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Advertising Archives

Posted on 9th April 202014th April 2020 by timp

We love old adverts, they look great, provide a fascinating window into the past and are great for researching and dating vintage items. The following galleries are intended to become a database of old adverts. If you are able to contribute to these galleries please get in touch.

BACK.

Furniture & Furnishings

Cool kitchens, fabulous front rooms and breathtaking bathrooms… you get the idea. All the best furniture, wallpapers, units and more.

218 Photos

Kitchen & Dining

Kitchen Equipment , Cookware & Dining

43 Photos

Women's Clothing

From high fashion to the latest trends. Women's clothing and accessories throughout the 20th century.

74 Photos

Men's Clothing

51 Photos

Haberdashery

Mostly (but not just!) Sylko's.

15 Photos

Electrical & Mechanical

Electrical and mechanical goods for every room. Hi-fi (& low-fi), watches, cameras, white goods and lots more.

145 Photos

Dating Sylko Cotton Reels

Posted on 22nd November 201822nd January 2020 by timp

We hope that this reference will help if you have vintage Sylko cotton reels that you are keen to date. Confirming an exact date for any specific cotton reel is difficult if not impossible, however the labels did change over time and by comparing these to contemporary adverts etc. it has been possible to identify time periods where different reels were on sale. We don’t claim that this is 100% accurate and it is very much a work in progress, if you can help us with different label designs or further information then please get in touch.

If you are interested in the different colour threads and their numbers then please check our list of thread colours and of course we have some for sale, check here.

Note most threads appear to have came in both No 40 and No 50 weights. Number 40 was described as for “general requirements” and is the most common. Number 50 was described as a “…finer thread suitable for stitching the most dainty and delicate fabrics…” The red and the blue print were reversed on the No 50 on most labels.

In the following we will refer to the label with the three shells design as the front/top and the label with the colour name and number as the rear.

Pre Sylko

The above were all produced by John Dewhurst & Sons Ltd. We believe these styles were in use in the early 20th century (certainly in 1926) but they may have actually predated the classic Sylko brand labels too.

On each example the top and bottom labels are shown above and below each other. Note all of the top labels identify the spools are prepared for the Singer sewing machine. Singer machines were introduced in 1851 and were the most successful make of the newly introduced sewing machines. Note all of the spools illustrated are of varying sizes, we’ve identified their specific sizes in the image captions.

The first Sylko branded labels

This front label dates back to at least 1909 though may have been used earlier and was used well in to the 1930’s.

Note the town of Skipton (the base for Dewhust & Sons Ltd) is printed on the D.257 illustration. On later versions this was replaced with the text: “Made in Gt. Britain” and “Fast Dye” as shown on the D.23 illustration.

The thread weight appears on the rear label and not on the front as it did on subsequent designs. On this label type the No 40 weight was printed in gold and the No 50 in blue.

The second Sylko branded label

This front design was in use by 1938 (the previous style was still being used in adverts in 1937) and was used until the mid to late 1950’s. This still includes the words “Silk Substitute” and a thread weight is now given at the bottom of the front label.

We have placed the rear labels in the order they were probably used (though there was in all likelihood some crossover). The first two type (D.137 and D.274) don’t give a colour name whereas D.136 etc. do. D.117 introduces the Sylko brand logo on the reverse label. D.235 is an early example of the L^D acronym being dropped and D.125 was probably the last style that was used with this front label design as it went on to be used with the next type as well (see below).

D.274 is a larger reel with the front label showing 24/36 on the front image (we don’t know why two thread weights are apparently being given). Note rear label is in black with gold print, it gives the spool weight as opposed to a length – 1 ounce (28.3 grammes).

We have found both the D.136 and the D.117 style labels on small size (2.4cm high) reels, these were, we believe, produced in the war years as a result of drives to reduce the use of raw materials (wood in this case).

