Vertigo Records was the late 60s progressive rock arm of the Philips Records empire. It is still in existence today as part of Mercury, but it is the early UK releases with "swirl" or "spiral" labels that are most sought after by collectors. Probably the most well known are the first four Black Sabbath LPs, but the list of artists who appeared on this label is long and varied including such diverse acts as Uriah Heep, Status Quo, Rod Stewart, Kraftwerk and lesser known acts such as Beggars Opera, Colosseum, Ben, Hokus Poke and the impossibly rare Dr. Z. 

 

Island Records R & B subsidiary. Formed December 1963 to release material licenced from Henry 'Juggy' Murray 's New York labels (Sue, Symbol, AFO, Crackerjack) including Ike & Tina Turner, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Elmore James etc. In later years Sue became predominently a soul label releasing tracks by Bob & Earl, Jerry Butler, Fascinations etc. The final release was in June 1968 when Sue becoming Action Records. 

 

Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and blues recordings. While Stax is renowned for its output of African-American music, the label was founded by two white businesspeople, Jim Stewart and his sister Estelle Axton (STewart/AXton = Stax) and featured several popular ethnically-integrated bands, including the label's house band, Booker T. & the MG's. Following the death of Stax's biggest star, Otis Redding, in 1967 and the severance of the label's distribution deal with Atlantic Records in 1968, Stax continued primarily under the supervision of a new co-owner, Al Bell. Over the next five years, Bell expanded the label's operations significantly, in order to compete with Stax's main rival, Motown Records in Detroit. During the mid-1970s, a number of factors, including a problematic distribution deal with CBS Records, caused the label to slide into insolvency, resulting in its forced closure in late 1975. 

 

FSoul City was a UK soul label run by David Nathan and Robert Blackmore from a record shop of the same name in London. The label released 19 singles, the biggest hit being Gene Chandler's "Nothing Can Stop Me" which reached Number 41 in the UK charts. Soul City records were initially distributed by Island. See also "Deep Soul". 

 

American record company established in New York in 1939 by German immigrants Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff to record jazz. Its earliest sessions produced records now acknowledged as classics. In the 1940s, the company established an important catalogue of traditional jazz and swing recordings and was among the earliest labels to record bop musicians in the 1950s. In 1965, Blue Note was purchased by Liberty and began recording more commercially-oriented music, including jazz-fusion (a trend lasting well into the following decade). In 1975, then-owners United Artists Records launched a systematic reissue program for the back catalog lasting until 1980. United Artists Records was purchased by EMI in 1979, acquiring Blue Note in the process. 

 

British independent label, originally active 1967-78 and revived in 1999. The label is rock-oriented but some of its acts have dabbled with electronics. The most famous artists on its roster have been The Who and Jimi Hendrix. 

 

US label originally set up by Sir Edward Lewis, the owner of Decca as a US branch. It was managed by Jack Kapp who was able to take over the label in 1943 when the US government insisted that UK companies sell US subsidiaries. Thereafter it had no relationship with UK Decca, or any other company of that name outside the US. In 1962 it merged with MCA Records, becoming Universal in the 1990s. In 1999 Universal bought PolyGram which had earlier bought UK Decca, and the ownership of both labels' catalogues was again combined, however the name is now only used for classical records, with the brand of the UK label, and this label is effectively defunct. In the 1960s, Decca most famously turned down the opportunity of signing The Beatles although they did secure The Rolling Stones and other legendary British acts such The Small Faces and John Mayall. 

 

Studio One is one of Jamaica's most renowned record labels and recording studios, having been described as "the Motown of Jamaica." The obvious common ingredient in all the classic songs that Studio One has released over the last thirty-five years is Clement “Coxsone” Dodd. From his earliest days as a producer he has understood the complexities of making a hit. Mr. Dodd values good singing, good songwriting, good horn lines and fierce bass lines. Studio One was involved with most of the major music movements in Jamaica during the 1960s and 1970s, including ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub and dancehall. The label was founded by Dodd in 1954, and the first recordings were cut in 1963 on Brentford Road in Kingston. Amongst its earliest records were "Easy Snappin'" by Theophilus Beckford, backed by Clue J & His Blues Blasters, and "This Man is Back" by trombonist Don Drummond. The label and studio were closed when Dodd relocated to New York City in the 1980s. 

 

Parlophone was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which later became EMI. George Martin joined in 1950 as assistant label manager, taking over as manager in 1955. Martin produced and released a mix of product including comedy recordings of The Goons, the pianist Mrs Mills, and teen idol Adam Faith. In 1962 Martin signed rising new Liverpool band The Beatles. With Cilla Black, Billy J. Kramer, the Fourmost, and The Hollies also signed to the label, Parlophone in the sixties became one of the world's most famous and prestigious record labels. For a long time Parlophone claimed the best selling UK single "She Loves You", and the best selling UK album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The label also achieved placement of seven singles at #1 during 1964, when it also claimed top spot in the album charts for 40 of the 52 weeks during that year. 

