United Artists Records
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United Artists Records | |
---|---|
Parent company |
|
Founded | 1957 |
Founder | Max E. Youngstein |
Defunct | September 1980 |
Status | Defunct (absorbed into EMI) |
Distributor(s) | Self-distributed |
Genre | Various |
Country of origin | United States |
Location | New York City, New York, U.S. Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists[1] in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks.[2] The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B.
History
Genres
In 1959, United Artists released Forest of the Amazons, a cantata by Brazilian composer
United Artists releases included soundtracks and cover versions from the James Bond movies, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), A Hard Day's Night starring the Beatles (1964), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), and Man of La Mancha (1972). The soundtrack album of United Artists's West Side Story (1961) was released by Columbia Records, which had also released the Broadway cast album. Also, the American version of the soundtrack album of United Artists's Help! (1965), also starring the Beatles, was released on Capitol Records.
As
The label produced rock and roll and R&B hits from 1959 and into the 1960s by
United Artists' involvement with jazz was significant. The company hired Alan Douglas in 1960 to run its jazz division.[3] Other producers were George Wein, Jack Lewis, and Tom Wilson. United Artists released jazz albums by Count Basie, Art Blakey, Ruby Braff, Betty Carter, Teddy Charles, Kenny Dorham, Mose Allison, Duke Ellington, Art Farmer, Bud Freeman, Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, Billie Holiday, Milt Jackson, Dave Lambert, Booker Little, Howard McGhee, Gerry Mulligan, Oliver Nelson, Herb Pomeroy, Bill Potts, Zoot Sims, Rex Stewart, Billy Strayhorn, and the Modern Jazz Quartet.[4]
In 1966, the Solid State division was begun, recording several albums by The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.[4] Other subsidiary labels were Unart, Ascot, United Artists Jazz, Musicor (United Artists was half owner of the company from 1960 to 1964 before selling in 1965[5] Ultra Audio (an audiophile label),[6] and Veep. Unart was created in 1958 and was in operation until 1959, producing singles by vocal groups, then was recreated in 1967 for budget albums.
In 1966 United Artists acquired the masters of Sue Records, an R&B and soul record label in New York City which produced Ike & Tina Turner, Baby Washington, and jazz organist Jimmy McGriff. Some material produced by Sue was reissued on Unart.
United Artists produced a series of children's records under the "Tale Spinners for Children" name throughout the 1960s. These were album-length adaptations of classic fairy tales and children's stories done in an audio drama format.
Other UA labels
Merger
In 1969, United Artists merged with co-owned Liberty Records and its subsidiary, Imperial Records. In 1971, Liberty/UA Records dropped the Liberty name in favor of United Artists.[7]
Mainstream pop acts were signed to the label, among them
In England,
The label's most commercially successful artist was country artist Kenny Rogers who signed to UA in the mid-1970s, enjoying a long string of hit singles and albums.
In the mid-to-late 1970s the company was known as United Artists Music and Records Group (UAMARG).
Sale to EMI
In 1978, UA executives Artie Mogull and Jerry Rubinstein bought the record company from Transamerica with a loan from
EMI dropped the United Artists name in 1980 and revived the Liberty label for releases by artists who had been signed to UA.[12] This incarnation of Liberty Records operated between 1980 and about 1986, when it was deactivated and its artists assigned to other EMI labels.
