P.R. Records Limited

UK record pressing plant founded by Phil Race in February 1979 with manufacturing commencing in October 1979. Records pressed at P.R. are fundamentally identifiable by unique pressing ring impressions (or see images), often in conjunction with a "PR-" type etching in the matrix/runout (plus additional letter(s) denoting the metalworker), e.g. CD (13), CED (21), CT (17), D (63), E (59), G (55), M (91), P (29), R (29), T (60). Peter Lawrence (PAG) is also known to have worked there. By 1986, P.R. operated six modified Toolex Alpha pressing machines. Some records, however, were pressed at different pressing plants using metalwork prepared at P.R. Records. In such case a "PR-" etching will be present but there will be different pressing ring impressions. Disctec Ltd., a sister company for CD production, opened their pressing plant in September 1986. In the late 1980s or early 1990s, CM Records acquired a majority stake in P.R. Records and control was handed over to the new owners (which already had individual stakes in P.R.), Neil Sharpley and David Bulmer. Neil Sharpley and Robert Bulmer (David Bulmer's son) still run the company. In April 1999, P.R. Records entered into trading arrangements with with Vinyl 2000 Ltd., owned by former Adrenalin (4) owners Sue and Adrian Owlett. Pressing appears to have stopped in 2000, due to the closure of the Wimbledon plant. However, P.R. continued to offer galvanic services until around 2003, after relocation to Harrogate. Vinyl 2000 also offered galvanic services to P.R. around this time. The trading relationship between P.R. and Vinyl 2000 later broke down, resulting in several court cases.