Cambra Records

Cambra Records was a prominent UK mid-price to budget reissue record label that operated during the first half of the 1980s. Cambra carved out a specific, highly successful niche by relicensing the massive back-catalogues of major record conglomerates and repackaging them for the value market. The primary marketing gimmick and unique selling point was the Double Vinyl LP compilation set. . While other budget labels like Music for Pleasure (MFP) or Pickwick focused primarily on single-disc cheap reissues, Cambra routinely packaged two discs together into a single, gatefold or thin card sleeve. This allowed them to sell highly comprehensive "anthologies" or "best-of" collections at a highly attractive mid-price to budget cost, offering twice the music of standard cheap releases.

Cambra struck lucrative deals with PRT Records, Trojan Records, and EMI, allowing them to curate comprehensive, genre-focused career retrospectives for high-profile artists, including:

• The Dubliners & The Fureys (Irish folk and traditional music)

• Steeleye Span & Ralph McTell (British folk-rock and acoustic)

• Gene Pitney, Lena Horne, & Vic Damone (Vocal pop and jazz standards)

• Trojan Hits! collections (bringing rare early reggae and rocksteady to casual high-street buyers)