Topic Records
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Topic Records is a British folk music label, which began as an offshoot of the Workers Music Association in 1939. They claim to be the oldest independent record label in the world.
In 1960 Topic Records separated from the Workers Music Association but those involved still had socialist credentials. Up to 1949 the composer Alan Bush was involved with choral and orchestral music released on the label. From about 1950 Ewan MacColl and A. L. Lloyd became heavily involved. One of the earliest albums of UK traditional music was "Street Songs and Fiddle Tunes of Ireland" by Margaret Barry and Michael Gorman, issued in 1958 on the Topic label. Financially, the company was in a precarious state until 1963 when they had substantial sales from the compilation album "The Iron Muse". They found ways of cramming music onto smaller records by issuing 7" LPs and 8" LPs running at a 33 1/3rpm speed rather than 45rpm. The label was very important in promoting folk artists such as A.L. Lloyd, Ewan MacColl, The Watersons and Shirley Collins. They issued many archival recordings of source singers. "The Voice of the People" was a 20-volume series sampling the earliest and greatest of Irish and UK folk singers.
The story of Topic Records is told in Michael Brocken's book "The British Folk Revival" (2003).