The third style

This front design was introduced between 1954 and 1958 and was probably used until the early 70’s. This featured on both wooden and plastic bobbins (the latter certainly by 1971 and possibly a little earlier). Note the words “Silk Substitute” have been dropped. This style of label was also issued on larger reels with a 36 weight.

For the rear label there were a couple of different labels used on standard size wooden reels, note the second one illustrated (D.305) includes British Standard B.S. 3418-61 which was for Domestic sewing threads (cotton and linen) and was introduced on the 25/9/61. The D.123 illustration seems to be the earliest rear label used on plastic reels though D.460 shows that it was occasionally used for wooden ones too.

And finally on plastic reels only…

This front label was used on plastic bobbins only. It was in use by 1973. Note the use of grey ink instead of blue on the top images (the No50 weight came in the blue as well as grey).

There were two distinct types of bottom label used, the one with the broader band came first and was similar, but not the same, as the style shown on the previous type. This was later changed to the thin band example (D314/D274), both types dropped the point after the D in the thread number. Note that on illustrations for D314 and D274 the order of the metric and imperial measurements has changed, this probably occurred in the second half of the 1970’s.

Dewhurst’s Sylko Thread Colours

Posted on 7th August 20186th February 2020 by timp

Dewhurst & Son’s produced the Sylko range of machine twist cotton, the most popular range of cottons used in the UK. The iconic Sylko label is instantly recognisable as a symbol of quality and the wonderful colours and evocative names given to the threads mean that there are many vintage and haberdashery enthusiasts who now collect the original cotton reels.

There were around 600 colours produced, originally on wooden bobbins (up to the 1960’s) and then on plastic ones (in the 70’s and 80’s). We only own a fraction of these but thought it would be worthwhile to illustrate these in a gallery for other collectors. This gallery concentrates on the bobbins produced up to the early 80’s as we don’t collect the very last types.

You can also scroll down for a fully sortable list of Sylko colors and a downloadable PDF list.

Sylko label designs changed over time, please see our other page for information on dating different Sylko label types.

Thread Numbers & Colours

(click on the image)

White

White (2)

White

White (1)

Black

D.45 Turkey Red Shade

D.45 Turkey Red

D45 Turkey Red

D.46 Ruby

D.122 Ivy Green (1) (1)

D161 Extra Dark Brown

D.187 Dk. Green Slate

D.205 Lt. Pomegranate

D.205 LT. Pomegranate

D.258 Golden Cinnamon

D.300 Japonica

D300 Japonica

D.302 Biskra

D.305 Erin Green

D.306 Gladiole Red

D306 Gladiole Red

D.308 Light Apple Green

D.359 Mist Blue

D362 Gun Metal

D.366 Oriental Poppy

D.386 Buckingham Lilac

D.387 Dk. Juniper

D.387 Dk Juniper

D.389 Dk. Petrol Blue

D.418 LT. Kingfisher

D.418 Lt Kingfisher

D.421 Radiant Blue (1)

Presenting the “full” Sylko list

Here is the full list of Sylko colors (full but not complete – this is a work in progress). We have physically seen all of the listed colours unless there is a (?) against the name in which case these are unconfirmed. Similarly the Y indicates a confirmed wood or plastic wheel.
Updated 20/2/19

