The 'Gramophone'  was invented in 1888 by the German-American Emile Berliner (1851-1929). The name gramophone came from an inversion of the name 'Phonograph' invented by Edison. The gramophone played flat disc records at 78RPM which are very similar to the vinyl LPs records today.   

   The gramophone discs offered several advantages over the earlier phonograph. The discs could be more easily copied for manufacture by making a reverse image of the audio track (on a master disc) and pressing this pattern onto a 'blank' disc. This image could be transferring easily onto the disks to produce multiple copies from the a single original master. The gramophone discs could also be more easily stored than the rival phonograph's cylinder records. 

   The78RPM gramophone recordswere made from shellac andcould easily be broken orcracked. They had a shortplaying time and sufferedfrom high surface noise withthegramophone needle requiring changing after just 15minutes of playing time.

   Thegramophone was very popularin the UK from 1900 rightthrough to the 1950s. In1948  the vinyl LPrecord was introduced with amuch longer playing time.These new LP records rotatedat a lower speed 331/3RPMand had much lower surfacenoise and were more durable. 

   Thelast EMI 78RPM gramophone record was recorded in 1960,it featured Russ Conway playing 'Rule Britannia'. Today the gramophone is very much a collectorsitem with many fine examples surviving. The successor tothe 78RPM records (the microgroove vinyl record) was popularthrough the 1980s when eventually it was overtakenin sales by the more convenient Philips compact cassettetape. 

 

   

The 78rpm record was very popular0