Rak Records | |
---|---|
Parent company | EMI, PRT Records (1987–1988), Gearbox Music (2014–present) |
Founded | 1969 |
Founder | Mickie Most |
Status | Active |
Distributor(s) | Gearbox Music (2014–present catalogue) Parlophone Records (back catalogue) Chrysalis Records/Blue Raincoat Music (Suzi Quatro catalogue) |
Genre | Rock, pop |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Location | London, England |
Official website |
Rak Records is a British record label, founded by record producer Mickie Most in 1969. [1] Rak was home to artists such as Herman's Hermits, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Kenny, Hot Chocolate, Smokie, Arrows, Span, Racey and Kim Wilde. [2] Rak Records were distributed via a licensing deal with EMI Records, which bought the company and its master recordings from Most in 1983. Most kept the company name and his RAK Studios, which still exists in St. John's Wood along with Rak Publishing. The latter company represents artists such as Joan Jett, Ben Taylor and KK. In 1986, Most defected the label from EMI to PRT Records which handled the last releases until February 1988. Owing to the records not being hits, the label folded. However, 26 years later in late 2014, Rak Records was revived as a label for new artists releasing both downloads and 7-inch vinyl in the form of a singles club. The Cadbury Sisters, Trojanhorse, and Beautiful Boy were the new signings. They recorded their own original songs as the A-sides, and covered a classic Rak artists cover as the B-side. The Cadbury Sisters covered Steve Harley's 1975 classic "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)" (even though it was originally released on the generic EMI label), Trojan Horse did Cozy Powell's "Dance With The Devil", and Beautiful Boy did "Kids In America". As PRT Records is no longer in existence, the label is now distributed by Gearbox Records using the original sailing yacht paper label and the records packaged in the original royal blue paper sleeves.
When Warner Music Group acquired Parlophone from EMI in 2013, this included the rights to Hot Chocolate [3] and other artists. However, Suzi Quatro's albums on Rak are owned by currently independent label Chrysalis Records after Blue Raincoat Music acquired that label in May 2016 from Warner. [4] [5]
Rak Publishing is currently located in London, in the original RAK Studios complex in St John's Wood. [6] They manage the publishing rights for songs like "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Arrows, covered by Joan Jett and Britney Spears, and "Kids In America" recorded by Kim Wilde. [7] Rak Publishing and Tummy Touch Records are currently releasing new and archive material from the Rak catalogue.
Susan Kay Quatro is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of hit singles that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, reaching No. 1 in the UK, other European countries and Australia with her singles "Can the Can" (1973) and "Devil Gate Drive" (1974).
Chrysalis Records is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Agency.
Michael Peter Hayes, known as Mickie Most, was an English record producer behind scores of hit singles for acts such as the Animals, Herman's Hermits, the Nashville Teens, Donovan, Lulu, Suzi Quatro, Hot Chocolate, Arrows, Racey and the Jeff Beck Group, often issued on his own RAK Records label.
Chrysalis Group was a UK media company that was founded by Chris Wright, chairman, and Terry Ellis. Wright was named in Sunday Times Rich List 2009 of the 1,000 richest persons in the UK. Previously having interests in television, books and radio, Chrysalis now focuses on the areas of music publishing, music recording, artist management and entertainment product distribution. The music branch includes The Hit Label, Echo and Papillon Records.
Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhood of Man (1975–1979). The label changed its name to PRT Records in 1980, before being briefly reactivated as Pye Records in 2006.
Nicholas Barry Chinn is an English-American songwriter and record producer. Together with Mike Chapman he had a long string of hit singles in the US and UK in the 1970s and early 1980s, including several international number-one records. The duo wrote hits for the Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Mud, New World, Arrows, Racey, Smokie, Tina Turner, Huey Lewis and the News, Exile and Toni Basil.
Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well as the compilation album Pillows & Prayers. In addition to releasing new music, Cherry Red also acts as an umbrella for individual imprints and catalogue specialists.
Michael Donald Chapman is an Australian record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the British pop music industry in the 1970s. He created a string of hit singles for artists including The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Smokie, Mud and Racey with business partner Nicky Chinn, creating a sound that became identified with the "Chinnichap" brand. He later produced breakthrough albums for Blondie and The Knack. Chapman received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2014 Australia Day Honours.
"Touch Too Much" is the debut single by the British band Arrows, sung by Arrows lead vocalist Alan Merrill, and composed by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. It was a top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 8 in June 1974. Merrill told Songfacts that the song was turned down by David Cassidy, Suzi Quatro and Sweet.
The Pleasure Seekers was a 1960s-era, all-female rock band from Detroit, Michigan. The band morphed into Cradle, changing direction musically. They are known due in large part to the later prominence of band member Suzi Quatro.
Clark Wynford Datchler is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He first rose to fame in 1987 as the lead singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in the band Johnny Hates Jazz.
Suzi Quatro is the debut solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter and bass guitarist of the same name. The LP was originally released in October 1973, by the record label Rak in most territories. The album was released under Bell Records in the United States and Canada, EMI Records in Japan, and Columbia Records in some European countries. It was titled Can the Can in Australia.
Yes You Can is the third studio album by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley. It was released by CTE in Europe in 1992 and by Food For Thought Records in the UK in 1993.
Back to the Drive is the eleventh studio album by Suzi Quatro. Released in March 2006, it was her comeback album, and her first since 1990's Oh Suzi Q.. Produced by Sweet guitarist Andy Scott and Steve Grant with input from Quatro's classic era producer Mike Chapman, this release features backing vocals by Shirlie Roden, ex-husband Len Tuckey on guitar, and includes her daughter, Laura Quatro, duetting with her on the download-only single "I'll Walk Through the Fire With You".
Aggro-Phobia is the fourth studio album by Suzi Quatro, recorded in the Autumn of 1976. It is the only one of her albums to be co-produced by Mickie Most.
Suzi ... and Other Four Letter Words, released in 1979, is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter, bass guitar player, and actress Suzi Quatro. By August 2012 this was still Quatro's highest-charting album in Norway and her second-highest-charting album in the United States .
"Irresistible" is a song written and recorded by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley. It was released three times as a single; the first being in 1985 as a non-album single under his band's name Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel In 1986, a remixed version of the song was released by Harley as a solo single in the UK, and in 1992, he re-released this version as a single in Europe from his solo album Yes You Can. "Irresistible" was written by Harley and produced by English producer Mickie Most.
"Heartbeat Like Thunder" is a song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley, released in 1986 by RAK as a non-album single. The song was written by Harley and ex-Cockney Rebel keyboardist Duncan Mackay, and produced by Mickie Most.
"Tonight I Could Fall in Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Suzi Quatro, released by RAK Records as a non-album single in 1985. The song was written by Richard Gower and produced by Mickie Most. The song reached number 140 in the UK Singles Chart.