Download the full list as a PDF

No	Colour name	Wood	Plastic
	White	Y	Y
	Black	Y	Y
D1	Very Light Blue	Y	Y
D2	Sky Blue	y	Y
D3	Light Blue	Y	Y
D4	Mid Blue	Y	Y
D5	Forget-Me-Not	Y	Y
D6	Bright Blue	Y	Y
D7	Napoleon	Y	Y
D8	Royal Blue	Y	Y
D9	Sapphire	Y	Y
D10	Light Navy	Y	Y
D11	Mid Navy	Y	Y
D12	Navy	Y	Y
D13	Dark Navy	Y	Y
D14	Black	Y
D15	White	Y
D16	Light Cream	Y	Y
D17	Straw	Y	Y
D18	Dark Green Slate(?)
D19	Mid Yellow	Y	Y
D20	Yellow	Y	Y
D21	Gold	Y	Y
D22	Lilac	Y	Y
D23	Light Mauve	Y	Y
D24	Mauve	Y	Y
D25	Violet	Y	Y
D26	Linen	Y	Y
D27	Linen Drab	Y	Y
D28	Bedford Drab	Y	Y
D29	Peacock	Y	Y
D30	Emerald	Y
D31	Dark Emerald	Y
D32	Verdigris	Y	Y
D33	Myrtle	Y	Y
D34	Dark Myrtle	Y	Y
D35	Grass Green	Y	Y
D36	Light Pink	Y	Y
D37	Pink	Y	Y
D38	Dark Pink (?)
D39	Rose	Y
D40	Geranium	Y	Y
D41	Cerise	Y	Y
D42	Heliotrope	Y	Y
D43	Light Scarlet	Y	Y
D44	Scarlet	Y	Y
D45	Turkey Red Shade/Turkey Red	Y/-	-/Y
D46	Ruby	Y	Y
D47	Light Cardinal	Y	Y
D48	Crimson	Y
D49	Marone	Y
D50	Eau-De-Nil	Y	Y
D51	Light Olive	Y	Y
D52	Mid Olive	Y	Y
D53	Dark Olive	Y	Y
D54	Moss Green	Y	Y
D55
D56	Green	Y	Y
D57	Cambridge Blue	Y	Y
D58	Turquoise/Majolica Blue	Y/Y	-/Y
D59	Gobelin	Y	Y
D60	Salmon Pink	Y	Y
D61	Coral	Y	Y
D62	Light Fuchsia	Y
D63	Silver Grey	Y	Y
D64	Light Cornflower	Y	Y
D65	Cornflower	Y	Y
D66	Electric	Y
D67
D68	Light Blue Green	Y	Y
D69	Reseda	Y	Y
D70	Light Gold Brown	Y	Y
D71	Light Grey	Y
D72	Grey	Y	Y
D73	Light Slate	Y	Y
D74	Slate	Y	Y
D75	Dark Slate	Y
D76	Light Blue Slate	Y	Y
D77	Mid Blue Slate	Y	Y
D78	Blue Slate	Y
D79	Dark Blue Slate	Y	Y
D80
D81	Stone Drab	Y	Y
D82	Light Fawn Drab	Y
D83	Fawn Drab (?)
D84	Olive Drab	Y
D85	Light Seal Brown	Y	Y
D86	Seal Brown	Y	Y
D87	Mid Seal Brown	Y	Y
D88	Dark Seal Brown	Y	Y
D89
D90	Light Fawn	Y
D91	Fawn	Y	Y
D92	Mid Brown	Y	Y
D93	Rich Brown	Y	Y
D94	Chocolate	Y	Y
D95	Light Dove	Y	Y
D96	Dove	Y	Y
D97	Mid Bedford Drab	Y	Y
D98	Hair Brown	Y
D99
D100
D101	Sage	Y	Y
D102	Dark Violet	Y
D103	Light Old Gold	Y	Y
D104	Light Terra Cotta	Y
D105
D106
D107	Light Emerald	Y	Y
D108
D109	Very Dark Slate	Y
D110	Sevres Blue	Y
D111	Bright Navy	Y	Y
D112	Very Dark Brown	Y	Y
D113	Tangerine	Y	Y
D114
D115	Dark Golden Brown	Y	Y
D116	Champagne	Y	Y
D117	Light Reseda	Y	Y
D118	Silver Slate	Y	Y
D119	Amethyst	Y
D120	Red Blue	Y	Y
D121	Pale Pink	Y	Y
D122	Ivy Green	Y	Y
D123	Mid Green/Spruce	Y/-	Y/Y
D124	Dark Green	Y	Y
D125	Dark Ruby	Y	Y
D126	Viola	Y
