Swan Song Records

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section may contain original research or unattributed claims.
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the talk page for details.

Swan Song Records

Founded	1974
Founder(s)	Led Zeppelin Peter Grant
Distributing label	Atlantic Records
Genre(s)	Rock
Country of origin	UK

Swan Song Records was a record label launched by Led Zeppelin on May 10, 1974. It was managed by Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant and was a vehicle for the band to promote its own products as well as sign artists who found it difficult to win contracts with other major labels. The decision to launch the label came after Led Zeppelin's five year contract with Atlantic Records expired at the end of 1973. Atlantic Records ultimately distributed the label's product.

The company logo was based on Evening, Fall of Day (1869) by painter William Rimmer, featuring a picture of Icarus, although often it is misinterpreted as Apollo or Lucifer because of the original painting featuring Apollo.

A lavish media party was held at Chislehurst Caves in Kent, England on October 31, 1974, to celebrate the label’s first UK release by the Pretty Things, Silk Torpedo(the first US release for Swan Song was the self-titled debut album from Bad Company in June of 1974). By March 1975, Swan Song had four albums (Bad Company, Silk Torpedo, Physical Graffiti, and Suicide Sal) in the Billboard Top 200 chart. The recording label also partly funded film projects such as Monty Python and the Holy Grail in 1975.

Artists who signed with the label but did not produce any releases included New York singer-songwriter Mirabai, Metropolis (which featured members from the Pretty Things), The Message (which featured future Bon Jovi members Alec John Such and Richie Sambora), and Itchy Brother (which featured future members of The Kentucky Headhunters.) Artists that Swan Song Records wanted to sign but bowed out to other labels were Roy Harper and blues guitarist Bobby Parker. When Swan Song's offices were cleared out in 1983, early demos from Iron Maiden and Paul Young's band Q-Tips were among those found, unplayed and ignored, on the shelves.

Swan Song ceased operations in October 1983 due to the break-up of Led Zeppelin and Peter Grant’s health problems. A rescue attempt to save the label by Atlantic Records executive Phil Carson proved fruitless. Robert Plant started his own label, Es Paranza Records, in the wake of the closure of Swan Song, while Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones returned to Atlantic Records. Bad Company moved over to Atco Records when they resumed in the late 1980s. Today, the label is strictly used for reissues of all the albums that were released by the label when it was active.

UK Address: 484 Kings Road, London, SW10 UK
US Address: 444 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10022 U.S.A.

[edit] Personnel

Peter Grant – President
Danny Goldberg – Vice-president (US) - (1974-1976)
Abe Hock – Vice-president (UK) – (1974-1976)
Phil Carson – Atlantic Records liaison
Alan Callan – Vice-president – (1977-1983)
Steve Weiss – Attorney (US)
Joan Hudson – Attorney (UK)
Mark London – Band security
Mitchell Fox, Nancy Gurskik – Assistants (US)
Carole Brown, Unity Maclean, Sian Meredith – Assistants (UK)

