BBC record labels


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Below is a list of all BBC record label examples on one page. The code letters above the image are used on all my pages to indicate which label each release I have actually has. You can now click on each one to get more information, plus which releases has that label.
   

Singles

The 'main' BBC singles label has the greatest number of different labels of any other. Some of these loosely matched their big brother release, the album label, but not all! Compare these to the albums below to confirm! Note that the releases released in non-UK countries usually have their own label design, but normally kept the record cover design. Like other sections, the sound effects and transcription discs were never released commercially to the public.

BBC - RESLA
View Singles label picture A.
1970-1971
B
View Singles label picture B.
1971-1973
C
View Singles label picture C.
1973
BBC - RESLD
View Singles label picture D.
1973-1976
E
View Singles label picture E.
1976-1984
F
View Singles label picture F.
1984-1988
BBC - RESLG
View Singles label picture G.
1986-1987
H
View Singles label picture H.
1988-1989
I
View Singles label picture I.
1989-1990
BBC - RESL!
View Singles label picture !.
1982
~
View Singles label picture ~.
1986
@
View Singles label picture @.
1986
BBC - RESL=
View Singles label picture =.
1987-1989
BBC - BBC Radio Collection-ISBN1
View Singles label picture 1.
1974-1976
2
View Singles label picture 2.
1976-1981
BBC - Language-OPO
View Singles label picture O.
Q
View Singles label picture Q.
BBC - English Traditional songs - ETSK
View Singles label picture K.
1960
BBC - Sound effects-EC$
View Singles label picture $.
&
View Singles label picture &.
BBC - Sound effects-ECS^
View Singles label picture ^.
BBC - Transcription Service - CNZ
View Singles label picture Z.
BBC - AustralianC
View Singles label picture C.
BBC - Dutch6
View Singles label picture 6.
5
View Singles label picture 5.
BBC - GermanM
View Singles label picture M.
1975-1986
BBC - New Zealand3
View Singles label picture 3.
C
View Singles label picture C.
BBC - PolishP
View Singles label picture P.
BBC - SpanishJ
View Singles label picture J.
BBC - USX
View Singles label picture X.
All years
  

10 inch

These records were not released to the general public and only used in house at the BBC or exported to foreign radio stations for the Transciption Discs. Some however have escaped into my collection ...

BBC - English Traditional songs - ETSK
View 10 inch label picture K.
1960
BBC - Sound effects-ECS^
View 10 inch label picture ^.
$
View 10 inch label picture $.
&
View 10 inch label picture &.
BBC - Sound effects-ECS
BBC - Transcription Service - OthersT
View 10 inch label picture T.
Z
View 10 inch label picture Z.
~
View 10 inch label picture ~.
BBC - Transcription Service - Others   

12 inch singles

The most unusual thing about the twelve inches in BBC - 12 RSL is the first label. The single version of this had stopped being used in 1973. Instead, this comes from the albums one which continued to be used until 1984. The other releases follow the singles label as shown above.

BBC - 12 RSLA
View 12 inch singles label picture A.
1983
B
View 12 inch singles label picture B.
1984-1986
C
View 12 inch singles label picture C.
1987-1988
BBC - 12 RSLD
View 12 inch singles label picture D.
1990
=
View 12 inch singles label picture =.
1990
BBC - GermanM
View 12 inch singles label picture M.
1986
  

16 inch

These records were not released to the general public and only used in house at the BBC or exported to foreign radio stations for the Transciption Discs. Some however have escaped into my collection ...

BBC - Transcription Service - OthersT
View 16 inch label picture T.
S
View 16 inch label picture S.
 

78's

These records were not released to the general public and only used in house at the BBC or exported to foreign radio stations for the Transciption Discs. Some however have escaped into my collection ...

BBC - Sound effects-ECS$
View 78's label picture $.
X
View 78's label picture X.
^
View 78's label picture ^.
BBC - Sound effects-ECS&
View 78's label picture &.
  

CD singles

The first CD single wasn't released in the UK, only in Holland. It took another 12 years before one was released in the UK! Note the earlier ones were a smaller size. This allowed them to be played in smaller players like the later Sony Walkman. They then had an (as seen) attachment which allowed them to be used in standard size CD players.

