ORBITONE
RECORDS
Independent Soul / Reggae label: Orbitone Records
was owned by Sonny Roberts. It started life as a record
shop. It appears to have begun issuing its own records in 1972 and it
filled its market niche effectively but quietly until 1987, when a couple of
singles by Judy Boucher at last took it into the Singles Chart; 'Can't Be With
You Tonight' (OR 7-21) did particularly well, reaching the No.2 spot. The
colours of the label varied, as did the design on occasions; genrally they what
appear to be land masses on them, but there were occasional pressings with plain
labels. Catalogue numbers varied also: what seems to have been the first
Orbitone single, B. Lynch's 'Lonesome Road' was numbered HI-001; HI-002 seems
only to exist as a white labelled promo. 1973 saw the Vaughns' 'Vaya Con
Dios' given the number TAK-007; other numbers in that series were used later by
the Tackle label, a subsidiary of Orbitone. There was also an ORB-001,
Sonny Roberts's 'Instruction 1'. Subsequent issues were numbered in the
OT-000s; early on, singles and LPs alike shared this numbering, though LPs soon
gained their own 'OTLP'-prefixed numbers. In 1978 the OT-000 series was
replaced by an ORB-00 one. In the early '80s Orbitone seems to have
concentrated on 12" singles, as did many other Reggae
companies. Distributed By Jetstar and EMI Records. Sonny Roberts (born
in 1932), often known as Sonny Orbitone, is a Jamaican record producer who had
success within the British reggae market in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s with his
Planetone and Orbitone record labels. Roberts, who was originally a carpenter,
emigrated to London in 1958. In 1961 he set up a recording studio in the
basement of 108 Cambridge Road (a property owned by future Trojan Records
founder Lee Gopthal), the first in Britain owned by a Jamaican. He started the
Planetone label the following year (and later the Sway label), sharing premises
with Island Records which provided distribution. In the mid-1970s he opened a
record shop in Harlesden and started the Orbitone label, which was one of the
key lovers rock labels. Roberts also ran the Love Vendor sound system. He
returned to Jamaica in 1997, living in Saint Andrew Parish, where he runs a
company producing natural colouring and seasoning products. Thanks to
Robert Lyons For The Info.
| 72 |
B. Lynch |
Lonesome Road |
ORBITONE |
HI |
001 |
| 72 |
No Artist Listed |
In Times Like This (Promo Only) |
ORBITONE |
HI |
002 |
| 73 |
Sonny And Ken |
Instruction 1 |
ORBITONE |
ORB |
001 |
| 73 |
Vaughns |
Vaya Con Dios (May God Be With
You) |
ORBITONE |
TAK |
007 |
| 73 |
Not Traced |
|
ORBITONE |
OT |
01 |
| 73 |
King Fuzz |
Standing In The Rain |
ORBITONE |
OT |
02 |
| 73 |
Not Traced |
|
ORBITONE |
OT |
03 |
| 73 |
Lizzy |
International Dub |
ORBITONE |
OT |
004 |
| 73 |
Nkengas |
Destruction (Album) |
ORBITONE |
OT |
005 |
| 73 |
Nkengas |
Nkengas In London (Album) |
ORBITONE |
OT |
006 |
| 73 |
Not Traced |
|
ORBITONE |
OT |
007 |
| 73 |
Not Traced |
|
ORBITONE |
OT |
008 |
| 74 |
Nkengas |
Jack Jones / Jungle Funk |
ORBITONE |
OT |
009 |
| 74 |
Teddy
Davis |
Tears
From My Eyes |
ORBITONE |
OT |
0010 |
| 74 |
Raymondo |
Let The Heartaches Begin |
ORBITONE |
OT |
011 |
| 74 |
Vaughns |
Take Me In
Baby |
ORBITONE |