[edit] Label discography

June 15, 1974 - SS-8410 - Bad Company - Bad Company
November 1, 1974 - SS-8411 - Silk Torpedo - Pretty Things
November, 1974 – SSK-19401 – "Is It Only Love/Joey" – Pretty Things
February 24, 1975 - SS-2-200 - Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin
April 2, 1975 – SS-70102 – "Trampled Underfoot/Black Country Woman" (US only) – Led Zeppelin
April, 1975 - SS-8412 - Suicide Sal - Maggie Bell
April 12, 1975 - SS-8413 - Straight Shooter - Bad Company
May, 1975 – SSK-19403 – "I’m Keeping…/Atlanta" – Pretty Things
July, 1975 – SSK-19401 – "Joey/Bridge of God" – Pretty Things
November, 1975 - SD-18144 - "MIRABAI" - Mirabai
December, 1975 - SS-8414 - Savage Eye - Pretty Things
January, 1976 – SSK-19405 – "Sad Eye/Remember the Boy" – Pretty Things
February 21, 1976 - SS-8415 - Run With the Pack - Bad Company
March 31, 1976 - SS-8416 - Presence - Led Zeppelin
May, 1976 – SSK-19406 – "Tonight/It Isn’t Rock 'n' Roll" – Pretty Things
June 18, 1976 – SS-70110 – "Candy Store Rock/Royal Orleans" (US only) – Led Zeppelin
July, 1976 – SSK-19408 – "Here Comes the Weekend/As Lovers Do" – Dave Edmunds
September 28, 1976 - SS-2-201 - The Song Remains the Same (soundtrack) - Led Zeppelin
October, 1976 – SSK-19409 – "When or Where/New York’s a Lonely Town" – Dave Edmunds
March, 1977 - SS-8500 - Burnin' Sky - Bad Company
April, 1977 - SS-8417 - Detective - Detective
April, 1977 – SSK-19410 – "Ju Ju Man/What Did I Do Last Night" – Dave Edmunds
April, 1977 - SS-8418 - Get It - Dave Edmunds
June, 1977 – SSK-19411 – "I Knew the Bride/Back to Schooldays" – Dave Edmunds
March, 1978 – SSK-19412 – "Hazell/Night Flighting" – Maggie Bell
April, 1978 - SS-8504 - It Takes One to Know One - Detective
1978 – LAAS-002 – "Live from the Atlantic Studios" (promo disc) – Detective
September, 1978 – SSK-19413 – "Deborah/What Looks Best on You" – Dave Edmunds
September 8, 1978 - SS-8505 - Tracks on Wax 4 - Dave Edmunds
November, 1978 – SSK-19414 – "Television/Never Been in Love" – Dave Edmunds
1978 – PR-230 – "College Radio Presents Dave Edmunds" (promo disc) – Dave Edmunds
March, 1979 – SSK-19416 – "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy/Crazy Circles" – Bad Company
March 17, 1979 - SS-8506 - Desolation Angels - Bad Company
April, 1979 – SSK-19417 – "A1 On the Juke Box/It’s My Own Business" – Dave Edmunds
May, 1979 – SSK-19412P – "Hazell/Night Flighting" (picture disc reissue) – Maggie Bell
July 5, 1979 - SS-8507 - Repeat When Necessary - Dave Edmunds
August 8, 1979 – SSK-19418 – "Girls Talk/Bad is Bad" (clear vinyl issue) – Dave Edmunds
August 15, 1979 - SS-16002 - In Through the Out Door - Led Zeppelin
September, 1979 – SSK-19419 – "Queen of Hearts/Creature from the Black Lagoon" – Dave Edmunds
October 10, 1979 – SSK-19420 – "Crawling from the Wreckage/As Lovers Do" – Dave Edmunds
December 7, 1979 – SS-71003 - "Fool In the Rain/Hot Dog" (US Only) – Led Zeppelin
January, 1980 – SSK-19422 – “Singing the Blues/Boys Talk” – Dave Edmunds
February, 1981 - SS-8509 - Midnight Flyer - Midnight Flyer
March, 1981 – SSK-19423 – "Rough Trade/Midnight Love" – Midnight Flyer
April 10, 1981 – SSK-19424 – "Almost Saturday Night/You’ll Never Get Me Up" – Dave Edmunds
April 20, 1981 - SS-16034 - Twangin’... - Dave Edmunds
June, 1981 – SSK-19425 – "The Race is On/ (I’m Gonna Start) Living If It Kills Me" – Dave Edmunds with The Stray Cats
August, 1981 - SS-16048 - Sad Café - Sad Café
October, 1981 – BAM-1 – "Hold Me/Spring Greens" – B.A. Robertson and Maggie Bell
November, 1981 - SS-8510 - Best of Dave Edmunds - Dave Edmunds
February, 1982 - SS-11002 - Rock 'n' Roll Party (mini LP) - Midnight Flyer
February 15, 1982 - SS-8511 - Death Wish II (soundtrack) - Jimmy Page
April, 1982 – SSK-19426 – "Waiting for You/Rock 'n' Roll Party" – Midnight Flyer
June 28, 1982 - SS-8512 - Pictures at Eleven - Robert Plant
July, 1982 – SAM-154 – "Pictures at Eleven – Interview with Alan Freeman" (promo disc) – Robert Plant
August, 1982 - 790001-1 - Rough Diamonds - Bad Company
September, 1982 – SSK-19428 – "Goosebumps/Key to Your Heart" – Maggie Bell
September, 1982 – SSK-19429 – "Burning Down One Side/Moonlight in Samosa" – Robert Plant
September, 1982 – SSK-19429T – "Burning Down One Side/Moonlight in Samosa/Far Post" (12 inch) – Robert Plant
November 19, 1982 - 790051-1 - Coda - Led Zeppelin
January, 1983 – MB-1 – "Crazy/All I Have to Do Is Dream" – Maggie Bell
April, 1983 - 790078-1 - Wildlife - Wildlife
September, 1983 – B-9842 – "Somewhere in the Night/Sun Don’t Shine" – Wildlife