Swan Song Records

infobox record label


founded = 1974
closed = 1983
founder = Led Zeppelin
Peter Grant
distributor = Atlantic Records
genre = Rock
country = UK

Swan Song Records was a record label launched by English rock group Led Zeppelin on May 10, 1974. It was managed by Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant and was a vehicle for the band to promote its own products as well as sign artists who found it difficult to win contracts with other major labels. The decision to launch the label came after Led Zeppelin's five year contract with Atlantic Records expired at the end of 1973. Atlantic Records ultimately distributed the label's product.

Artists that released material on the Swan Song label during its existence included Led Zeppelin itself (including solo releases by band members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant); Bad Company; The Pretty Things; Dave Edmunds; Mirabai; Maggie Bell (and the short-lived band she fronted, Midnight Flyer); Detective; Sad Café; and Wildlife. In addition to these artists, two other noted recording acts (though not signed to the label) were credited artists on Swan Song singles, both of which were UK hits in 1981: B. A. Robertson duetted on with Maggie Bell on the single "Hold On", and The Stray Cats backed Dave Edmunds on his 1981 single "The Race Is On".

Swan Song ceased active operations in 1983, and now exists only to reissue previously released material.

History

A lavish media party was held at Chislehurst Caves in Kent, England on October 31, 1974, to celebrate the label’s first UK release by the Pretty Things, "Silk Torpedo" (the first US release for Swan Song was the self-titled debut album from Bad Company in June 1974). The company logo was based on "Evening or the Fall of Day" (1869) by painter William Rimmer, featuring a picture of the Greek god Apollo. [cite web| url = http://www.rimmerhistory.co.uk/will.html| title = William Rimmer: A Claim to Fame| accessdate = 2008-03-01| year = 2006| month = September]

By March 1975, Swan Song had four albums ("Bad Company", "Silk Torpedo", "Physical Graffiti", and "Suicide Sal") in the "Billboard" Top 200 chart. The recording label also partly funded film projects such as "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" in 1975. In an interview he gave in January of that year, Page offered his perspective on the label:

Two years later, he elaborated on Led Zeppelin's intention to found the label:

Artists who signed with the label but did not produce any releases included Metropolis (which featured members from the Pretty Things), The Message (which featured future Bon Jovi members Alec John Such and Richie Sambora), and (which featured future members of The Kentucky Headhunters.) Artists that Swan Song Records wanted to sign but bowed out to other labels were Roy Harper and blues guitarist Bobby Parker. When Swan Song's offices were cleared out in 1983, early demos from Iron Maiden and Paul Young's band Q-Tips were among those found, unplayed and ignored, on the shelves.Fact|date=March 2008

Swan Song ceased operations in October 1983 due to the break-up of Led Zeppelin and Peter Grant’s health problems. A rescue attempt to save the label by Atlantic Records executive Phil Carson proved fruitless. Robert Plant started his own label, Es Paranza Records, in the wake of the closure of Swan Song, while Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones returned to Atlantic Records. Bad Company moved over to Atco Records when they resumed in the late 1980s. Today, the label is strictly used for reissues of all the albums that were released by the label when it was active.

*"UK Address": 484 Kings Road, London, SW10 UK
*"US Address": 444 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10022 U.S.A.

Personnel

* Peter Grant – President
* Danny Goldberg – Vice-president (US) - (1974-1976)
* Abe Hoch – Vice-president (UK) – (1974-1976)
* Phil Carson – Atlantic Records liaison
* Alan Callan – Vice-president – (1977-1983)
* Steve Weiss – Attorney (US)
* Joan Hudson – Attorney (UK)
* Mark London – Band security
* Mitchell Fox, Nancy Gurskik – Assistants (US)
* Carole Brown, Unity Maclean,Cynthia Sach, Sian Meredith – Assistants (UK)

Label discography

LPs

* June 15, 1974 - SS-8410 - "Bad Company" - Bad Company
* November 1, 1974 - SS-8411 - "Silk Torpedo" - Pretty Things
* February 24, 1975 - SS-2-200 - "Physical Graffiti" - Led Zeppelin
* April, 1975 - SS-8412 - "Suicide Sal" - Maggie Bell
* April 12, 1975 - SS-8413 - "Straight Shooter" - Bad Company
* December, 1975 - SS-8414 - "Savage Eye" - Pretty Things
* February 21, 1976 - SS-8415 - "Run With the Pack" - Bad Company
* March 31, 1976 - SS-8416 - "Presence" - Led Zeppelin
* September 28, 1976 - SS-2-201 - "The Song Remains the Same" (soundtrack) - Led Zeppelin
* March, 1977 - SS-8500 - "Burnin' Sky" - Bad Company
* April, 1977 - SS-8417 - "Detective" - Detective
* April, 1977 - SS-8418 - "Get It" - Dave Edmunds
* April, 1978 - SS-8504 - "It Takes One to Know One" - Detective
* September 8, 1978 - SS-8505 - "Tracks on Wax 4" - Dave Edmunds
* March 17, 1979 - SS-8506 - "Desolation Angels" - Bad Company
* July 5, 1979 - SS-8507 - "Repeat When Necessary" - Dave Edmunds
* August 15, 1979 - SS-16002 - "In Through the Out Door" - Led Zeppelin
* February, 1981 - SS-8509 - "Midnight Flyer" - Midnight Flyer
* April 20, 1981 - SS-16034 - "Twangin’..." - Dave Edmunds
* August, 1981 - SS-16048 - "Sad Café" - Sad Café
* November, 1981 - SS-8510 - "Best of Dave Edmunds" - Dave Edmunds
* February, 1982 - SS-11002 - "Rock 'n' Roll Party" (mini LP) - Midnight Flyer
* February 15, 1982 - SS-8511 - "Death Wish II" (soundtrack) - Jimmy Page
* June 28, 1982 - SS-8512 - "Pictures at Eleven" - Robert Plant
* August, 1982 - 790001-1 - "Rough Diamonds" - Bad Company
* November 19, 1982 - 790051-1 - "Coda" - Led Zeppelin
* April, 1983 - 790078-1 - "Wildlife" - Wildlife