OT |
012 |
| 74 |
Not Issued |
|
ORBITONE |
OT |
013 |
| 74 |
Teddy
Davis |
Togetherness |
ORBITONE |
OT |
014 |
| 74 |
Raymondo |
How Can
I Leave You |
ORBITONE |
OT |
015 |
| 74 |
Teddy
Davis |
All Alone |
ORBITONE |
OT |
016 |
| 74 |
Raymondo |
Watch The
Moon |
ORBITONE |
OT |
017 |
| 74 |
Angie Lee-Sommers |
Can I Ride Along |
ORBITONE |
OT |
018 |
| 74 |
Chandell
Tim |
Sweet
Little Rose |
ORBITONE |
OT |
019 |
| 74 |
Teddy Davis |
Togetherness |
ORBITONE |
OT |
0020 |
| 74 |
Chandell
Tim |
Christmas
Time |
ORBITONE |
OT |
021 |
| 74 |
Chandell
Tim |
My Love |
ORBITONE |
OT |
022 |
| 74 |
Not Traced |
|
ORBITONE |
OT |
023 |
| 77 |
Nell &
Tim |
The Vow |
ORBITONE |
OT |
024 |
| 78 |
Chandell Tim |
Oh What A Smile Can Do |
ORBITONE |
ORB |
01 |
| 78 |
Chandell
Tim |
Burning Love |
ORBITONE |
ORB |
02 |
| 78 |
Dudley
Campbell |
This Is Love |
ORBITONE |
ORB |
03 |
| 78 |
Tim Chandell |
True Love |
ORBITONE |
ORB |
04 |
| 78 |
Chandell
Tim |
Keep Me |
ORBITONE |
ORB |
05 |
| 78 |
Stuart
Lorna |
I Love You |
ORBITONE |
ORB |
06 |
| 86 |
Ezeke |
Christmas
Blues |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
20 |
| 86 |
Judy Boucher |
Cant Be With You Tonight |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
21 |
| 87 |
Judy Boucher |
You Caught My Eye |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
22 |
| 87 |
Joyce Bond |
Tears From My Heart |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
23 |
| 87 |
Jackson Paul |
Time Will Ease |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
24 |
| 87 |
Nelson Juliet |
Me A No Boopsie |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
25 |
| 87 |
Richards Reuben |
I'Ll Choose You |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
26 |
| 88 |
Juliet Nelson |
A Woman In Love |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
27 |
| 88 |
Joyce Bond |
Nothing Can Stop Me |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
28 |
| 88 |
Jackson Paul |
You Made Me A Winner |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
29 |
| 88 |
Martell Robinson |
I Still Love You |
ORBITONE |
OR 12 |
30 |
| 88 |
Dimples |
Beautiful Feeling |
ORBITONE |
OR 12 |
31 |
| 88 |
Johnny Orlando |
It Burns Inside |
ORBITONE |
OR 12 |
32 |
| 88 |
No No Fear |
All Day |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
33 |
| 88 |
Bond Joyce |
How Sweet It Is To Be Loved |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
34 |
| 88 |
Roy Reynolds |
Limbo Like Me |
ORBITONE |
OR 12 |
35 |
| 89 |
Joyce Bond |
Do The Teasy |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
36 |
| 89 |
Paul Jackson |
Spanish Eyes |
ORBITONE |
OR 12 |
37 |
| 89 |
Not Traced |
|
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
38 |
| 89 |
Martin Dobson |
My Mothers Eyes |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
39 |
| 89 |
Not Traced |
|
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
40 |
| 90 |
Joyce Bond |
Since I Met You Baby |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
41 |
| 90 |
Johnny Orlando |
Completely |
ORBITONE |
OR 7 |
42 |
| 83 |
Not Traced |
|
ORBITONE |
ORS |
01 |
| 83 |
Not Traced |
|
ORBITONE |
ORS |
02 |
| 84 |
Benjax & Eulynis Brown |
Waiting For
You |
ORBITONE |
ORS |
03 |
| 85 |
Judy Boucher |
True Love |
ORBITONE |
ORBS |
04 |
