Nixa, Pye-Nixa & Pye label designs
Below are all known UK label designs for Nixa, Pye-Nixa and Pye catalogue sequences that included classical repertoire between the end of WW2 and the end of 1959. All sequences are mono, unless stated. All sequences concentrated singly on classical music, unless stated. All LPs labels shown are 12" unless stated.
The label began as Nixa, though was soon joined by the Pye electronics company, which entered into a joint label, Pye-Nixa, prior to the Nixa name being dropped altogether in around early 1959. Pye, as well as starting its own label, with its own catalogue sequences, also continued using the original Pye-Nixa catalogue sequences for repressings of earlier records.
The label began as Nixa, though was soon joined by the Pye electronics company, which entered into a joint label, Pye-Nixa, prior to the Nixa name being dropped altogether in around early 1959. Pye, as well as starting its own label, with its own catalogue sequences, also continued using the original Pye-Nixa catalogue sequences for repressings of earlier records.
Nixa 78s
The recordings on the 78 below were presumably licensed from the French Pacific label. The Nixa label design is a direct adaptation of the Pacific label and that company was named as Nixa's parent label in at least one advertisement in The Gramophone during 1950.
Nixa blue & white label design (B.Z. 21xx 12" sequence)
Nixa & Pye-Nixa LPs
All labels are the same, irrespective of which catalogue sequence (different sequences denote original US source label, e.g. WLP denotes Westminster Records). The NLP sequence represents recordings made specially for the Nixa label.
Nixa, red label design (NLP 12" prefix; all 10" sequence labels were identical)
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Pye-Nixa, red label design (NCL 12" prefix; all 10" sequence labels were identical)
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Pye-Nixa 7" SPs (Short Play)
The SP format, now better known as 'singles', was confusingly originally viewed as a Long Play format (i.e. stacked on an autochanger record player, as per earlier 78 'albums').
The Plum label series was a popular music sequence including occasional popular 'classics' - the 7" below is as close as it got. I have a soft spot for Eric Coates, hence its inclusion! It is likely that this also exists minus the Nixa logo as a Pye release, though still on the N (for Nixa) catalogue sequence.
The Plum label series was a popular music sequence including occasional popular 'classics' - the 7" below is as close as it got. I have a soft spot for Eric Coates, hence its inclusion! It is likely that this also exists minus the Nixa logo as a Pye release, though still on the N (for Nixa) catalogue sequence.
Original Plum Label series design (N. 15xxx sequence)
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Later Plum Label series design (N. 15xxx sequence)
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Pye-Nixa 7" EPs
Both the NEC sequence, as shown below, and the CEC 7" EP sequence, had the same label design and both, as per example, exist with Pye-Nixa and the later Pye-only designs. It is also likely that the CEM Pye EP label sequence (see the Pye 7" EPs section below) existed with both Pye-Nixa and Pye-only varieties.
Original Pye-Nixa Red Label series (NEC prefix; CEC prefix labels are identical)
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Later Pye-only Red Label series (NEC prefix; CEC prefix labels are identical)
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Pye label LPs
The Green Label series concentrated on the more popular end of the classical spectrum. Note that the difference in the shades of green below are down to scanner irregularities, rather than real differences in label colours (though differences are not unknown).
Red Label series (10" CTT sequence; 12" CCL sequence labels are identical)
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Red Label series (12" CSCL sequence; this is the stereo equivalent of the CCL sequence)
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Green Label series (CML prefix)
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Green Label series (CSML prefix; this is the stereo equivalent of the CML sequence)
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Pye 7" EPs
CEM sequence green label EPs almost certainly exist with earlier Pye-Nixa credits, though none has come to light yet. See also the Pye-Nixa 7" EPs section above for a later Pye-only EP on the previously Pye-Nixa NEC sequence.
The Green Label series concentrated on the more popular end of the classical spectrum.
The Green Label series concentrated on the more popular end of the classical spectrum.
Green Label series (CEM prefix)
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