They are but most lp's are made out of polyvinyl chloride and not styrene. I think all my old Decca lp's are styrene. They're coldr and lighter weight than most of my lps
I seem to remember a few old styrene Decca's too! BTW the reason this Barclay set looked like a styrene pressing is because there's a shiny plastic looking space before the painted on label gets to the spindle hole.
I've seen quite a few of those European '70s/'80s LPs like you're talking about, never seen one that was styrene.
Found this topic a month late, but that painted-on label deal (with the unpainted area around the hole) is pretty common on French pressings. They're vinyl. The USA is the only country where styrene is really an issue. Everywhere else, it was mostly just used for children's records, if at all.
I have only come across two different LP issues that I can recall being on this material that is much more commonly seen on 45s. This was a sealed copy of a Red Bird album on the dreaded styrene. .
Columbia/Harmony is often made of that stuff. The $$$$$ collectible Jazz label Transition was also styrene.
My Columbia/Harmony records are all vinyl. Reissues of older titles right, I think my Everly Brothers Christmas Album on Harmony is vinyl. Perhaps W.B. will chime in and tell us a bit about this Shangri-Las 65 album.
Two words on the Shangri-Las LP: Shelley Products. Doubtless on one side there's an embossed "X" in the deadwax. Pressed LP's in styrene from the 1950's up to '67 when they switched to vinyl for the 12" stuff. It was around this time that Shelley's LP label diameter shrunk from the 4" standard to 3.875". However, even their styrene LP's, up to '67, had the issue of labels falling off the records. (On a side note, Shelley's label typesetting in those days left a good deal to be desired.)
"In the late 1950's Harmony began experimenting with pressings on polystyrene......" http://www.bsnpubs.com/columbia/harmony/harmony7000.html
Actually, Columbia was pressing the occasional LP in polystyrene as early as 1952; I have a copy of the 10" LP Jerome Kern's "Roberta," "Lovely To Look At" pressed in styrene. Also in my collection are two styrene 10" LP's - one by Percy Faith, the other by Erroll Garner - in their 1955-56 CL 2500 "House Party" series. And the first Sing Along With Mitch album (on 12", natch') from 1958, oddly enough. So Columbia already had the means to produce styrene LP's at the point Harmony was relaunched as a budget label in 1957. (On such LP's, the label holes were 0.34375" diameter rather than the customary 0.28125" for vinyl pressings.)
Tale Spinners for Children, from United Artists. Are the fifties Deccalite pressings styrene? They seem like more brittle material than regular vinyl. I have seen Royale (fifties budget) 10" styrene.
Thicker square edge (not tapered) and not as shinn as vinyl, labels don't stick as flat or as well on some. Question for WB. Does this Shelley have any relation to the Shelley(or Shlley) found on some issues of The Rolling Stones Hot Rocks LP?
I have seen mention in another thread here that some Everest classical titles were pressed on styrene. I have a few LPs on this label, and I think most of them are on vinyl (but I haven't checked them all). I had no idea there was such a thing as a styrene record until I read it on this board. Were they only pressed in the USA?
Flick the rim of an LP with your finger,it goes "DONG" Yes they were only pressed in the USA. Limiting just to LPs here All American Decca LPs from roughly 1954-59 were styrene. Most of the independent budget label LPs of the late 50s were styrene Halo,Design,etc. Golden Crest were styrene As stated,some Columbia Harmony LPs of the late 50s were. Probably think of more
I have a Ventures on the Sunset label which I think is a reissue division of Imperial, but must have had a connection to Dolton in the bigger picture. I'll dig it out later. It's the only other 60s styrene LP in my collection. Just remembered now, early US Decca LPs were also that brittle "breakable" kind of pressings, not sure if they were styrene, but Buddy Holly on Coral would be a part of the MCA Decca family, I had an original Holly on pink label promo US Coral.
What are the guidelines for the type of stylus one should use on these styrene LPs? For example the Decca styrene, "Deccalite" (or whatever) seems a lot more robust than most of the cheaper stuff. Could Deccalite LPs be played with a microline or micro ridge stylus, or is damage certain to occur?
Yes, microline tips are said to be not the best choice for this type of record. But I have noticed something, I've needle dropped styrene 45s with a microline stylus, as well as that stone mint Shangri-Las LP, with a new tip and absolutely mint record, I had no issues at all. I've dropped some 45s that had minor wear already, and seen them shred to bits as the microline shaved them out a new groove. These records wear out fast regardless, a very slightly chipped or worn needle will total them out quickly regardless of the type of tip. Microline tips are higher risk in general with these records.
I have a bunch of Cameo-Parkway LPs,and never found any in styrene.They used three different companies,Monarch,Reco-Art,and Bell.Need to look to see who pressed most of mine.
I think the copy of the Gordon Jenkins/Marshall Royal LP on Everest I found recently is styrene, if I remember correctly...
Notice that Red Bird LP has no groove in label, deep or otherwise. The label area is totally flat which is odd even for styrene.
I have seen World Artists LP pressings on styrene as well as some Sunset and Harmony pressings. Harmony quit doing styrene pressings by the late 1950's.