D127	Blue Violet	Y	Y
D128	Mulberry (?)/Mid Green(?)	Y
D129	Wine	Y	Y
D130	Burgundy	Y
D131	Light Crimson	Y
D132	Mid Crimson	Y
D133	Rich Crimson	Y	Y
D134	Dark Helio	Y
D135	Petunia	Y
D136	Claret	Y
D137	Dark Reseda	Y
D138	Red Violet(?)
D139	Light Clematis	Y	Y
D140	Lotus Blue	Y	Y
D141	Saxe Blue	Y	Y
D142	Dark Sapphire	Y	Y
D143	Wedgwood	Y
D144	Marine Blue	Y	Y
D145	EX Dark Navy	Y	Y
D146	Cream	Y	Y
D147	Light Cardinal(?)
D148	Light Kingfisher (?)
D149
D150
D151
D152
D153
D154
D155
D156	Very Dark Beaver	Y
D157
D158
D159
D160	Red Fawn	Y	Y
D161	Ex Dark Brown	Y	Y
D162	Cinnamon	Y	Y
D163	Very Dark Turquoise	Y	Y
D164	Ex Dark Myrtle	Y
D165	Ivory	Y	Y
D166	Dark Mole	Y	Y
D167	Very Dark Blue Slate	Y
D168	Dark Elephant	Y	Y
D169	Kingfisher	Y	Y
D170	Copper Beech	Y
D171	Romany Brown	Y	Y
D172
D173
D174	Rich Purple(?)	Y
D175	Pale Rose	Y	Y
D176	Clover	Y	Y
D177	Light Cactus Blue	Y
D178	Cactus Blue	Y	Y
D179	Light Burgundy	Y
D180	Mid Burgundy	Y
D181	Very Dark Navy	Y	Y
D182	Dark Royal Blue	Y	Y
D183	Dark Olive Drab	Y	Y
D184	Very Dark Peacock	Y
D185	Light Marone	Y
D186	Green Slate	Y
D187	Dark Green Slate	y
D188	Elephant	Y	Y
D189	Light Antelope	Y	Y
D190	Antelope	Y	Y
D191	Peach Bloom	Y
D192	Dark Saxe Blue	Y	Y
D193	Mid Sage	Y	Y
D194	Dark Moss Green	Y	Y
D195	Mid Fawn	Y
D196	Light Cinnamon	Y	Y
D197	Red Cinnamon	Y	Y
D198	Red Brown	Y	Y
D199	Pale Salmon	Y	Y
D200
D201
D202	Khaki	Y	Y
D203	Light Gobelin/Pacific Blue		Y/Y
D204	Mid Gobelin	Y	Y
D205	Light Pomegranate	Y	Y
D206	Pomegranate	Y	Y
D207	Dark Terra Cotta	Y
D208	Dark Lilac	Y	Y
D209	Mid Petunia	Y
D210	Light Beaver
D211		Y
D212	Dark Beaver	Y
D213	Light Mole	Y
D214	Mid Mole	Y
D215	Mole	Y	Y
D216	Emerald Green	Y	Y
D217	Ni**er/Deep Brown	Y/Y	-/Y
D218	Dark Bottle Green	Y
D219	Dark Steel Blue		Y
D220	Army Khaki	Y
D221	Light Parma	Y
D222	Parma	Y
D223	Light Rose Du Barri	Y
D224	Rose Du Barri	Y
D225	Light Green Blue	Y	Y
D226	Green Blue(?)
D227	Light Mignonette	Y
D228
D229	Dark Claret	Y	Y
D230
D231	Nankeen	Y	Y
D232	Jade Green	Y	Y
D233	Bright Violet	Y	Y
D234	Red Salmon	Y
D235	Flamingo	Y	Y
D236	Rust Red	Y	Y
D237	Light Petunia	Y	Y
D238	Dark Jade	Y	Y
D239	Chinese Green	Y	Y
D240	Peacock Green	Y	Y
D241	Silver Drab (?)
D242	Grey Slate	Y
D243	Bright Saxe	Y	Y
D244	Dark Gobelin	Y	Y
D245	Dark Petunia	Y	Y
D246	Dark Salmon	Y	Y
D247	Lemon	Y	Y
D248
D249	Bright Peacock	Y
D250	Dark Hair Brown/Burnt Oak(?)	Y/-	-/Y
