Riva Records

Riva Records was a British record label founded in the UK in 1975 by Billy Gaff, manager of Rod Stewart.

Rod Stewart signed to the label in the UK, but stayed with Warner Bros. Records in the US and the rest of the world. Another well-known artist on the label was John Cougar Mellencamp, distributed by PolyGram in the US, and WEA in most other countries. After Stewart and Mellencamp left the label, it stopped operating. Billy died in Dublin on 25 April 2022.

Stewart left in 1982 (last issue "How Long"), whereas Mellencamp stayed a little later. A variety of acts then had singles released on Riva in the UK (see below); the last known UK release was RIVA 51 (Glory with "Hearts Will Sing" / "As It Is") in 1987. Other acts to have releases on Riva included:

• Lewis Sisters / Lewis
• Blinding Tears
• Phil Thornalley
• Carmine Appice
• The Lookalikes, ^[1] with Sean O'Connor ^[2]

Discography

List of 7" issues on Riva Records in the UK [please fill in the blanks]

Riva No	Date	Artist	Tracks
1	1975 Nov (No PS)	Rod Stewart	This Old Heart of Mine / All in the Name of Rock 'n' Roll
2	1976 April (No PS)	The Atlantic Crossing Drum & Fife +	Skye Boat Song / Skye Boat Song (instr.)
3	1976 May (No PS)	Rod Stewart	Tonight's the Night / The Ball Trap
4	1976 Aug (No PS)	Rod Stewart	The Killing of Georgie Parts 1 & 2 / Fool For You
5	? (No PS)	Frankie Laine / Lou Reizner & Will Malone	Maxwell's Silver Hammer / You Never Give Me Your Money
6	1976 Dec (No PS)	Rod Stewart	Get Back / Trade Winds
7	1977 Apr (No PS)	Rod Stewart	The First Cut Is the Deepest / I Don't Want to Talk About It
8	1977	Faces	Memphis (4 track) / stay with me +3
9	1977 Jun	Rod Stewart	Sailing / Stone Cold Sober
10	1978 Jan (No PS)	Rod Stewart	Hot Legs / I Was Only Joking
11	1977 Oct (No PS)	Rod Stewart	You're in My Heart / You Really Got A Nerve
12	1977 (No PS)	Window	Bandit / Rose and Thorn
13	?	?	?
14	1978 Feb	Johnny Cougar	I Need A Lover / Born Reckless
15	1978 May	Rod Stewart	Ole Ola (Mulhera Brasileira)
16	1978 May	Johnny Cougar	Factory / Alley of the Angels
17	1978 Nov (No PS)	Rod Stewart	Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? / Dirty Weekend
18	1979 Jan (No PS)	Rod Stewart	Ain't Love A Bitch / Scared and Scarred
19	1979 April (No PS)	Rod Stewart	Blondes (Have More Fun) / The Best Days of My Life
20	1979 June	John Cougar	Miami / Do You Think That's Fair
21	1979 Sep	John Cougar	Taxi Dancer / Small Paradise
22	1980	The Lookalikes	Can I Take You Home Tonight / Radio / Don`T Cry For Me
23	1980 May	Rod Stewart	If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want To Be Right) / Last Summer
24	1980	The Lookalikes	Call Me If You Really Want Me / Just What You Got
25	1980	Johnny Cougar	This Time / Don't Misunderstand Me
26	1980 Oct (No PS???)	Rod Stewart	Passion / Better Off Dead
27	1981	The Lookalikes	Baby Don`T Leave / Why Didn`T I Think of That
28	1980 Dec	Rod Stewart	My Girl / Dance With Me
29	1981 March	Rod Stewart	Oh God I Wish I Was Home Tonight / Somebody Special
30	1981 Feb	John Cougar	Hot Night in a Cold Town / Tonight
31	1981 May	John Cougar	Ain’t Even Done with the Night / To M.G. Wherever She May Be
32	1981	Carmine Appice and the Rockers	Be My Baby / Leave It Up To You
33	1981 Oct	Rod Stewart	Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me) / Sonny
34	1981 Dec.	Rod Stewart	Young Turks / Tora Tora Tora (Out with the Boys)
35	1982 Feb	Rod Stewart	How Long / Jealous
36	1982 May	John Cougar	Hurts So Good / Close Enough
37	1982 Oct	John Cougar	Jack And Diane / Danger List
38	1983 Jan	John Cougar	Hand To Hold on To / Hurts So Good (picture Disc available)
39	?	?	?
40	?	?	?
41	1983	Phil Thornalley	So This Is Love / Last Too Long
42	?	?	?
43	1983	Manteau	Promise / Love Let Down
44	1986	Lewis	Can't Wait Another Minute / ?
45	1986	Lewis Sisters	If The Love Fits / Can't Wait Another Minute
46	1986	Lewis	Man in the moon / Sure Don't Come Easy – extended versions
47	1986	Lewis Sisters	Melting Point / Devil Made Me Do It
48	1987	Lewis Sisters	So Good, So Right / Dangerous
49	1987	Blinding Tears [Cawley And Storie]	Heaven Only Knows / Call of the Wild
50	?	?	?
51	1987	Glory	Hearts Will Sing / As It Is

(No PS) indicates that the record was issued without a Picture Sleeve

List of LP issues on Riva Records in the UK [please fill in the blanks]

Riva No	Date	Artist	Album title
1	1976 Jun 18	Rod Stewart	A Night on the Town
2	1976	Various Artists	All This And World War II
3	1977	Faces	The Best of the Faces
4	1977	Rod Stewart	Atlantic Crossing (Re-issue)
5	1977 Oct 28	Rod Stewart	Foot Loose & Fancy Free
6	1978 Mar	Johnny Cougar	A Biography
7	?	?	?
8	1978 Nov 17	Rod Stewart	Blondes Have More Fun
9	1979 July	John Cougar	John Cougar
10	1981 July	John Cougar	Nothin' Matters And What If It Did
11	1980 Nov 21	Rod Stewart	Foolish Behaviour
12	?	?	?
13	?	?	?
14	1981 Nov 9	Rod Stewart	Tonight I'm Yours
15	1982	Carmine Appice	Carmine Appice
16	1982 June	John Cougar	American Fool
17	1982 Nov 6	Rod Stewart	Absolutely Live
18	1983	John Cougar	Uh-Huh
19	1985	John Cougar	Scarecrow
20	1986	Blinding Tears [Mark Cawley And Carl Storie]	Blinding Tears

^[3]

See also

• Lists of record labels

References

1. "The Lookalikes Music, Lyrics, Songs, and Videos". Reverbnation.com. 3 February 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
2. "Official Web Site of Irish Musician Sean O'Connor". Seanoconnor.ie. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
3. "Riva Records – CDs and Vinyl at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2 March 2013.

External links

• Riva Records discography at Discogs