Bell Records
Bell Records | |
---|---|
Parent company | Columbia Pictures Industries |
Founded | 1952 |
Founder | Arthur Shimkin |
Defunct | 1974 |
Status | Defunct |
Genre | Various |
Country of origin | US |
Location | New York City London (UK branch) |
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records,[1] and initially a unit of Pocket Books,[2] after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny Bell who used the Bell name to issue risque novelty records.[3] A British branch was also active in the 1960s and 1970s. Bell Records was shut down in late 1974, and its assets were transferred to Columbia Pictures' new label, Arista Records.[4]
1950s
At its inception in 1952, Bell specialized in budget generic pop music, with the slogan "music for the millions". Originally sold on seven-inch 78rpm and 45rpm records for 39 cents (US), this style of music went out of fashion as rock and roll became more prevalent. Sound-alike cover versions of hit records were also issued on 78rpm as well as 45rpm disks priced at 49 cents.
One of these records was by "Tom & Jerry" who would later become known using their real surnames, Simon & Garfunkel.[5]
Instead of being pressed into vinyl like a normal 7-inch disc, these records were
As Al Massler, the head of record manufacturer Bestway Products, had become head of Bell Records in 1959, Mala Records was then formed as a Bell subsidiary label, specializing in rock and roll along with rhythm and blues.[6]
1960s
In 1960,
In 1966, the Bell label was expanded internationally
In March 1969,
1970s
By 1970, the Bell label was more successful with pop music singles, and less successful with more lucrative pop
Bell had its final No. 1 hit in January 1975 with
Bell Records also had a division in Japan that was notable for reissuing Colgems original recordings, most notably the Monkees, who enjoyed considerable success in the country well into the 1970s. In 1974, while the US Bell label released Re-Focus (a greatest hits compilation that was subsequently re-released several times on the Arista label as "The Monkees Greatest Hits"), the Japanese Bell label re-released the entire original Colgems LP catalog along with EPs, box sets and several greatest hits collections (including Re-Focus). While Bell Japan ignored the original Colgems single releases, they did however release the last single recorded by Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz ("Do It in the Name of Love"/"Lady Jane") as "the Monkees" unlike Bell in the US and UK, who opted to use their individual names. In 1973, Bell Japan also utilized the "Gold Disc" subsidiary label to release the 45 single "(Theme from) The Monkees"/"Daydream Believer" (released in the US on the Arista label). The third and final Monkees 45 released in 1973 featured the songs "I Wanna Be Free"/"Take A Giant Step".
Bell Records UK
The British branch was established in 1967.
Bell UK initially kept its identity when the American label was reorganized into Arista in 1974,[14] but a year later the UK label adopted the Arista name, although releases continued on the UK Bell label until 1976.[15] Showaddywaddy released the last Bell single, "Under the Moon of Love", which reached No.1 in December 1976,[16] before Arista UK briefly revived the label in 1981. The Bell logo has made occasional appearances on the jackets and labels of Arista UK releases.
Current ownership
The former catalog of Bell Records and its related labels is now owned by
Subsidiary and associated labels
In addition to releasing their own records, Bell Records distributed at least five dozen custom labels throughout its existence. Among the most familiar labels are:
- Big Tree Records
- Philly Groove Records
- Mala Records (Bell-owned)
- Amy Records (Bell-owned)
- Bigtop Records (Brief reactivation under Bell in the mid 60s)
- Carousel Records
- Crewe Records
- Direction Records
- DynoVoice Records
- NewVoice Records
- Page One Records
- Penny Farthing Records
- Pye Records
The above three labels were U.S. distribution arms of the major U.K. companies - Rocky Road Records
- TA Records (Talent Associates)
- Windfall Records
Other affiliated labels (in which many released no more than two to 10 singles) included: Academy, Admiral, AGP, Amos, Aquarian, Audio Arts!, Aurora, Bell Country Series, Big Hill, Brookmont, Canusa, Carnation, Chariot, Creative Funk, Cyclone, D.C. Sound, December, DJM, E Records, Elf, Eskee, Gemini Star, General International, Gold Records Incorporated, Goldwax, Hilltop, Hot Line Music Journal, Ivanhoe, JED, Jet Set, Kayman, Kas-Mo, Kingston, Lake, LHI (Lee Hazlewood Industries), Luv, Mona-Lee, Musicland U.S.A., Maxx, New World, Nite Life, Norman, Pacemaker, Pala, Philly Soulville, Philtown, Rain, Roc-Ker, Rotate, Round, Sansu, Show Biz, Simco, Sport, Stere-O-Craft, Sunburst, Taurus, Timmy, Tou-Sea, Twin Stacks, Vando, Village Gate, York, and Zorro.