D251	Darkest Slate	y	Y
D252	Light Beech Brown/Beech	Y/-	Y/Y
D253	Beech Brown	Y	Y
D254	Terra Cotta	Y
D255	Blue Green	Y	Y
D256	Fuchsia	Y	Y
D257	Almond Green	Y	Y
D258	Golden Cinnamon	Y	Y
D259	Salmon Red	Y	Y
D260	Flame	Y	Y
D261	Camellia	Y	Y
D262
D263	Light Copper	Y
D264	Dutch Blue	Y	Y
D265	Corn	Y	Y
D266	Caramel	Y	Y
D267	Nutmeg	Y	Y
D268	Light Copper Beech	Y	Y
D269	Chartreuse	Y	Y
D270	Crocus Blue	Y	Y
D271	Rosewood	Y
D272	Filbert	Y	Y
D273	Shrimp	Y
D274	Sandalwood	Y	Y
D275	Pimpernel(?)
D276	Bronze	Y
D277	Rose Beige	Y
D278	Sand	Y	Y
D279	Sugar Cane	Y	Y
D280	Harvest	Y
D281	Atmosphere(?)
D282	Tinsel Silver	Y	Y
D283	Flesh	Y	Y
D284	Biscuit	Y	Y
D285	Tea Rose	Y
D286	Peach	Y	Y
D287	Dark Shrimp	Y	Y
D288	Dark Dove	Y	Y
D289	Lido Blue	Y
D290	Dark Lido Blue	Y
D291	Mayonnaise	Y	Y
D292	Orchid	Y
D293	Wisteria(?)
D294	Cocoa Brown	Y	Y
D295	Cocoa	Y
D296	Old Gold	Y	Y
D297	Lime Green	Y	Y
D298	Light Cocoa	Y	Y
D299	Light Lilac	Y	Y
D300	Japonica	Y	Y
D301	Cyclamen	Y	Y
D302	Biskra	Y
D303	Plum	Y
D304	Steel	Y	Y
D305	Erin Green	Y	Y
D306	Gladiole Red	Y	Y
D307	Wild Rose(?)
D308	Light Apple Green	Y	Y
D309	Light Lime Green	Y	Y
D310	Dark Eau-De-Nil	Y	Y
D311	Sunrise	Y	Y
D312	Light Pimpernel	Y	Y
D313		Y
D314	Spring Green	Y	Y
D315	Melba	Y	Y
D316	Cork	Y	Y
D317	Brunette	Y
D318	Dark Peal Grey/Oyster	Y/-	-/Y
D319	Pearl Grey	Y
D320	Light Orchid	Y
D321	Mid Orchid/Orchid	Y/-	Y/Y
D322	Coral Pink	Y	Y
D323	Dark Lovebird	Y	y
D324	Hunters Green	y	Y
D325	Carmine	Y	Y
D326	Lupin	Y
D327	Parma Violet	Y	Y
D328	Mustard	Y	Y
D329	Mid Emerald	Y
D330	Satin Skin	Y
D331	Ice Blue	Y
D332	Saffron	Y	Y
D333	Shadow Beige	Y	Y
D334	Burnt Ash	Y
D335	Sable Squirrel	Y	Y
D336
D337	Morocco Red	Y	Y
D338	Pastel Green	Y
D339	Mustard Gold	Y	Y
D340	Frog Green	Y	Y
D341	Muscatel	Y
D342	Kangaroo	y	Y
D343	Sea Mist	Y
D344	Duck Egg Blue	Y	Y
D345	Leaf Mould	Y	Y
D346	Peach Rose	Y	Y
D347	Marina Green	Y	Y
D348	Mahogany	Y
D349	Jubilee	Y	Y
D350
D351	Stone White	Y	Y
D352	Rifle Green	Y
D353	Capri	Y	Y
D354
D355	Vintage	Y
D356	Honey Gold	Y	Y
D357	Sea Blue	Y	Y
D358	Azure	Y	Y
D359	Mist Blue	Y	Y
D360	Steel Blue	Y
D361	Indigo	Y
D362	Gun Metal	Y	Y
D363	Powder Pink(?)/Light Copper Wood
D364	Shell Pink	Y
D365	Military Scarlet (?)
D366	Oriental Poppy	Y	Y
D367	Silver Sand	Y	Y
D368
D369	Dark Beige	Y	Y
D370	Buff	Y	Y
D371
D372	Beige Pink	Y	Y
D373	Tan Bark	Y
D374	Acacia	Y