BBC - CD RSLA
View CD singles label picture A.
1985
B
View CD singles label picture B.
1997
C
View CD singles label picture C.
1988-1991
BBC - CD RSL   

Albums

The first catalogue released by the BBC to the public on it's own label were the OP foreign language couses, you could only get them by ordering them direct from the BBC in the early 1960s. As time passed, so the 'main' catalogue followed in 1967. The early releases appeared originally it seems as a test as they didn't even have picture covers! Note that the releases released in non-UK countries usually have their own label design, but normally kept the record cover design. Some album labels had a unique design, so these are singled out with a unique 'code' on this site.

Like other sections, the transcription discs, radio play records and others were never released commercially to the public in the format I have listed. Some have made it into my collection over the years.

BBC - RE*A
View Albums label picture A.
1967-1969
B
View Albums label picture B.
1969-1971
C
View Albums label picture C.
1971-1973
BBC - RE*D
View Albums label picture D.
1973-1984
E
View Albums label picture E.
1984-1986
F
View Albums label picture F.
1986-1989
BBC - RE*G
View Albums label picture G.
1989-1991
@
View Albums label picture @.
1984-1985
[
View Albums label picture [.
1984-1985
BBC - RE*&
View Albums label picture &.
1985
_
View Albums label picture _.
1986
2
View Albums label picture 2.
1986
BBC - RE*^
View Albums label picture ^.
1987
3
View Albums label picture 3.
1988
4
View Albums label picture 4.
1989
BBC - RE*
BBC - BBC$
View Albums label picture $.
1970-1989
L
View Albums label picture L.
1988
BBC - Super BEEB1
View Albums label picture 1.
1974-1981
BBC - Language-OPO
View Albums label picture O.
1963-1975
P
View Albums label picture P.
1972-1979
Q
View Albums label picture Q.
1979-1983
BBC - Language-OP
BBC - Prestige-PRECX
View Albums label picture X.
1990
BBC - Roundabout-RBTR
View Albums label picture R.
1969-1971
BBC - Gold Label-REGLY
View Albums label picture Y.
1967-1968
BBC - Study-RESRS
View Albums label picture S.
1969-1973
BBC - Transcription Service - CNZ
View Albums label picture Z.
Upto 1973
8
View Albums label picture 8.
1968
~
View Albums label picture ~.
From 1973
BBC - Transcription Service - CN
BBC - Radioplay Music - SRP / TSRPU
View Albums label picture U.
1974-1977
BBC - Radioplay Music - TAIRV
View Albums label picture V.
1978-1984
W
View Albums label picture W.
1984-1988
BBC - Transcription Service - OthersN
View Albums label picture N.
1982
BBC - AustralianD
View Albums label picture D.
1973
E
View Albums label picture E.
BBC - Canadian7
View Albums label picture 7.
BBC - Dutch5
View Albums label picture 5.
1972-1978
6
View Albums label picture 6.
BBC - GermanM
View Albums label picture M.
1972-1983
BBC - New ZealandD
View Albums label picture D.
BBC - SpanishJ
View Albums label picture J.
1981-1985
BBC - USD
View Albums label picture D.
  

Cassettes

Their are some cassette only releases in existance and there is an older paper label - however I no longer have any examples of these.

BBC - BBC Radio Collection and BBC Audio1
View Cassettes label picture 1.
  

CDs

To begin with CD's were just reissues of the Album version, towards the end of the run they were mostly only released on cassette and / or CD as vinyl sales declined significantly. The label (or picture on the disc) was very basic to start and didn't improve much over the entire run. The discs released by the Radio collection sections were unigue for each release, so these are shown as a - in the listings as there are not enough characters to give each one a different code.

BBC - BBCCDA
View CDs label picture A.
1981-1993
B
View CDs label picture B.
1980-1982
C
View CDs label picture C.
1991-1994
BBC - BBCCDD
View CDs label picture D.
1989-1990
E
View CDs label picture E.
1987
BBC - Sound effects-SFX$
View CDs label picture $.
1987-1997
  

Videos

I don't have many examples of videos now. The one shown is the original label. There were others later on.

BBC - BBCVA
View Videos label picture A.
1978
  

DVD's

To begin with the DVD label (or picture on the disc) was very basic to start. Later, the discs had a unigue design for each release, often having a similar picture to the cover. These are shown as a - in the listings as there are not enough characters to give each one a different code.

BBC - BBCDVDA
View DVD's label picture A.
1999-2001
  

Anything else

LaserDiscsA
View Anything else label picture A.