ingles

* November, 1974 – SSK-19401 – "Is It Only Love/Joey" – Pretty Things
* April 2, 1975 – SS-70102 – "Trampled Underfoot/Black Country Woman" (US only) – Led Zeppelin
* May, 1975 – SSK-19403 – "I’m Keeping…/Atlanta" – Pretty Things
* July, 1975 – SSK-19401 – "Joey/Bridge of God" – Pretty Things
* November, 1975 - SD-18144 - "MIRABAI" - Mirabai
* January, 1976 – SSK-19405 – "Sad Eye/Remember the Boy" – Pretty Things
* May, 1976 – SSK-19406 – "Tonight/It Isn’t Rock 'n' Roll" – Pretty Things
* June 18, 1976 – SS-70110 – "Candy Store Rock/Royal Orleans" (US only) – Led Zeppelin
* July, 1976 – SSK-19408 – "Here Comes the Weekend/As Lovers Do" – Dave Edmunds
* October, 1976 – SSK-19409 – "When or Where/New York’s a Lonely Town" – Dave Edmunds
* April, 1977 – SSK-19410 – "Ju Ju Man/What Did I Do Last Night" – Dave Edmunds
* June, 1977 – SSK-19411 – "I Knew the Bride/Back to Schooldays" – Dave Edmunds
* March, 1978 – SSK-19412 – "Hazell/Night Flighting" – Maggie Bell
* September, 1978 – SSK-19413 – "Deborah/What Looks Best on You" – Dave Edmunds
* November, 1978 – SSK-19414 – "Television/Never Been in Love" – Dave Edmunds
* March, 1979 – SSK-19416 – "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy/Crazy Circles" – Bad Company
* April, 1979 – SSK-19417 – "A1 On the Juke Box/It’s My Own Business" – Dave Edmunds
* May, 1979 – SSK-19412P – "Hazell/Night Flighting" (picture disc reissue) – Maggie Bell
* August 8, 1979 – SSK-19418 – "Girls Talk/Bad is Bad" (clear vinyl issue) – Dave Edmunds
* September, 1979 – SSK-19419 – "Queen of Hearts/Creature from the Black Lagoon" – Dave Edmunds
* October 10, 1979 – SSK-19420 – "Crawling from the Wreckage/As Lovers Do" – Dave Edmunds
* December 7, 1979 – SS-71003 - "Fool In the Rain/Hot Dog" (US Only) – Led Zeppelin
* January, 1980 – SSK-19422 – "Singing the Blues/Boys Talk" – Dave Edmunds
* March, 1981 – SSK-19423 – "Rough Trade/Midnight Love" – Midnight Flyer
* April 10, 1981 – SSK-19424 – "Almost Saturday Night/You’ll Never Get Me Up" – Dave Edmunds
* June, 1981 – SSK-19425 – "The Race is On/ (I’m Gonna Start) Living If It Kills Me" – Dave Edmunds with The Stray Cats
* October, 1981 – BAM-1 – "Hold Me/Spring Greens" – B. A. Robertson and Maggie Bell
* April, 1982 – SSK-19426 – "Waiting for You/Rock 'n' Roll Party" – Midnight Flyer
* September, 1982 – SSK-19428 – "Goosebumps/Key to Your Heart" – Maggie Bell
* September, 1982 – SSK-19429 – "Burning Down One Side/Moonlight in Samosa" – Robert Plant
* September, 1982 – SSK-19429T – "Burning Down One Side/Moonlight in Samosa/Far Post" (12 inch) – Robert Plant
* January, 1983 – MB-1 – "Crazy/All I Have to Do Is Dream" – Maggie Bell
* September, 1983 – B-9842 – "Somewhere in the Night/Sun Don’t Shine" – Wildlife

Promo discs

* 1978 – LAAS-002 – "Live from the Atlantic Studios" – Detective
* 1978 – PR-230 – "College Radio Presents Dave Edmunds" – Dave Edmunds
* July, 1982 – SAM-154 – "Pictures at Eleven – Interview with Alan Freeman" – Robert Plant

See also

* List of record labels
* Led Zeppelin

References