How pleasant to lie on the beach and listen to the latest fox-trots played by the world's liveliest dance bands, or to some popular artists singing your favourite melodies... So ran the publicity for the very latest in sophisticated and technical innovation: the His Master's Voice Portable Gramophone, a new luxury which not only promised sunny hours' but which was also a tremendous fashion statement and status symbol. Dave Cooper explains the birth of the EMI label, and how the His Master's Voice Portable became the most coveted of gramophones.His Master's Voice Portable Gramophones takes us back to the glamour of an era when records were 78s and recording artists were still at the experimental stages of understanding this new technology. It is a guide for the collector and general enthusiast alike, offering tips on how to start collecting, maintenance of machines and also detailed diagrams explaining the workings of what was, and has since become again, a complete novelty in the world of music.