Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated with Decca Records. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Originally dedicated to recording traditional jazz and small group swing, the label switched its attention to modern jazz around 1947.
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, along with American Decca's first president Jack Kapp and later American Decca president Milton Rackmil. In 1937, anticipating Nazi aggression leading to World War II, Lewis sold American Decca and the link between the UK and U.S. Decca labels was broken for several decades. The British label was renowned for its development of recording methods, while the American company developed the concept of cast albums in the musical genre. Both wings are now part of the Universal Music Group, which is owned by Vivendi, a media conglomerate headquartered in Paris. The US Decca label was the foundation company that evolved into UMG.
The Moody Blues are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge, and bassist Clint Warwick. The group came to prominence playing rhythm and blues music. They made some changes in musicians but settled on a line-up of Pinder, Thomas, Edge, guitarist Justin Hayward, and bassist John Lodge, who stayed together for most of the band's "classic era" into the early 1970s.
An extended play record, often referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single, but is usually unqualified as an album or LP. Contemporary EPs generally contain a minimum of three tracks and maximum of six tracks, and are considered "less expensive and time-consuming" for an artist to produce than an album. An EP originally referred to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play (SP) and LP, but it is now applied to mid-length CDs and downloads as well.
London Records is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1979 before becoming semi-independent.
For Decca's Vocalion label, see Disques Vogue
Green Bullfrog is a rock album recorded by an ad-hoc band of musicians under the guidance of producer Derek Lawrence. The bulk of the album was recorded over two sessions at De Lane Lea Studios, London in 1970, with later string and brass overdubs. It was originally released in 1971, with reissues in 1980 and 1991.
Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, is an English soprano and one of the world's most renowned early music specialists. She has sung on over 100 recordings.
From Genesis to Revelation is the debut studio album by the English rock band Genesis, released in March 1969 on Decca Records. The album originated from a collection of demos recorded in 1967 while the members of Genesis were pupils of Charterhouse in Godalming, Surrey. It caught the attention of Jonathan King who named the group, organised deals with his publishing company and Decca, and studio time at Regent Sound Studios to record a series of singles and a full album. A string section arranged and conducted by Arthur Greenslade was added later on some songs. By the time Genesis had finished recording, John Silver had replaced original drummer Chris Stewart.
The Magnificent Moodies is the 1965 debut album by The Moody Blues, first released in the UK, and the first and only album featuring their R&B line-up of guitarist Denny Laine, bassist Clint Warwick, keyboardist Mike Pinder, flautist–percussionist Ray Thomas, and drummer Graeme Edge. Lead vocals were shared by Laine, Pinder and Thomas. The album is a collection of R&B and Merseybeat songs, including the cover of "Go Now", produced by Alex Wharton, that had been a Number 1 hit single earlier that year. For the U.S. release, on London Records, with the title of Go Now – The Moody Blues #1, four songs were replaced and the tracks re-ordered. The North American version also incorrectly titles three songs.
Warrior on the Edge of Time is Hawkwind's fifth studio album. It reached number 13 on the U.K. album charts and was their third and last album to make the U.S. Billboard chart, where it peaked at number 150. Many of the lyrics are by Michael Moorcock and the album is loosely based on the concept of Moorcock's novel The Eternal Champion. Reviews have been mixed, with Melody Maker panning the album and particularly criticizing the vocal work while the All Music Guide has praised the album for features such as the songwriting.
"The Laughing Gnome" is a song by English singer David Bowie, released as a single on 14 April 1967. A pastiche of songs by one of Bowie's early influences, Anthony Newley, it was originally released as a novelty single on Deram Records in 1967. The track consists of Bowie meeting and conversing with a gnome, whose sped-up voice delivers several puns on the word "gnome". At the time, "The Laughing Gnome" failed to provide Bowie with a chart placing, but on its re-release in 1973 it reached number six on the British charts and number three in New Zealand.
Ella Sings Gershwin is a 1950 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by the pianist Ellis Larkins. Issued on DL5300 on the Decca label, this was Fitzgerald's first album. Originally on 10" vinyl, which preceded album releases on 12" vinyl, it featured eight tracks.
Emergency Ward! is a 1972 album released by Nina Simone. The title of the record is rendered as "Emergency Ward" on the record label itself, but as "Emergency Ward!" on the cover sleeve. The sleeve also bears the text "Nina Simone in Concert". The album is considered to be Simone's statement on the Vietnam War and has been described as "consistently thrilling" by AllMusic's Mark Richardson.
Merry Christmas is a compilation album by Bing Crosby that was released in 1945 on Decca Records. It has remained in print through the vinyl, CD, and downloadable file eras, currently as the disc and digital album White Christmas on MCA Records, a part of the Universal Music Group, and currently on vinyl as Merry Christmas on Geffen Records. It includes Crosby's signature song "White Christmas", the best-selling single of all time with estimated sales of over 50 million copies worldwide. The album has sold over 15 million copies and is the second best-selling Christmas album of all-time behind Elvis' Christmas Album, which has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide. The original 1945 release and subsequent re-releases and re-packages spent a total of 36 weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard pop albums chart.
Selections from Irving Berlin's White Christmas is an album with songs from the 1954 movie, White Christmas. Among the featured artists are Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, and Trudy Stevens, with Peggy Lee, who was not in the movie, singing some parts. It is one of the last 78 rpm albums Decca produced.
The World Record Club Ltd. was the name of a company in the United Kingdom which issued long-playing records and reel-to-reel tapes, mainly of classical music and jazz, through a membership mail-order system during the 1950s and 1960s.
Milestones is a compilation album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1972 by Decca Records. It reached #14 on the UK charts. Less popular and well known than the contemporaneous compilation album Hot Rocks 1964–1971, it was released by Decca without the consent or input from the band. Due to the nature of their contract prior to 1971, the band lost all rights to releases of their own music prior to 1971; those rights instead are held jointly by ABKCO Records and Decca Records. Both ABKCO and Decca would continue to release compilation albums, without input from the band, over the next several decades.
"Ressurection Joe" is a single by the English rock band The Cult and was released on 14 December 1984. The single is "stand-alone" and was not featured on any studio album by the group.
What's New Pussycat? is the second album released by Tom Jones, created to capitalize on the success of his current hit single, the theme song from What's New Pussycat?
