Capitol Records is 80 Years Old Today!

[Teasing the Korean]

Feb. 7, 1942, Paramount Pictures' head of production, Buddy DeSylva, wrote a $15,000 check for Johnny Mercer and Glenn Wallichs to start Capitol.  

Happy 80th Birthday Capitol!  You had a hell of run, at least for the first 30 years or so.  

Posting in the Artists section because of Capitol's unbelievable roster in the 1940s and 50s.

Edited February 8, 2022 by Teasing the Korean

[Chuck Nessa]

I am so excited. I won't be able to sleep.

[Shrdlu]

They certainly did have a good run.

Nat Cole was, of course, their biggest seller. Their famous building, the Capitol Tower, was known as "The House That Nat Built".

[Teasing the Korean]

4 hours ago, Shrdlu said:

They certainly did have a good run.

Nat Cole was, of course, their biggest seller. Their famous building, the Capitol Tower, was known as "The House That Nat Built".

Their 1940s-60s roster was incredible:

• Sinatra
• Dino
• Nat
• Jo Stafford
• Pied Pipers
• Johnny Mercer
• Peggy Lee
• Duke
• Stan Kenton
• Cannonball
• Louis & Kelly
• Howard Roberts
• Nancy Wilson
• George Shearing
• Jackie Gleason
• Nancy Wilson
• June Christy
• Yma Sumac
• Thee Great Les Baxter

 

[GA Russell]

The Four Freshmen
The Kingston Trio
The Beach Boys
The Beatles

[JSngry]

Tennessee Ernie Ford

Jimmy Bryant/Speedy West

Buck Owens

Merle Haggard

Tex Ritter

Hank Thompson

Wanda Jackson

Just ALL kinds of White People!!!!

Al Martino

The Lettermen

Bobby Gentry

Glen Campbell

Roy Clark

and

Ed Townsend!!!!!

[JSngry]

 

A HUGE hit!!!

[felser]

Steve Miller

Bob Seger

Linda Ronstadt/Stone Poneys

Quicksilver Messenger Service

Lou Rawls

SRC

Joe South

Gandalf

Hearts and Flowers

The People

Insect Trust

Patti Drew

[JSngry]

This is one of the essential guitar records:

[Dub Modal]

9 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

I am so excited. I won't be able to sleep.

Still feeling giddy after the all-nighter?

[JSngry]

Anne Murray AND Helen Reddy!!!!!

[Dub Modal]

Beastie Boys and Pink Floyd are Capitol artists I have in my collection. Also have some from EMI which was a sub of Capitol. For that label I have D'Angelo, Parliament, Peter Tosh and RHCP. 

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

This is one of the essential guitar records:

I found a mint condition copy at a thrift store in the 1990s.  It was a dollar.  I sold it to Stereo Jack's, so I could feed my jazz/film score habit.

[mikeweil]

What actually was the label's very first release, and what was the first jazz release?

[Teasing the Korean]

12 minutes ago, mikeweil said:

What actually was the label's very first release, and what was the first jazz release?

We can split hairs over what would have been considered "jazz" in 1942.  

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, Dub Modal said:

Also have some from EMI which was a sub of Capitol.

I thnk it was the other way around?

[Teasing the Korean]

49 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I thnk it was the other way around?

Correct.  EMI bought a controlling share of Capitol sometime around 1955.  This led to Capitol's massive and impressive "Capitol of the World" series, which must have been the first time that a US label devoted a substantial amount of plastic to what would later be called "world music."

[JSngry]

Capitol also had a small but interesting Classical catalog, notably the Hollywood String Quartet.

[Teasing the Korean]

4 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Capitol also had a small but interesting Classical catalog, notably the Hollywood String Quartet.

Yes, and I think that this merged with Angel after the EMI acquisition.

[medjuck]

21 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Feb. 7, 1942, Paramount Pictures' head of production, Buddy DeSylva, wrote a $15,000 check for Johnny Mercer and Glenn Wallichs to start Capitol.  

Happy 80th Birthday Capitol!  You had a hell of run, at least for the first 30 years or so.  

Posting in the Artists section because of Capitol's unbelievable roster in the 1940s and 50s.

Wasn't Buddy DeSylva a songwriter?  And though he has executive producer credits at Paramount I don't think he was ever head of production.  (That may be a mistranslation on his Wikipedia page which is in French!)

Edited February 9, 2022 by medjuck

[JSngry]

GRAND FUNK RAILROAD!!!!!

The band that single-handedly and forevermore turned me off of "Rock"  What a precedent-setting mountainous pile of rancid dogshit.

Fitting that they were on the same label (in America) as the group that got me into it in a big way less than a decade before - The Hollyridge Strings!!!!!

[Teasing the Korean]

12 minutes ago, JSngry said:

GRAND FUNK RAILROAD!!!!!

The band that single-handedly and forevermore turned me off of "Rock"  What a precedent-setting mountainous pile of rancid dogshit.

Produced by the guy who released

SOMETHING/ ANYTHING

which just turned

50!

Edited February 8, 2022 by Teasing the Korean

[bertrand]

I find it interesting that Blue Note is OLDER than Capitol.

[Teasing the Korean]

23 minutes ago, bertrand said:

I find it interesting that Blue Note is OLDER than Capitol.

In 1972, when Capitol was only 30 years old, I considered 1942 to be medieval times.

In 2022, 50 years later, 1942 doesn't seem like all that long ago!

[JSngry]

47 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Produced by the guy who released

SOMETHING/ ANYTHING

which just turned

50!

Yeah, too little too late. Same thing with Zappa doing them.

In real time, I noticed a small but noticeable decrease in musicality from, say, Cream to Zep, and by the time Grand Funk came out of the musical rectum, the kids were NOT all right, the kids were more than willing to swallow that turd whole, over and over again.

I moved on with no regrets - and with no hesitancy. One of the better life choices I've made (not that there were all that many...).