Vocalion (3)

For U.S. Vocalion, please see Vocalion (2)
For U.K. Vocalion reissues via Dutton Labs, please see Vocalion.
For unofficial releases, please see Vocalion (4).

Originally established in 1920 as the British subsidiary of U.S. Aeolian-Vocalion. After the U.S. company was sold to Brunswick in November, 1924 a new British company, the Vocalion Gramophone Co., Ltd., was established that continued to produce the Vocalion label (and the low price Aco label) until 1927. Later a sub-label of British The Boswell Sisters.

The label was used between October 1951 and October 1954 for a series of 78's (V1001 - V1041) entitled "Origins Of Jazz"; some, if not all, of the recordings appear to have originated with the pre-1934 US Brunswick and Vocalion (2) catalogues which Decca owned outright.

During the 1962-1968 run, the label was primarily an outlet for recordings licensed from various labels (mostly U.S. labels, e.g. Decca.

The label logo on singles was initially Vogue Records releases were re-pressed with Vocalion labels.

A second letter was added to the catalogue number prefixes from V9215 onwards, signifying an export availability code similar to London-American's. The letters used appear to relate to the licensing label, or group of labels:
N = GNP Crescendo (presumably standing for the label's owner, Gene Norman);
P = Peacock/Duke/Back Beat/Sure Shot;
F = Galaxy/Scorpio;
L = Vault/Fat Fish/Venus (the derivation of the "L' is not yet apparent);
H = Hi-Fi

Album series continued at least some of those originated by Contemporary, but not enough information is available.

The label was also active in overseas territories where Decca held the trademark, e.g. Australia and New Zealand, where Decca's product was distributed by the local Vogue Records series).

Acknowledgements: RECORD INFORMATION, Issue One, October 1983, by Paul Pelletier. (Record Information Services, Chessington, Surrey). (Still available from Record Information at their current address, see URL below).
Global Dog Productions - see URL below