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This site is dedicated to documenting all assigned delta numbers (△#####) found on Monarch Record Mfg. Co. and Alco pressings.
In my pursuit to compile this data, I have searched record stores, thrift stores, bargain bins, and online marketplaces. This list is a work in progress — it is nowhere near complete, and errors are inevitable. Corrections, new submissions, additional sightings, and any feedback are greatly appreciated
A Brief History Of Monarch Records:
Monarch Record Mfg. Co. was founded in 1945 by Nate Rothstein and Nate DuRoff in Los Angeles. Initially focused on manufacturing 78 rpm shellac records, the company moved around 1948 to a dedicated facility at 4852-54 West Jefferson Boulevard. There it began pressing 45 rpm singles, mostly in polystyrene. Around 1955, Monarch expanded into vinyl pressing and adopted the delta (△) numbering system pioneered by its longtime partner plant, Alco Research & Engineering. In its early years, many Monarch pressings were produced using Alco metalwork, which is why all known Alco delta numbers are included in this database.
In 1961, Monarch was acquired by Cosnat Record Distributing, parent company of Jay-Gee Record Corporation which owned Jubilee and Josie Records, though the two men would continue to operate the plant. (Cosnat changed its name to Jubilee Industries, Inc. on 01 Aug 1966.)
In 1970, Jubilee Industries, was purchased by Viewlex, Inc and added Monarch to its other pressing operations which included American Record Pressing Co., Allentown Record Co. Inc., and Sonic Recording Products, Inc. In 1976, Viewlex filed for bankruptcy in 1976, reorganizing two years later as ElectroSound Group, Inc.
In 1978, Monarch moved its operations to a new 130,000-square-foot pressing plant at 9545 San Fernando Road in Sun Valley, California, where it installed upgraded presses. Coinciding with the move, the stamped 'MR' logo (present in deadwax since around 1960) disappeared, replaced by a handwritten 'MR'. The signature 2.875″ chamfered pressing ring on LPs was replaced with a two-plane design — a small inner ring and a shouldered outer ring — akin to those at parent company ElectroSound. Within a few years the plant also ended its longtime practice of pressing 45s in styrene, shifting entirely to vinyl. Over the decades Monarch was a major supplier for Atlantic and its sub-labels (including ATCO), as well as RCA, A&M Records, Warner Bros., Motown, and countless independents.
After ElectroSound merged with the graphic production firm IGC Inc. in January 1985, the Monarch name was phased out and the plant was officially renamed Electrosound Los Angeles. At this time, while it continued pressing for major labels such as RCA and A&M, the majority of its output shifted to Christian music albums for Word, Myrrh, and Maranatha!. The plant finally closed in May 1986, with operations reportedly consolidated at ElectroSound’s other facility in Shelbyville, Indiana.
It appears that the last record pressed by Monarch Records was Jesse Johnson's Revue - Jesse Johnson's Revue (△26717).
The last 7" pressed by Monarch Records was Eurythmics - Julia (△109984).
The last-known pressed record by Electrosound Los Angeles was a compilation titled Various - Not Gonna Bow (△27388).
The last 7" pressed by Electrosound Los Angeles is Paul Smith Live & Learn / Wait Upon The Lord (△110590).
Atlantic, who had their records and singles (along with many sub-labels like Atco) pressed by Monarch since the 1950s, appeared to largely cease using the plant around 1980. The last known Monarch pressing for the label is Yes - Run Through The Light from the 1980 album Drama.
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