Reissue labels
Bell also had three oldies reissue labels in its history:
- Flashback Records: Started in 1964 and continued after the Bell/Arista transformation
- Sphere Sound Records (1965–1970): Released reissue singles as well as albums with previously issued and unreleased tracks[17]
- Bell Gold Records (1972): Short-lived label consisting of hits from artists the 5th Dimension and Al Wilson, both of whom were on Soul City which was sold to Bell
Bell Records artists (1960s)
The following artists have had at least one recording released on the Bell Records label or one of its subsidiaries.
(In alphabetical order)
- Cilla Black
- The Box Tops (Mala, Bell)
- Solomon Burke
- Crazy Elephant
- Bette Davis
- The Delfonics (Philly Groove)
- Lee Dorsey (Amy)
- Georgia Gibbs
- Al Green
- Margo Guryan
- O'Jays
- James & Bobby Purify
- Reparata and the Delrons
- Ronny & the Daytonas (Mala)
- Merrilee Rush (Bell, AGP)
- Del Shannon (Amy)
- Smokestack Lightning
- Spooky Tooth (US only)
- Syndicate of Sound
- Jimmy Velvit (as James Bell)
Bell Records artists (1970s)
- April Wine (Big Tree)
- Miki Antony
- Baja Marimba Band
- Bay City Rollers
- Barry Blue
- Brownsville Station (Big Tree)
- Burl Ives
- David Cassidy
- Climax (Carousel, Rocky Road)
- Tony Orlando and Dawn
- The Drifters
- Edison Lighthouse
- The Fantastics
- The 5th Dimension
- First Choice(Philly Groove)
- Micky Dolenz
- David Geddes (Big Tree)
- Gary Glitter
- The Glitter Band
- Godspell (1971 Off-Broadway Cast)
- Godspell movie soundtrack
- Let the Good Times Roll soundtrack
- Gryphon (US and Canada only)
- Hello
- Lost Horizon (1973) movie soundtrack
- Terry Jacks
- Davy Jones
- Shirley Jones
- Vicki Lawrence
- Leapy Lee
- Lobo (Big Tree)
- Melissa Manchester
- Barry Manilow
- Michael McDonald[18]
- Sylvia McNeill
- Peter Noone
- The Partridge Family
- Dan Penn
- Sergio Mendes& Brasil '77
- Suzi Quatro
- Rodney Allen Rippy
- Showaddywaddy
- Labi Siffre
- The Monkees (Re-Focus LP in USA, Colgems re-releases and compilations in Japan)
- The Stampeders
- The Sweet
- Marlo Thomas
- Al Wilson (Rocky Road)
- Lenny Zakatek
See also
- Arista Records
- List of record labels
References
- ^ "bellrecords.nl". www.bellrecords.nl. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009.
- ^ Billboard. November 29, 1952. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ISBN 9780824084615. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ Billboard. November 23, 1974. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ "Single Discography for Bell Records – 1950s". Globaldogproductions.info. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. August 21, 1982 – via Google Books.
- ^ Billboard. September 3, 1966. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ "Billboard". August 24, 1974.
- ^ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 23, 1974 – via Google Books.
- ^ Billboard. July 22, 1967. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ Billboard. December 26, 1964. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ Billboard. September 4, 1971. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ "Dick Leahy obituary". The Guardian. September 3, 2020.
- ^ Billboard. December 14, 1974. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ Billboard. January 25, 1997. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ "Bell Rare Records, CDs, Vinyl, Memorabilia, Rare Records, CD Singles". Vtmusic.co.uk. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ "Sphere Sound Album Discography". Bsnpubs.com. June 17, 2003. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ "New Radio Action and Billboard Pick Singles: Pop". Billboard. May 20, 1972. p. 58. Retrieved January 5, 2022.