Starline started out in 1960 as the 'oldies' record label of Capitol Records in the USA, and it appeared in the UK some nine years later as one of EMI's 'budget price' outlets. Initially it was linked to Regal under the name Regal Starline, but the 'Regal' part of the name was dropped in early 1971. It only issued albums, usually but not always compilation ones, but it was responsible for one single, albeit a promo-only one, which showcased a couple of tracks from the 1974 'Treasure Island' LP (SRS-5191). The tracks on the single were 'Cheese' by Spike Milligan and 'Shipmates, Part'ners and Pals' by Sir Bernard Miles, and it had a catalogue number of PSR-367, one of a series used by EMI for special products - records which were intended not for sale but for promotional purposes or as an 'add-on' to a proper release. When I started this site I decided to exclude records that weren't on sale to the general public, which would disqualify this particular single, but as Starline albums were widely available and it was widely met-with as a label I've made an executive decision and given it a page here. I, at least, found it interesting to see a 7" record on what was an album-only label, which probably says more about the lack of excitement in my life than it does about Starline. The last Starline LP came out in 1977, but they had been few and far between over the previous three years.
Copyright 2020 Robert Lyons.