British company sleeve · British Homophone

Homochord Records: “Clear & Perfect Reproduction, British Manufacture”

A Homochord company sleeve with a catalogue side and an artistes side.

Dating at a glance

Printed: c. 1928 – 1930
In use: Late 1920s
Confidence: Medium for the D and HD series range. Low-medium for 1928 as the lower limit
Basis: The catalogue series listed, and the bandleader named on the artistes side

The sleeve

Brown paper printed in maroon, both sides with an arch lettered HOMOCHORD over a woman with a lyre and horn (Trade Mark), and below the hole RECORDS CLEAR & PERFECT REPRODUCTION BRITISH MANUFACTURE.

Catalogue side. One panel, Some Beautiful Orchestral Records, lists 12-inch HD numbers for the Homochord Symphony Orchestra, Jenö Fesca and His String Quartette, the Homochord Military Band and Lascelles and His String Orchestra. The other, Some Wonderful Recordings, lists 10-inch D numbers between about D 1076 and D 1242, including selections from The Desert Song (D 1119) and The Vagabond King (D 1120). Along the foot: Play your Records with Homochord Needles.

Artistes side. Two panels headed Some Artistes who make Homochord Records:

Emmy Bettendorf · Karin Branzell · Bjorn Talen · Reidar Kaas · Hardy Williamson · Leo Sirota · Jenö Fesca · Solloway · Gertrude Meller
Nat Star and His Dance Orchestra · Marius B. Winter’s Hotel Cecil Dance Band · Royal Horse Guards Blues · Melody Boys · Aeolian Players · Mayflower Quintette

Some small print is faint or creased in the photographs, so a few numbers are uncertain. No printer’s imprint is visible.

Brown Homochord sleeve printed in maroon with an arched Homochord trade mark and panels listing orchestral and other records. — Catalogue side. Select the image for a larger view.

Brown Homochord sleeve, the other side, with panels listing artistes who make Homochord records. — Artistes side.

The evidence

DocumentedThe D and HD series, late 1925 to 1930. From late 1925 Homochord 10-inch issues were prefixed D- and 12-inch HD-. The D series ended in 1930, and the label itself ended in 1934 (M. G. Thomas).
DocumentedNat Star. M. G. Thomas names Nat Star as British Homophone’s musical director in the period when it made its own recordings again, from 1928.
InferredSo, about 1928–1930. The D-series numbers give 1925–1930. The presence of Nat Star and His Dance Orchestra suggests 1928 or later. We have not checked when Star first recorded for Homochord.
InferredThe show selections (The Desert Song, The Vagabond King) fit the later 1920s. Not separately sourced.

Sources

M. G. Thomas, Homochord label page: http://www.mgthomas.co.uk/Records/LabelPages/Homochord.htm
M. G. Thomas, Sterno label page (Nat Star at British Homophone): http://www.mgthomas.co.uk/Records/LabelPages/Sterno.htm
University of Surrey, Early British disc record labels 1898–1926: H (Homochord): https://www.surrey.ac.uk/early-british-disc-record-labels-1898-1926/a-z/h

What we could not find

Release dates for D 1242 and the HD numbers. The CLPGS Homochord listing (Reference Series RS-27) should give them.
Nat Star’s first Homochord recording.

Researched 12 November 2026 from Simon’s photographs of that evening.