Welcome to 16 RPM Music Records
This website shows various 12-inch (30 cm) records made for the 16 RPM setting of record players.
We acknowledge that the format was often used for talking books.
However on this site the focus is on 16 RPM records with MUSIC!!

Many of the records shown below are gifts from my good friend and fellow collector Klaas Jelle Veenstra, (who dared to conquer the mountain).

Record players made in the 1950's and the 1960's often had four speed settings, 78, 45, 33 and 16 rpm (revolutions per minute). The 78 position was for older records from the 20's to the 40's. The 45 and 33 positions were for respectively singles and LP's. The 16 rpm position was not used very often, mainly because it delivered poor sound quality. However it doubled the playing time of the more familiar 12-inch 33 rpm records and was therefore used for spoken-word records like plays and talking books.

A few record companies like Prestige experimented with the format for extra-long-play music records, featuring artists such as Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet.

In South Africa the format almost appears to have been re-invented sometime in the mid 60's with the appearance of a range of party albums and hit collections from various labels. The CBS label (linked to US parent company Columbia) and the Fontana label (linked to Polygram and later Universal) released various albums, as did Pye, Rave, Continental and even UK-Columbia.

And by the way, the exact speed is of course 16 2/3 RPM. It should be noted that this is the same as exactly 100 revolutions in 6 minutes!

 

 
Title and artist Sleeve Front Sleeve Rear Label A-Side Label B-Side
CBS
Teen Scene 68

Probably one of the last 16 RPM records to come out of South Africa

So far no 16 RPM records have been found from 1969
Liberty
The VEntures
Dance
Party
Spectacular
LLIB7161
CBS
Ken Griffin
Souvenir
Album
KLD 4511
CBS
This Is Super LP

KLD. 4501

Note picture of Garrard deck with 16 RPM setting
CBS
Spectacular Star Sensation
KLD 4509
Reprise
Trini Lopex Dance Party Spectacular Volume 2

R 117

Dancetime
Will Kennedy
Enjoy an hour in stereo
Magnavox WK-1502-S

Part of a series

CBS Spectacular
Various Artists
CBS
KLD.4502

Note that a Garrard deck is shown on the front and rear of the sleeve.

CBS
Festival Spectacular
Various Artists
CBS KLD.4507

Fontana
It's Happening
Various Artists
Fontana 16TL639
Fontana
It's Happening Again
Various Artists
Fontana 16TL648

Reprise
Dance Party Spectarular
Trini Lopez
Reprise R116

CBS
Super Spectacular
CBS
KLD 4512
CBS
Dance Spectacular
CBS
KLD 4506
PYE
Dance Party Spectacular (Vol 1)
PYE P161
PYE
Dance Party Spectacular (Vol 2)
PYE P162
PYE
Dance Party Spectacular (Vol 3)
PYE P163

RCA Victor
Jim Reeves Souvenir Album
RCA 16.002

Note: several versions have been found, some with 33 rpm label error as shown!

A corrected version is also in the collection

RCA Victor
Virginia Lee
souvenir Album
RCA 16.008
 
Rave
Command Performance
Vol 4.
ERMG 1211

Therefore there must also be vols 1-3
CBS
Ray Conniff
Souvenir Album

KLD 4510
 
Columbia
Ninety Minute Special
16JSX 6001
CBS
Dan Hill
Dial Dan For Dancing
KLD 4505

Notes:
includes ad for "This Is Super Long Play" KLD 4501

Check out ad for Garrard decks and the 16 rpm setting

 

NOT YET FOUND

Modern Jazz Quartet and Milt Jackson Quartet

Concorde

Prestige 1

NOT YET FOUND

Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants

Prestige 3

NOT YET FOUND

Jay Jay Johnson Trombone By Three

Prestige 4

NOT YET FOUND

John Coltrane and others

Modern Jazz Survey

Prestige 6

NOT YET FOUND

Jim Reeves Souvenier Album volume 2
RCA Victor

NOT YET FOUND

Charles Jacobi Souvenier Album CBS

NOT YET FOUND

Chubby Checker Discotheque
Continental

NOT YET FOUND

CBS Party Spectacular
CBS KLD 4504

A copy with a red CBS label is in the collection

NOT YET FOUND

George Wallington

Prestige 5

 

       

NOT YET FOUND


Billy Taylor

Prestige 2