The Label: The Story of Columbia Records
From Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday to Janis Joplin and Michael Jackson, Columbia Records has discovered and nurtured a mind-boggling spectrum of talents and temperaments over the past 100-plus years. Now, with unprecedented access to the company's archives — memos, personal correspondence, recording contracts, sales reports and job sheets, as well as rich musical and literary material excavated from the Teo Macero Collection — The Label tells the never-before-told stories behind the...
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From Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday to Janis Joplin and Michael Jackson, Columbia Records has discovered and nurtured a mind-boggling spectrum of talents and temperaments over the past 100-plus years.Now, with unprecedented access to the company's archives — memos, personal correspondence, recording contracts, sales reports and job sheets, as well as rich musical and literary material excavated from the Teo Macero Collection — The Label tells the never-before-told stories behind the groundbreaking music distributed by Columbia Records. More often than not, the music was created not just by the artists themselves but forged out of conflict with the men and women who handled them — executives, producers, Artists and Repertoire men, arrangers, recording engineers, and, yes, even publicists. And at almost every narrative crossroads in The Label is an undercurrent of racial tension — a tension that not only influenced twentieth century music, but also mirrored and at times prompted major changes in American culture.This vibrant account of Columbia Record’s often tumultuous relationships with artists, businesspeople, and popular culture is sure to enlighten, entertain, and even shock. The New York Times - John Rockwell A lot of work has gone into this book, and all of it shows. Marmorstein, the author of Hollywood Rhapsody: Movie Music and Its Makers, 1900 to 1975, has pored over the many books and interviews devoted to his key players. He has conducted his own interviews. He has combed through internal corporate memos (although The Label does not claim to be an authorized history). The result is a sometimes charming string of stories and thumbnail sketches, funny or outrageous or moving. Marmorstein knows and cares about a wide range of music, although he seems less comfortable with classical music and rock, and is curiously sympathetic to Mitch Miller s bullheaded resistance to rock n roll.
\ John RockwellA lot of work has gone into this book, and all of it shows. Marmorstein, the author of Hollywood Rhapsody: Movie Music and Its Makers, 1900 to 1975, has pored over the many books and interviews devoted to his key players. He has conducted his own interviews. He has combed through internal corporate memos (although “The Label” does not claim to be an authorized history). The result is a sometimes charming string of stories and thumbnail sketches, funny or outrageous or moving. Marmorstein knows and cares about a wide range of music, although he seems less comfortable with classical music and rock, and is curiously sympathetic to Mitch Miller’s bullheaded resistance to rock ’n’ roll.\ — The New York Times\ \ \ \ \ Publishers WeeklyIn 1948, Hungarian-born engineer Peter Goldmark unveiled for Columbia the creation of the 331/3 long-playing microgroove record, revolutionizing the music industry. In this comprehensive history, Marmorstein (Hollywood Rhapsody) offers an overview of those events in the context of a complete company history spanning a dozen decades. He documents the 1889 origins of the Columbia Phonograph Company and subsequent technological plateaus, from cylinder recordings to single-sided and double-sided discs, followed by the LP, stereo and the dawn of the digital era. Along with company mergers, he profiles music makers from Bessie Smith to Bob Dylan and looks at the innovative album art of Jim Flora ("a post-nuclear Miro") and the creation of logo designs. He turns up the volume when writing about the men behind the music, from "witty and plugged-in" president Goddard Lieberson to acclaimed producers John Hammond and George Avakian. Along with an earful of audio archives and oral histories, Marmorstein leafed through recording contracts, sales reports, job sheets, memos and personal correspondence. The 35 pages of bibliographic notes indicate the exhaustive research that led to this authoritative history. 16-page photo insert not seen by PW. (Mar. 26) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ Library JournalMarmorstein (Hollywood Rhapsody) brings the 100-plus-year history of Columbia Records to life in his insider's look at the artists, corporate leaders, arrangers, recording engineers, and record producers associated with the famed company. His subtitle is well chosen, as his writing at times titillates like a kiss-and-tell celebrity biography. All the scandals are here, as are the works and quirks of Columbia artists such as Glenn Gould, Sly Stone, Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Rosemary Clooney, and Michael Jackson. Despite its casual tone, the book appears to be well researched. That said, it will never be mistaken for a scholarly tome—it's way too fun and fast-paced. Those conducting serious research into Columbia or the record industry in general might not find the tone, pace, and minutia about the various personalities especially helpful, but casual readers or serious fans of recorded music of the 20th century will find themselves engrossed. Highly recommended for all public libraries and academic libraries with popular culture collections.\ —James E. Perone Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information\ \ \