D375	Dark Lime Green	Y	Y
D376	Dark Leaf Green	Y	Y
D377	Henna	Y	Y
D378
D379
D380	Whortleberry	Y
D381
D382
D383
D384
D385	St. James Rose	Y
D386	Buckingham Lilac	Y
D387	Dark Juniper	Y	Y
D388	Petrol Blue(?)
D389	Dark Petrol Blue	Y	Y
D390	Dahlia	Y
D391	Banana	Y	Y
D392	Firenze Blue	Y
D393	Hyacinth	Y
D394	Parrot Grey	Y	Y
D395	Bracken	Y	Y
D396	Chrysant Red	Y
D397
D398	Cygnet	Y
D399	Silver Pine	Y	Y
D400
D401	Air Force Blue	Y
D402	Admiralty Blue	Y
D403	W.V.S. Green	Y
D404	W.V.S. Ruby	Y
D405	W.L.A. Green	Y
D406	SP. Wistaria	Y
D407	Service Khaki	Y	Y
D408	Solent	Y
D409	Frost Green	Y	y
D410	Smoke Grey	Y	Y
D411	Dark Smoke Grey	Y	Y
D412	Graphite	Y	Y
D413	Lagoon Blue	Y	Y
D414	Jasmine Yellow	Y	Y
D415	Fiesta Pink	Y	Y
D416	Frivolous Pink	Y	Y
D417	Gay Kingfisher	Y	Y
D418	Light Kingfisher	Y	Y
D419
D420	Wild Orchis	Y
D421	Radiant Blue	Y	Y
D422	Turquoise (see also D58)	Y	Y
D423	Mink	Y	Y
D424	Scarlet Glow	Y	Y
D425	Freesia Pink	Y	Y
D426	Monaco Blue	Y	Y
D427	Blue Haze	Y	Y
D428	Citron	Y	Y
D429	Jadestone/Winter Sea	Y/-	-/Y
D430
D431
D432
D433	Lemon Frost	Y
D434	Orange Lily	Y	Y
D435	Iced Orange	Y	Y
D436	Lime Tint	Y	Y
D437	Aquatone	Y	Y
D438	Blue Jade	Y	y
D439	Bitter Lime	Y	Y
D440	Pink Lilac	Y	Y
D441	Grey Dusk	Y
D442	Venetian Red	Y	Y
D443	Honey Beige		Y
D444	Harebell Tint	Y	Y
D445	Royal Gleam		Y
D446	Cool Turquoise	Y	Y
D447	Parrot Blue	Y	Y
D448	Mallard Green		Y
D449	Festive Orange	Y	Y
D450	Gay Green	Y	Y
D451	Jewel Green	Y	Y
D452	Magenta	Y	Y
D453	Deep Amethyst	Y	Y
D454	Oriental Jade	Y
D455	Autumn Rust	Y	Y
D456	Green Plume	Y	Y
D457	Pink Jeunesse	Y	Y
D458	Astral Gold		Y
D459	Blue Crest		Y
D460	Orange Azalea	Y	Y
D461	Coffee		Y
D462	Blue Pearl		Y
D463	Jade Glow		Y
D464	Coral Flair		Y
D465	Sandstone	Y
D466	Gay Yellow		Y
D467	Gaiety Blue		Y
D468	Silver Frost(?)		y
D469	Wineberry		Y
D470	Camel		Y
D471	Indian Curry		Y
D472	Spectrum Blue		Y
D473	Soft Jade(?)
D474	Crisp Jade(?)
D475	Silver Ghost or Cloud(?)		Y
D476	Mandarina		Y
D477	Wild Rose	Y
D478	Deep Sea Green(?)
D479	Surf Blue	Y
D480	Cedar Green (?)
D481	Classic Gold		Y
D482	Coral Mist		Y
D483	Wedgwood Blue		Y
D484	Persian Rose		Y
D485	Crystal Rose (?)
D486	Wild Lilac		Y
D487	Ember Rust(?)		Y
D488	Royal Purple		Y
D489	Blue Glory		Y
D490	Pink Heather		Y
D491	Lilac Spray		Y
D492	Bronze Moss(?)
D493	Crystal Violet(?)
D494
D495	Bunting Blue (?)
D496
D497	Denim Blue		Y

