Tower Records (record label)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tower Records was a record label from 1964 to 1970. It was a subsidiary of Capitol Records.
The label was named after Capitol's headquarters building, the Capitol Tower was formed as a subsidiary to Capitol in 1964. In its early years, it released recordings by British invasion artists like Freddie and the Dreamers, (whose "I'm Telling You Now" became Tower's only #1 hit on Billboard) and Tom Jones (only 6 songs recorded in 1963, that were released by Tower on the strength of his hit "It's Not Unusual" two years late in 1965, much to the dismay of the singer. He was actually signed to London subsidiary, Parrot). It also gave Nilsson his first national releases.
In 1965, Tower made a bit of a risky move by releasing You Turn Me On" by Ian Whitcomb, a song that was considered racy by some. It became the Whitcomb's biggest hit (and Tower's only other Top 10 record, peaking at #8 on Billboard). Other Tower hits that year included "I Live For The Sun" by The Sunrays, a group produced and managed by Beach Boys' father Murry Wilson, and "Dirty Water", by The Standells.
In 1966, the label gained what could be called a "future cult" status, becoming one of the premiere purveyors of what would later be called garage rock. While not releasing recordings from this genre exclusively, it seemed their greatest chart successes came from garage bands, such as "Blues' Theme" from The Wild Angels by Davie Allan & The Arrows.
The label signed Pink Floyd to their roster in 1967, subsequently releasing three albums and a number of singles. The singles have become the most valuable and sought-after of the Tower label recordings. Several singles by The Chocolate Watchband were released the same year. Mississippi pop group Eternity's Children placed Tower back on the charts with "Mrs. Bluebird" in the summer of 1968.
A&R man Mike Curb joined the label in 1968. Curb had a hand in releasing several soundtracks on the Tower label, most notably, Wild in the Streets, featuring Tower's last major hit: Max Frost and the Troopers' "The Shape of Things".
Capitol shut down Tower Records in 1970.
[edit] Label variations
- 1964-1968: Brownish orange label with Tower logo on left side
- 1968-1970: Multi-color striped label with Tower logo on left side
