Do these "vinyls" have special names?

[raindropsies]

Never seen this type before, they are not English, see scans below for pictures. Do they have a special name? Sorry if a bit big
The tulip one and the rose one are both backed with cardboard, the others are a plastic type of flexi card

[raindropsies]

[raindropsies]

[SantasWonderland]

Never seen this type before, they are not English, see scans below for pictures. Do they have a special name? Sorry if a bit big
The tulip one and the rose one are both backed with cardboard, the others are a plastic type of flexi card

Hi Sarah
Glad to see your back, hope you're feeling better

Their called Flexidiscs, mainly given away with magazines or to fans belonging to the groups official fan club. Etc

Best wishes

[booksntings]

Hi Sara, they are sometimes described as "Polish" postacrds as most come from that area of the world. In the late seventies and early eighties lots were advertised in mags like NME and featured lots of the punk new wave type bands. Some of the ones from likes of Joy Division can fetch some serious money from collectors.


Cheers Mel

[booksntings]

This is more what the flexi discs that Santa is talking about,

[SantasWonderland]

The correct term is flexi disc postcards, but there still flexi discs, I have some nice ones of Striesand and the bee gees.

Heres some more polish ones found on the internet and you should also check out the russain ones as well.


Polish Flexi-Disc Postcards

Here are 6 pictures of the Polish flexi-disc postcards! At first glance, you wouldn't believe that these postcards have anything to do with Frank Zappa - but they are playable, even though the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. All the cards have the track title stamped on the back

Don't Eat the Yellow Snow (14.8x10.1cm)
Nanook Rubs It (14.9x10.3cm)
St Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast (14.8x10.3cm)
Father O'Blivion (14.8x10.4cm, tilted)
Excentrifugal Forz (14.6x10.2cm)
Cosmik Debris (14.6x10.2cm)

Unfortunately, there is nothing on the card to indicate when they were made; it doesn't even indicate that Polpress have anything to do with the cards, even though the Torchum books say so. The print on the back varies, and makes you wonder if they're all from the same company!

[SantasWonderland]

Just incase your interested Sarah.

History
The Earliest flexis we can locate are from the UK, they play at 78 RPM and date from the Mid 50s. their existence is pretty remarkable as the old 78 players used heavy needles that would probably carve up a flexi after just few plays! The Flexi came of age in the 60s with the sending out by The Beatles of annual fan club newsletters and Flexis at Christmas. Needless to say these are vert sought after today.

Flexis were widely used as promotional tools and magazine freebies over the next 30 years, Both NME and Melody Maker competed for readers by affixing Flexis to their covers with unreleased tracks and excerpts of music from various bands. The Flexi was not necessarily seen as a prestige item and rival magazines in the 80s made big play of their ability to substitute the flexi with conventional 7" singles, referred to as "Hard Vinyl"

The same technology allowed the pressing of postcard records. What better than to send home a full media package incorporating sights and sounds from your holiday destination! I remember once owning a "Royal Wedding talking postcard" with Charles and Diana peering out from behind the Grooves! the sound recording it's self was a rather turgid commentry with distant sounds of bells and cheering crowds.

After the Fall of the Iron Curtain countries in Eastern Europe were desperate to get new Western sounds to their listeners. Flexis and postcard records appeared in various countries as they were cheaper and easier to produce than conventional records. These postcards sported a strange selection of pictures, most bearing no relationship to the music. Check out this Excellent Swedish Zappa site for pictures of Polish and Russian postcard records.

By the Mid 90s the CD had usurped the Flexi as the cheapest way to get music on the cover of a magazine, with up to 80 minutes of digital quality music as oppose to 10 minutes of poor quality sound on a Flexi, this was one battle vinyl was unlikely to win!

Flexi production was ended in 2000 but have read the follow:

American based company Erika Records now states on its website, "Flexible Discs will be available from Erika Records beginning in 2010". Be interesting to see what they will release.


I also have some of the beatles flexi discs, and would love to get hold of one of the 78's

[raindropsies]

Many thanks to everyones input. It's been very informative.