J&G Meakin Studio Patterns

Posted on 28th May 201712th February 2019 by timp

This list is intended to help collectors and buyers identify the different patterns in the J&G Meakin Studio range, we’ve illustrated the coffee pots as these are the most collectible and popular. As in excess of 100 different patterns exist the ones photographed here are just a start and we’ve a long way to go before we feature them all! If you can help us by supplying photographs of any of the patterns not featured then please get in touch.

We have lot’s of Studio coffee pots and other ceramics in these wonderful patterns for sale at RetroSpectro, see them all here.

If you love these patterns and are on facebook then why not join the excellent J&G Meakin Collectors And Sellers Group.

This page would not have been possible without the bible of all things J&G Meakin: J&G Meakin Pottery: History In The Making by Chris Marks. Whilst not currently in print this book is a great resource for everyone with an interest in the designs and patterns produced by this famous pottery.

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Black Echoes

Posted on 7th January 20177th January 2017 by timp

Black Echoes started out in early 1976 as a weekly paper dedicated to all forms of black music. In a world before the internet printed magazines and papers were the main source of news for music lovers and mainstream music papers such as NME and Melody Maker enjoyed significant sales. Black Echoes wasn’t the first UK publication to feature black music as two magazines got there first: The monthly Black Music from 1973 and the fortnightly Blues & Soul (originally Home Of The Blues) from 1967. The difference with Black Echoes was that being a weekly paper and having a larger newspaper format meant that there was far more up to date content and there was just a lot more of it.

Right from the start there was significant space given to soul, reggae, funk, northern soul, jazz, blues, disco and so on. There were front page portraits of artists, pages of charts, interviews and biographies, live reviews, single and LP reviews. Even the adverts both big and small are fascinating, be it a full page advert for a Trojan or Motown LP or little corner page advert for a northern soul all-niter or a reggae sound system clash.

So if you are a serious student of music, a fan who just wants to read about how it happened as it happened, or you just want a great advert or cover to frame on your wall, original copies of Black Music are superb.

We have lot’s of early copies of Black Echoes for sale at Retrospectro, see them all here.

If you buy 10 or more copies we’ll give you a 10% discount before postage (pay the full amount and we’ll refund the difference or contact us with a list of the issues you want and we’ll send you a paypal invoice for the correct amount).