Many albums from the United Artists Records catalog were reissued on Liberty during these years. Two significant exceptions were a couple of Beatles albums not previously controlled by EMI in the United States: the
UAR today
When producer Jerry Weintraub was enlisted to revive the United Artists movie studio in 1986, he attempted to revive the United Artists Records label as well. However, only one album was released: the soundtrack for The Karate Kid Part II, a film Weintraub had produced for Columbia Pictures before being hired at UA. A single from the movie's soundtrack, Mancrab's "Fish for Life," was also released on United Artists Records.[14]
The United Artists catalog is controlled by Capitol Records, now part of
Roster
- 999
- A Band Called O
- Morris Albert
- American Flyer
- American Spring
- Amon Düül II
- The Animals (Jet)
- The Angels (Ascot)
- Paul Anka
- B. J. Arnau
- Shirley Bassey
- The Beatles (US and Canada)
- Black Widow (US)
- Brass Construction
- Brinsley Schwarz
- Buzzcocks
- Can
- Al Caiola (Ultra Audio & United Artists)
- Canned Heat
- Anita Carter
- The Clovers
- Odia Coates
- Bill Conti
- Pat Cooper
- Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
- Don Costa
- Country Gazette
- Curfew
- The D-Men (Veep & United Artists)
- Chris Darrow
- The Spencer Davis Group (US)
- The Delicates (Unart)
- Dr. Feelgood (UK)
- Patty Duke
- The Easybeats
- The Electric Indian
- Electric Light Orchestra (United Artists & Jet)
- Enchantment (Roadshow Records and United Artists)
- The Exciters
- The Falcons
- Family (US & Canada)
- Ferrante & Teicher (Ultra Audio & United Artists)
- Fischer-Z
- Sergio Franchi
- Connie Francis
- Crystal Gayle
- Bobby Goldsboro
- The Groundhogs
- Bill Haley & His Comets
- The Hassles
- Hawkwind
- Roy Head & the Traits (Ascot)
- Help Yourself
- LeRoy Holmes
- The Highwaymen
- Dee D. Jackson
- Jan and Dean
- Jay and the Americans
- Marv Johnson
- George Jones
- Artie Kaplan
- Deke Leonard's Iceberg
- Gordon Lightfoot
- Little Anthony and the Imperials (DCP, Veep & UA)
- Don McLean
- Sylvia McNeill
- Man
- Manfred Mann (Ascot & United Artists)
- Country Johnny Mathis
- Nathaniel Mayer
- Bobbi Martin
- George Martin
- Garnet Mimms
- Melba Montgomery
- Ennio Morricone
- Mouth & MacNeal
- The Move
- Neu! (UK)
- Maxine Nightingale
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Liberty & United Artists)
- Passengers
- Joyce Paul
- Gene Pitney (Musicor)
- The Platters (Musicor)
- Popol Vuh (rest of the world)
- Mark Radice
- Gerry Rafferty
- Chris Rea
- Sharon Redd
- Del Reeves
- Waldo de los Rios
- Johnny Rivers
- Tito Rodríguez (United Artists Latino)
- Kenny Rogers
- Jimmy Roselli
- Merrilee Rush
- Jean Shepard
- Dusty Springfield (US)
- The Stranglers (except in US)
- Donna Summer
- The Tammys
- Traffic (US)
- Ike & Tina Turner
- The Vapors
- The Ventures
- War(Far Out Productions)
- Doc Watson
- Wess and the Airedales
- Dottie West
- Whitesnake
- David Wiffen
- Bobby Womack
- Roy Wood
- Wynder K. Frog
- Frank Zappa (200 Motels soundtrack only)
See also
- Liberty Records
- Blue Note Records
- Jet Records
- List of record labels
References
- ^ Freudenheim, Milt (11 July 1997). "Max Youngstein, 84; Helped Run United Artists". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ "UA Sets Up Own Diskery Label". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 14 October 1957. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ Pouncey, Edwin (July 1997). "The Man Who Sold the Underworld". The Wire. p. 27.
- ^ ISBN 1-56159-284-6.
- ^ Callahan, Mike; Edwards, Dave; Eyries, Patrice (26 November 2006). "The Musicor Records Story". www.bsnpubs.com. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ "United Artists Album Discography (Ultra Audio Series)". Bsnpubs.com. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "UA Corp Absorbs Lines; UA Records Sole Disk Co". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 23 January 1971. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ "ELO 'Out Of Blue' Hassle Heating Up". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 10 February 1979. Retrieved 16 September 2018 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Jet In Global Pact". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 1 July 1978. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Cutout Material Is Plentiful at NARM". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 7 April 1979. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "UA Acquisition Adds Clout for Cap-EMI". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 17 February 1979. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Liberty 'New' Name Of UA". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 6 September 1980. p. 5. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Beatlemania Returning As 'Let It Be' Clicking". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 6 June 1970. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Mancrab - Fish For Life". 45cat. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ISBN 9780415875608.
- ^ "The MGM Records Story". bsnpubs.com. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "Rocky [Original Motion Picture Score]: Bill Conti: Music". Amazon. 1976. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Warner Music Group Integrates Parlophone Roster, Including Coldplay, David Guetta and Pink Floyd". The Hollywood Reporter. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- ^ "Independent label RT Industries launches with divestments from Warner". Music Business Worldwide. 17 April 2018.