A Look Back At Quality Records Ltd.

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A Look Back At Quality Records Ltd.

Postby Tape Splicer » Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:53 pm

I was looking through this section of "Radio West" and didn't find anything related to "Quality Records Ltd".
I started looking online and found the following item in "The Canadian Encyclopedia" .
I've reproduced the item here as a way of educating the casual reader to this site about our countries recording history. ....As I find more items I'll add to this post....

From: "The Canadian Encyclopedia"
""Quality Records Ltd.

Quality Records Ltd. Independent Canadian-owned record and tape manufacturing company active1950-85 in Toronto, initially under the direction of George Keane as vice-president and general manager, and latterly, 1975-85, of George Struth as president.
Quality Records Ltd.

Quality Records Ltd. Independent Canadian-owned record and tape manufacturing company active1950-85 in Toronto, initially under the direction of George Keane as vice-president and general manager, and latterly, 1975-85, of George Struth as president. It pressed and distributed various US lines in Canada, entering into a partnership (terminated in 1973) with the US company MGM and handling Buddah, Groove Merchant, Kama Sutra, and Mercury, among other labels. The company was the first in Canada to manufacture cassette and eight-track tapes. It also distributed such Canadian lines as its own Quality, Birchmount, and Celebration labels and the independent Broadland, Kanata, MWC (Music World Creations), and Reo labels. The company operated a New York office briefly in the mid-1970s.

Canadian artists to record for Quality included the Young Canada Singers (who made the hit version of 'CA-NA-DA'), the Beaumarks (whose 'Clap Your Hands' was an early Canadian rock hit in the USA in 1960), Andy de Jarlis, the early Guess Who, Albert Hall, Harmonium, the Haunted, the King Beezz, Jury, Ronn Metcalfe, Skip Prokop, Hank Smith, and Sweet Blindness, all in the pop field. Quality Records Ltd ceased operations in 1985, at which time its special products division was acquired by R-Tek Corp of Winnipeg. Among its myriad non-musical activities, Quality Special Products ('a division of Dino Music Ltd') has packaged compilations of pop recordings by Canadians (eg, Carroll Baker, the Spitfire Band) and international artists for TV sales. Quality was revived as a label for new recordings with the release in 1991 of an album by Dan Hill.""
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Re: A Look Back At Quality Records Ltd.

Postby Tape Splicer » Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:03 pm

Here is a link to a PDF file that also relates to "Quality Records Ltd"..... in great detail.

http://www.jerryosborne.com/canada.pdf
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Re: A Look Back At Quality Records Ltd.

Postby PicturesForYourEars » Fri Sep 19, 2014 1:27 am

What was the name of that little record pressing plant that used to be in Marpole? Anyone remember the address?
...LEFT PLACES I SHOULDA STAYED,
STAYED PLACES I SHOULDA LEFT...
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Re: A Look Back At Quality Records Ltd.

Postby radiofan » Fri Sep 19, 2014 7:17 am

PicturesForYourEars wrote:What was the name of that little record pressing plant that used to be in Marpole? Anyone remember the address?


That was I.R.C. and it was located in the 8600 or 8700 block of Selkirk Street.

There was also RADA Records that was located in Lake City (Burnaby).
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Re: A Look Back At Quality Records Ltd.

Postby YesterDaze » Fri Sep 19, 2014 8:58 am

When remembering local record companies Al Reusch's Aragon Records at 615 W. Hastings should not be forgotten. He must have sold several hundred thousand 78's back in the day, as detailed in this entry from BC Radio History.

http://bcradiohistory.radiowest.ca/Biog ... Reusch.htm
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Re: A Look Back At Quality Records Ltd.

Postby Tape Splicer » Fri Sep 19, 2014 9:49 am

I found this link to Canadian labels on "Global Dog Productions" web page ...
The list has other Canadian labels including "Quality Records". Each link reveals a list of Titles , artists, and disc information for each company. http://www.globaldogproductions.info/ca ... abels.html Here is a link to the main web page with links to Australian and British record labels. http://www.globaldogproductions.info/
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Re: A Look Back At Quality Records Ltd.

Postby Tape Splicer » Fri Sep 19, 2014 10:22 am

I have two records on the "Aragon" label sitting in a box some where.... One is of a school band from Jericho Hill School for the Blind featuring the school band and choir, recorded in 1955 or '56... the 78rpm recording has two tracks on each side... a little hard on the ears. The other recording is of the South Burnaby Secondary School Concert Band - recorded in 1967 This was a 12 inch LP .... The Aragon folks set up their gear in the Gym and recorded the band in a two hour session on a hot spring evening. This record still sounds great after all these years.
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