenng's Band) | C-6 (J) |
C-24 | Carolina Moon | Billy Walsh (= Cavan O'Connor) | C-7 (K) |
C-25 | Forever | Billy Walsh (= Cavan O'Connor) | EX-7 (L) |
C-26 | Sweetheart Of All My Dreams | anon (= Cavan O'Connor)(with orch accmp) | C-11 (M) |
C-32 | Marmite - What Is It ? | Albert Whelan | C-33 [red label] |
C-33 | Ma Might | Albert Whelan | C-32 [ditto] |
C-38 | A Talk | Albert Whelan | C-52 |
C-52 | Molly | G. Jack (= Jack Plant) | C-38 |
C-63 | Robbialac (part 1) | C-91, C-95 | |
C-91 | Robbialac (part 2) | C-63 | |
C-95 | Robbialac (part 2) | C-63 | |
C-115 | A Talk By Milton | C-117 | |
CP-116 [sic] | A Talk By Milton | C-117 | |
C-117 | The Milton Prosperity Song (6/8 fox trot) | C-115, C-116 | |
C-118 | |||
C-119 | Hilarity (one-step) | C-120 | |
C-120-2 | Buy Imperially | C-119 | |
C-121-3-4 | Part Two - Time Alone Will Tell | Jack Plant (as Jack Gordon) | C-122 |
C-122-2 | Part One - Buy Imperially | C-121 | |
C-123-3 | Jack Payne Himself | Jack Payne | C-124 |
C-124-2 | Say It With Music (fox trot) | Jack Payne & his Band | C-123, C-126 |
C-125 | |||
C-126-1-2 | Jack Payne Himself | Jack Payne | C-124 |
Just for fun, here is a list of the alphabetical catalogued items, by letter.
Catalogue Letter | Matrix Number | Title | Artists |
A | C-5 C-9 |
Wedding March Telly Ho ! (part 1) |
|
B | C-10 C-12 |
Tally Ho ! (part 2) Union Jack Medley (part 1) |
|
C | C-6 C-14 |
Medley
(Where Has My Little Dog Gone?; Camptown Races) Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 1) |
|
D |
C-7 C13 |
Sailor's
Hornpipe Union Jack Medley (part 2) |
Imperial
Band |
E |
C-11 C-18 |
Tally
Ho ! (Part 3) Hilarity (part 1) |
Imperial
Military Band |
F |
C-15 C-16 |
Union
Jack Medley (part 3) Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 2) |
|
G | C-17 C-19 |
Nursery Rhymes Medley (part 3) Hilarity (part 2) |
|
H |
C-6 C-21 |
A
Medley In The Heart Of A Sunset (fox-trot) |
Imperial
Band dance band |
I |
EX-16 C-22 |
Blue
Danube Waltz Glad Rag Doll (fox trot) (as "Glad Rag Dog" ! ) |
dance band |
J |
C-5 C-23 |
Wedding
March Happy Days And Lonely Nights (fox-trot) |
Band dance band |
K |
C-7 C-24 |
Sailor's
Hornpipe Carolina Moon |
Billy Walsh (= Cavan O'Connor) |
L |
EX-7 C-25 |
Sweet
Chiming Bells (shows "catalogue" no of 1001) Forever |
Billy
Whitlock Billy Walsh (= Cavan O'Connor) |
M |
C-11 C-26 |
Tally Ho! Sweetheart Of All My Dreams |
Band Vocal (= Cavan O'Connor) |
Finally, There is one solitary Rex issue known; details below: I have been told that there are more Rex minis, but with no details known, I can't put anything here yet!
Matrix Number | Title | Artists |
8 6 |
Part 1: Reginald Dixon Himself Part 2: I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside |
Reginald Dixon (Wurlitzer organ) |