 

Apple Records was founded by the Beatles in 1968 as part of the "Apple Corps" project. Apple put out most of the subsequent recordings by the Beatles and their individual solo projects, as well as many other releases by an eclectic mix of artists including Mary Hopkin, Billy Preston and Hot Chocolate. The label was run for most of it's lifetime by Neil Aspinall, formerly the Beatles road manager. Other than the music releases, Apple's main notority has come from a series of high-profile court battles with Apple Computer over trademark infringement. 

 

An offshoot of Pye named after Piccadilly Circus which was close to it's offices. Mainly releasing out and out pop from a variety of sources, ie. in house and independent UK producers. The first release was in April, 1961 finally bowing out in September 1967. Most successful artists were Joe Brown, Rockin' Berries and Ivy League although the label failed to disturb the charts with 90% of it's releases. 

 

Blue Horizon was a British blues record label founded by Mike Vernon in the mid 1960s. After briefly forming the Outasite label, Vernon switched to Blue Horizon in 1966, issuing singles and a small number of now-unobtainable albums by U.S. blues artists, including Doctor Ross. A licensing and distribution deal with CBS heralded the glory years of the label. Starting with two 7" singles with combined CBS/Blue Horizon stamps featuring Fleetwood Mac and Aynsley Dunbar there followed a string of singles and albums by both British and U.S. blues artists. Some releases featured Mike Vernon-produced recordings of U.S. artists like Otis Spann and Champion Jack Dupree, backed by British Blues players such as Peter Green, Rory Gallagher, Paul Kossoff, Stan Webb, Pete Wingfield and Duster Bennett. The label produced chart hit singles for Fleetwood Mac and Chicken Shack and a string of albums in imaginative sleeves. The distinctive blue label singles eventually gave way to red and then no-centre white labels as the blues boom died away. The label ceased production around 1971, and all its titles are highly collectable today. 

 

Dawn Records was a subsidiary of Pye Records. Active from 1970 to 1975, it was set up largely as Pye's 'underground and progressive' label, a rival of the EMI and Phonogram equivalents, Harvest and Vertigo. The most successful act on the label was Mungo Jerry, whose first two singles reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. The label was also notable for releasing the 1970 and 1971 Donovan albums, Open Road and HMS Donovan. It also released records by Paul Brett's Sage, Titus Groan, Mike Cooper, Heron, John Kongos (before he found greater success on the Fly label), Comus, Atlantic Bridge, Pluto, Atomic Rooster and the Mungo Jerry offshoot, the King Earl Boogie Band. Set up primarily to be the home of more progressive releases within the Pye sphere it was launched in September 1969 to compete with Deram (Decca), Harvest (EMI) and Vertigo (Philips), but achieved most commercial successs with the jugband Mungo Jerry. Other notable acts included Atomic Rooster, Stray, Prelude, Paul Brett, Donovan & David McWilliams. Having effectively failed to compete, Dawn ceased with the last original release in February 1976. 

 

Fontana Records was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. When Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favour of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label. In the UK and Europe, the Fontana label was largely dormant after 1974, although in 1980-81 it was used for releases by Sector 27 and Dennis Bovell. Fontana was revived in the late 1980s as an outlet for acts such as Tears for Fears, The Teardrop Explodes, Cocteau Twins and Swing Out Sister, and was active in the 1990s, releasing music for acts such as Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Ocean Colour Scene and James. It is currently an active division of Universal Music Group as Fontana Distribution, using the same logo. 

 

Factory Records was founded by Granada TV presenter Tony Wilson and partner Alan Erasmus in January 1978. They started a club night in their home town of Manchester and featured local bands such as Durutti Column, Cabaret Voltaire and Joy Division, who Wilson signed to the label after famously writing a "non-contract" in his own blood. With seminal producer Martin Hannett and designer Peter Saville a team of no little talent came together and after a sampler EP featuring 4 acts and singles by others such as Orchestral Maneouvres in the Dark and A Certain Ratio, WIlson invested an inheritance from his grandmother in the production of the first Joy Division LP "Unknown Pleasures". After the suicide of Ian Curtis the myth around the label and it's acts grew to a remarkable degree and many started collecting all material on the label, a task made difficult by the complex Factory catalogue numbering system. Not just records were included, but also videos, posters, T-shirts, buildings, stationary etc.