Probe Records was created by American label ABC Records to distribute American releases in the UK with manufacturing and distribution handled by EMI. Thus, “The Gramophone Co. Ltd” appears around the label perimeter.
The initial label design was black with silver lettering but this soon changed to a pink label design for mainstream rock, folk and country releases. There was also a beige label version for soul and blues releases but inevitably some crossover occurred. By around 1973, the pink label was discontinued and changed to the beige label.
Artists on the pink label (which this sites focuses on) include Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night and The James Gang along with several one-off, low key artists and also some bizarre choices of film soundtracks…So, despite a promising start of prog/psych rock, the label deteriorated into decidedly average and forgettable dross, with the odd exception here and there.
The prefix SPB denotes a non-gatefold sleeve, SPBA is allocated to gatefold sleeves. (As with most labels, a few catalogue numbers in the sequence were unissued, the gatefold SPBA 6271, 6279 and 6281 were unallocated as were several in the non-gatefold SPB series, the gaps in the numbers below indicate a catalogue number not-issued or as yet unidentified – any assistance on filling in the gaps is always appreciated!)
View the UK Probe Records discography here
- PBSP 113 – Three Dog Night
- PBSP 114 – Two Gentlemen Of Verona
- SPB 1001 – The Mystic Number National Bank
- SPB 1002 – The Soft Machine
- SPB 1003 – Billy Meshel
- SPB 1004 – Emerge
- SPB 1005 – St. Steven
- SPB 1006 – Zephyr
- SPB 1007 – Frummox
- SPB 1008 – Fat City
- SPB 1009 – Plus
- SPB 1010 – Dick Jensen
- SPB 1011 – UNISSUED
- SPB 1012 – Bush
- SPB 1013/1014 – Mamas And Papas
- SPB 1015 – Ray Charles
- SPB 1016 – John Lee Hooker & Earl Hooker
- SPB 1017 – Song Of Norway Soundtrack
- SPB 1018 – UNISSUED
- SPB 1019 – Pharaoh Sanders
- SPB 1020 – Mama Cass Elliot
- SPB 1021 – Tommy Roe
- SPB 1022 – The Artie Kornfield Tree
- SPB 1023 – Three Dog Night UNISSUED
- SPB 1024 – Blues Magoos
- SPB 1025 – John Coltrane
- SPB 1026 – Zachariah Soundtrack
- SPB 1027 – The Last Valley Soundtrack
- SPB 1028 – UNISSUED
- SPB 1029 – Denny Doherty
- SPB 1030 – Daniel Moore
- SPB 1031 – Jimmy Witherspoon
- SPB 1032 – BB King
- SPB 1033 – Steppenwolf
- SPB 1034 – John Lee Hooker
- SPB 1035 – Three Dog Night
- SPB 1036 – UNISSUED
- SPB 1037 – Charlie Haden
- SPB 1038 – James Gang
- SPB 1039 – Ray Charles
- SPB 1040 – Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
- SPB 1041 – BB King
- SPB 1042 – Crowfoot
- SPB 1043 – UNISSUED
- SPB 1044 – The Tams
- SPB 1045 – James Gang
- SPB 1046 – Tommy Roe
- SPB 1047 – Three Dog Night
- SPB 1048 – Mamas And Papas
- SPB 1049 – UNISSUED
- SPB 1050 – Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
- SPB 1051 – BB King
- SPB 1052 – Cabaret Soundtrack
- SPB 1053 – Thelma Houston
- SPB 1054 – John Kay
- SPB 1055 – Applause Soundtrack
- SPB 1056 – James Gang
- SPB 1057 – John Lee Hooker
- SPB 1058 – The Grass Roots
- SPB 1059 – Steppenwolf
- SPB 1060 – Ray Charles
- SPB 1061 – Various
- SPB 1062 – Steely Dan
- SPB 1066 – Ray Charles
- SPB 1068 – John Henry Kurtz
- SPB 1072 – Billy ‘Crash’ Craddock
- SPB 1073 – Ferlin Husky
- SPB 1075 – Richard Harris
- SPBA 6251 – Three Dog Night
- SPBA 6252 – Freedom
- SPBA 6253 – The James Gang
- SPBA 6254 – Steppenwolf
- SPBA 6255 – BB King
- SPBA 6256 – Emitt Rhodes
- SPBA 6257 – Three Dog Night
- SPBA 6258 – Lancelot Link
- SPBA 6259 – Dave Mason & Cass Elliot
- SPBA 6260 – Steppenwolf
- SPBA 6261 – Gayle McCormick
- SPBA 6262 – Emitt Rhodes
- SPBA 6263 – Richard Harris
- SPBA 6264 – Gladstone
- SPBA 6265 – Dennis Lambert
- SPBA 6266 – Emitt Rhodes
- SPBA 6267 – Birtha
- SPBA 6268 – Joe Walsh
- SPBA 6269 – Richard Harris
- SPBA 6270 – Cashman & West
- SPBA 6271 – UNISSUED
- SPBA 6272 – Birtha
- SPBA 6273 – William Saint James
- SPBA 6274 – John Kay
- SPBA 6275 – Joe Walsh
- SPBA 6276 – Cashman & West
- SPBA 6277 – The Four Tops
- SPBA 6278 – Three Dog Night
- SPBA 6280 – Orleans
- SPBA 6282 – Steely Dan
- SPBA 6283 – The Four Tops
- SPTC 1 – Three Dog Night
Rare Record Collector 