At the tail end of the 1950s, the Lyntone company obtained the license to manufacture
German-style postcard records and the US
Evatone Soundsheets.
Lyntone was originally
based at 46 Penton Street in Islington, and in 1970 expanded
their operations to much larger premises in Wedmore Street, Holloway N19.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the fully independent, family business, amassed an ever-increasing
work load as the nation’s manufacturers eagerly promoted their brands with its
very own audio recording on disc. There were slim profits in flexis, so it was
a matter of turning around as many units as possible.
By the late 1970s after the punk and independent record explosion, Lyntone began pressing more of
the traditional 7" & 12" vinyl, as bands would venture directly
to the Wedmore Street plant to get their DIY records pressed.
After three decades of producing millions of slimdiscs for thousands of
clients, Lyntone eventually called it a day in 1986. The CD revolution had
arrived - and inevitably this was the writing on the wall for the flexible
record.
No-one back then could have predicted the record revival of the 21st century!
Do check out the book 'Wobbly Sounds' by Jonny Trunk, which presents the wonderful cover art for Lyntone's flexidiscs. I wrote a short introduction tracing the story of the Lynton family who ran the operation. The following images are taken from a Lyntone catalogue kindly loaned to me by a family member.
