LONDON OZ Labels and Company Sleeves 1955-1988
HL 1022 - sep 1955
HL 1029 - sep 1955
HL 1030 - sep 1955
No 7XLON matrix on label
HL 1115 - jun  1957
to
HL 1199 - 1957
7XLON matrix on label
HL 1201 - 1957
to
HL 1665 - 1960
HL 1666 - 1960
to
1972
The Australian arm of UK Decca started in Australia in the 1950’s distributing 78’s on hard to read pink labels by Aust Record Co (CBS). London moved to EMI about 1955 when it got it’s familiar black label. 45’s appeared around 1957 on the dark blue label. Some were released simultaneously on the black label. By 1958 the black label was made permanent up to the takeover by Polygram in the 1980’s. Minor changes to the labels were made over the years mainly on the colour of print (from gold to silver) and in 1961 they were better pressed as prior to that the HI FI wasn’t exactly HI. In fact the 78’s were better. Being a distributor label (no one ever recorded for London) distributing material from all major & minor US labels it seemed every second record in Australia was issued on London. Nearly all the classic Rock’n’Roll records were on London, so in Australia it wouldn’t be unusual to find a collector with stacks of London records. Unlike the UK & NZ counterparts the prefix (HL) remained the same from the first EMI 78 till the last EMI 45. The only differences were 78’s were 78-HL and 45’s to 1959 was 45-HL. The 45 was dropped after 78’s were dropped in 1958.
 
London Atlantic
London Dot
1962
to
1970
1962
1962
1970
to
1973
1973
to
1978
Label discontinued
1983
to
1988
882 016 - 1984
Cat.no. left
886 361 - 1988
Cat.no. right
Range
Front
Back
Details
No 1 a
HL 1022 - 1955
to
.
 Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 1 b
.
to
HL 1205 - 1957
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 2
HL 1205 - 1957
to
.
 
 
   Cut straight  Plastic sleeve  
No 3
.
to
HL 2000 - 1962
   Cut straight  Plastic sleeve  
No 4 a
HL 2000 - 1962
to
.
"LONDON" centered
in white band
Artists
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 4 b
.
to
.
"LONDON" centered
in white band
Artists
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 5
.
to
1965
"LONDON" high
in white band
Artists - thinner fonts
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 6
1965
to
.
"LONDON" high
in white band
Use "CLENDISC"
   Cut straight   Inside glued  
No 7
.
to
.
"LONDON" centered
in white band
Vertical lines
Use "CLENDISC"
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 8 a
.
to
.
"LONDON" high
in white band
Use "CLENDISC"
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 8 b
.
to
1968
"LONDON" high
in white band
Use "CLENDISC"
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 9
1968
to
1969
 
   Cut straight - cut corners  Inside glued  
No 10
1969
to
.
   Cut straight - cut corners  Inside glued  
No 11
.
to
1973
   Cut straight/notch  Glued bottom/right  
1983 - Label revived by PolyGram
No 13
1983
to
.
 
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 14
.
to
1985
 
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 15
1985
to
1988
   Cut straight  Inside glued