F-Beat Records

F-Beat Records
F-Beat Records Limited
FormerlyGarage Records
Company typePrivate
FoundedNovember 5, 1979; 45 years ago (1979-11-05)
HeadquartersTelevision Centre, London

F-Beat Records was a record label set up by Andrew Lauder and Jake Riviera in 1979. Its first release, "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" by Elvis Costello & the Attractions, reached number 4 in the UK charts, the highest singles chart position the label attained.[1] The first album released on the label was Costello's Get Happy!!, which peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart.[2]

As well as releases from Costello, whom Riviera managed, he sought acts for the label via an advert in NME, and one of the bands who applied (and were given an audition, ultimately unsuccessfully) were Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke's band White Dice.[3] The roster was built up to include Nick Lowe, Carlene Carter, the Blasters, Blanket of Secrecy and Clive Langer and the Boxes. The Album and Single covers were mostly designed by Barney Bubbles and also Antoinette (Tony) Riviera.

F-Beat was distributed in the mid-1980s by RCA Records.[4]

Costello notched up another fifteen hits for F-Beat before leaving for Warner Bros. Records.

The original F-Beat label was closed down in 1986, but it was briefly reactivated in the early 1990s with a new roster including Blab Happy, Nicola Hitchcock, Phil Burdett and the Gutter Brothers.

The F-Beat label had associated offshoot labels in Demon Records and Edsel Records, the latter concentrating on reissues.[5] F-Beat and its sub-labels were acquired by MCI Records and then in 1998 by Kingfisher plc for £2 million.[6]

Roster

See also

References

  1. ^ Freeth, Nick (2002) The Guitar & rock equipment, Salamander, ISBN 978-1840653953, p. 230
  2. ^ Buckley, Peter (ed.) (2003) The Rough Guide to Rock, Rough Guides, ISBN 978-1843531050, p. 231
  3. ^ Rogan, Johnny (1993) Morrissey and Marr: The Severed Alliance, Omnibus Press, ISBN 978-0711930001, p. 124
  4. ^ Ellis, Lucy & Sutherland, Bryony (2002) Annie Lennox: the Biography, Omnibus Press, ISBN 978-0711991927, p. 136
  5. ^ Hoffman, F (2004) Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415938358, pp. 285-6
  6. ^ Solomons, Mark & Ferguson, Tom (1998) "British Retailer Kingfisher Picks Up Demon Label", Billboard, 18 April 1998, pp. 6, 85. Retrieved 17 November 2012


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