First UK commercially-released music recorded on tape?

Hi

Apologies for the not-very-snappy title -- and if this has been covered before. I've scoured the site and the web but can't come up with an answer so maybe someone here can help:

What and when was the first recording from magnetic tape to be released in the UK?

I'm assuming UK Decca, probably on LP (and a 78 issue too?) from 1950 and recorded sometime in 1949. For some reason, I think it might have been a Clifford Curzon recording of Schubert put down in July 1949.

Just for completeness sake -- in the US, I guess it would be Bing Crosby on US Decca?

Many thanks for all your help.

 

I'll bet that SH can confirm your Crosby suspicion. Sounds likely to me.
Steve?

 

EMI's first fully professional quality tape machine, the BTR 1, was introduced in October 1948. Although a number of these machines would have been installed at Abbey Road Studios then or shortly thereafter, there was a certain period of adjustment: the engineers did not initially trust tape, and continued recording takes directly to wax as they had always done, with the tape being regarded as a backup medium in case something went wrong with processing of the wax items. Full reliance on tape didn't happen until circa 1950 or 1951.

 

I thought that Beatles producer George Martin said that when he first started at the EMI studios at Abbey Road, they were still recording direct to disc, at least for some things.

 

The Clifford Curzon Schubert from July 1949 and Schumann from March 1954 were recorded on the BTR 1 -- according to the technical notes on the Decca Legends reissue CD.
Even more interesting from the point of view of what you've said, on the Schubert, the first couple of minutes sound as if they're distinctly from shellac, before the sound settles down into a constant hiss.

 

I was hoping someone would be able to put an old dog out of his misery ...