Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels.
In August 1963, as part of a film deal, Warner Bros. purchased Reprise (which had been losing money) from Frank Sinatra, who nonetheless retained a 1/3 interest in the label. Many of the older artists on the label were dropped by Warner Bros. Records. Reprise president Mo Ostin was retained as the head of the label and he went on to play a very significant role in the history of the Warner group of labels over the next four decades. Warner-Reprise executives began targeting younger acts, beginning by securing the American distribution rights to the Pye Records recordings by the Kinks in 1964. Reprise soon added teen-oriented pop acts like Dino, Desi & Billy to the roster. As well, Sinatra's own daughter Nancy (who began recording for the label in 1961) was retained by Ostin, becoming a major pop star from late 1965. The label moved almost exclusively to rock-oriented music in the late 1960s, although Frank Sinatra continued to record for the label until the 1980s.
Through direct signings or distribution deals, by the 1970s the Reprise roster grew to include Lee Hazlewood, Jill Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, the early Joni Mitchell recordings, Neil Young, the Electric Prunes, Donna Loren, Arlo Guthrie, Norman Greenbaum, Tom Lehrer, Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, Tiny Tim, Ry Cooder, Captain Beefheart, John Sebastian, Family, the early 1970s recordings by Frank Zappa and the Mothers, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Nico's Desertshore, the Fugs, Jethro Tull, Pentangle, T. Rex, the Meters, John Cale, Gordon Lightfoot, Michael Franks, Richard Pryor, Al Jarreau, Fleetwood Mac, Fanny, and the Beach Boys.
In 1976, the Reprise label was deactivated by Warner Bros. and all of its roster (except Frank Sinatra and Neil Young) was moved to the main Warner Bros. label….(Read more at Wikipedia)
Links To Peel[]
As can be seen from the list above, many artists who appeared in Peel's playlists recorded for Reprise Records. In the early 1970s, it seemed to become the "hippest" of American record labels, taking over from Elektra, which, as a smaller label, lacked the financial resources to attract such a wide range of artists. Yet by that time both Reprise and Elektra were under the control of the Kinney corporation, whose London office employed both Peel's manager Clive Selwood and his Disc & Music Echo colleague Derek Taylor. Its subsidiary labels included Frank Zappa's Straight and Bizarre, and the Beach Boys' Brother Records, and, for a short time, Peel's Dandelion Records.
Reprise for a time had a "family" image, with label stalwarts like Ry Cooder and Randy Newman appearing on albums by other artists on the label and its parent label Warner Bros., as well as their own critically-acclaimed releases. Reprise's roster included some of the most successful singer-songwriters of the era, like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot, but also less commercial artists favoured by Peel, including Captain Beefheart, Little Feat and the label's best-known British signing, Family, who despite their success in home territory were unable to achieve a major breakthrough in the USA. John Fahey made two albums for the label, Tiny Tim three during his brief spell of stardom (1968-69).
Artists who had made their name on other labels switched to Reprise; the Fugs and Pearls Before Swine from ESP-Disk, Gordon Lightfoot from United Artists, Tom Paxton after six albums for Elektra. But the economic crises of the mid-1970s forced Reprise, like other record labels, to cut back on new releases, and the label took a more commercial direction, eventually merging with Warner Bros. in 1976 before re-emerging in 1985, although it appears that not many of the label's later signings found favour with Peel.
Sessions[]
(Reprise artists who recorded Peel sessions, including when on other labels. Some British artists are included whose records were licensed from UK labels for US release on Reprise)
- Babes In Toyland (5 sessions, 1990-95)
- Captain Beefheart (2 sessions, 1968)
- John Cale (1 session, 1975)
- Chapman-Whitney (4 sessions, 1974-77)
- Family (9 sessions, 1967-73)
- John Fahey (1 session, 1969)
- Fleetwood Mac (9 sessions, 1967-71)
- Jimi Hendrix (2 sessions, 1967-68)
- Jethro Tull (3 sessions, 1968-69)
- Gordon Lightfoot (1 session 1969)
- Joni Mitchell (1 session, 1968)
- Mudhoney: (2 sessions, 1989-2002)
- Nico (2 sessions, 1971-74)
- Pentangle (5 sessions, 1968-69)
- T. Rex (8 sessions, 1967-70)
Festive Fifty[]
(Festive Fifty entries released by Reprise.)
- Captain Beefheart: 1976 Festive Fifty: Big Eyed Beans From Venus #18 / 2000 Festive Fifty: Big Eyed Beans From Venus #13 (all-time chart)
- Family: 1976 Festive Fifty: The Weaver's Answer #42
- Neil Young: 1976 Festive Fifty: Cortez The Killer #12 / 1977 Festive Fifty: Like a Hurricane #8 / 1978 Festive Fifty: Like A Hurricane #48
See Also[]
- Film Soundtracks: Peel played Reprise releases of tracks from movies "Jimi Hendrix" (Jimi Hendrix), "Year Of The Horse" (Neil Young).
- Singles: Reprise releases from Fanny and Little Richard feature in Peel's reviews of new 45s for Disc and Music Echo in 1971 and 1972.
- Sounds Playlist: Reprise releases from John Fahey, Sopwith Camel, Family, Chapman-Whitney, Ry Cooder, and Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band feature in Peel's lists of current favourite LPs for Sounds from 1973 to 1975.
- Singles Reviews: Reprise releases from Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac and Chapman - Whitney feature in Peel's reviews of new 45s for Sounds from 1973 to 1975.