Track Records

For other uses, see Track record (disambiguation).

Track Records
Founded	1966
Founder	Kit Lambert, Chris Stamp
Distributor(s)	Polydor Records (UK) Atlantic Records (US) Decca Records (US) MCA Records (US)
Genre	Rock, hard rock, psychedelic rock, blues-rock
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Location	London
Official website	www.trackrecords.co.uk

Track Records was an English record label founded in London in 1966 by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, then managers of hard rock band The Who. The most successful artists whose work appeared on the Track label were The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, Arthur Brown, Thunderclap Newman and Golden Earring. In its early years Track was one of the hippest and most successful record companies in the UK. The label ceased operations in 1978.

Background

Track was among the first British owned independent record labels. It was originally intended to provide more creative freedom for the Who. But Chris Stamp, in a filmed interview, also says that at the end of 1966 he and Kit were spurred to set up Track in order to get involved with new arrival Jimi Hendrix, as they could not manage or produce him, due to Chas Chandler having got there first.

Lambert and Stamp had already grappled with the rigid confines of the established record companies. In 1966 they were involved in a court battle to release The Who from an onerous contract with producer Shel Talmy and the Decca Records (US) and Brunswick Records (UK) labels. At this time Lambert and Stamp started releasing the Who's records in the UK on Robert Stigwood's Reaction Records label. Both Track and Reaction were very much reliant upon distribution support in the UK from the large Polydor Records label based in Germany. Polydor's involvement with these two small labels can be seen as learning process about the Pop/Rock music market. Polydor was interested in expanding its base beyond Easy listening and ballads. Its best known artist at the time was Bert Kaempfert.

History: 1966-1969

Hendrix' first single "Hey Joe" was intended for release by Track, but since the label was not yet fully in operation it was first released in the UK on Polydor in December 1966. His second single "Purple Haze", released on 17 March 1967, was the first Track Records single and Are You Experienced was the first LP. These and other Hendrix recordings released by Track were licensed to Reprise Records in the US. The first UK Who single on Track was "Pictures of Lily" released in April 1967. The same year Track also issued the Who singles "The Last Time" and "I Can See for Miles" and the LP The Who Sell Out. The Who stayed with Decca Records in the US until 1972, when Decca was folded into its parent company MCA Records.

By late 1967 Track faced a lawsuit from Ed Chalpin and his company PPX Industries, based in New York City. Chalpin had signed Hendrix to a 3 year exclusive recording contract in October 1965. Chalpin viewed the 1966 Hendrix agreement with Track as a violation of his PPX contract and was later able to claim a large monetary settlement. Track quickly fell into financial trouble.

Arthur Brown had a 1968 UK #1 hit with "Fire" which was produced by The Who's Pete Townshend. US versions of Arthur Brown's recordings were distributed by Atlantic Records. "Fire" reached #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Brown has claimed that he was never properly compensated by Track.

In 1968 Track began releasing compilations albums such as The Who's Direct Hits. Some of these, including Electric Jimi Hendrix (1968) and The Who's Who Did It! (1970), are thought to have been sold only on a very limited basis through mail order, making them extremely rare today. A various artists compilation titled The House That Track Built was issued in 1969. In 1970 Track began a 14 album series titled Backtrack 1 through Backtrack 14. These were budget priced re-issues and new compilations of earlier Track recordings, occasionally containing previously unreleased material and rare versions. This series, which was very unusual for its time, included both Hendrix and the Who's first two Track albums along with works by lesser known Track artists. The reissue albums did not feature any of the original cover art. The strategy of producing such a large number of reissues was probably a drastic attempt to boost sales as a direct result of the PPX lawsuit.

Track may have also been involved at one point with the Apple Records release by John Lennon and Yoko Ono titled Two Virgins. This album was mastered in 1968 with a Track matrix number (613012) between the run out grooves after EMI (Apple's distributor) refused to press the record. The Two Virgins album was later distributed in the UK by Transatlantic Records.

The Who released the double album Tommy on Track in 1969, which one of their biggest selling albums. The U.S. version of the album was on Decca.

1970-1978

In 1970 the group Thunderclap Newman released their only album, Hollywood Dream on Track (Atlantic in the U.S.) The album was another Pete Townshend production and contained the UK #1 hit "Something in the Air". The song also reached #25 in the U.S.

The Who released the album Live at Leeds in 1970. Track released a 3 song EP by Jimi Hendrix titled Voodoo Chile which was Hendrix's only No. 1 UK hit in 1971. After the posthumous Jimi Hendrix album The Cry of Love Polydor took over Hendrix' catalogue, except for North America, where it remained with Reprise Records.

The Who released the compilation album Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy and an album of new recordings Who's Next in late 1971, both of which were very successful. In 1972 the Dutch rock group Golden Earring had a successful UK tour with The Who and were signed to Track. Their 1973 album Moontan became their biggest international success. The album was released by Track/MCA in the US. The hit song "Radar Love" was especially popular in the US where the single reached #13. U.S. versions of Who solo albums such as Pete Townshend's 1972 release Who Came First were released by Track/Decca.

In 1973 The Who produced Quadrophenia their last album of new material released by Track (Track/MCA in the U.S.) In 1974 The Who fulfilled their contract with Track released by releasing Odds & Sods. This album was compiled by John Entwistle from a batch of previously unreleased Who recordings made between 1964 and 1972. In 1974 The Who parted ways with Lambert and Stamp amid litigation. In a move initiated by Roger Daltrey, the band attempted to collect a large sum of unpaid royalties from Track. The Who moved to Polydor, except in North America, where they remained with MCA. Polydor later became a sister label to MCA after Universal Music Group absorbed PolyGram in 1999.

By 1975 Track was left with only Golden Earring on its roster who also soon left. After this Track only released two more LPs, one by The Heartbreakers and one by Shakin' Stevens. Track ceased business operations in 1978 though Track albums that remained in print in the UK remained on the Track label until the distributor re-issued them on Polydor a few years later. Kit Lambert died in 1981 at age 45.

The logo and name 'Track Records' were resurrected (twenty years later) in 1999 by Ian Grant, former manager of The Stranglers, The Cult and Big Country and used for his record company. It is unknown what if any legal connection this label has to the original Track created by Lambert and Stamp.

List of Track Records artists 1967-1978

• Arthur Brown
• Roger Daltrey
• Eire Apparent
• John Entwistle
• Andy Ellison
• Fairport Convention
• Golden Earring
• The Heartbreakers
• Marsha Hunt
• HUGG
• John's Children
• The Parliaments
• Murray Roman
• Shakin' Stevens
• Pete Townshend
• Thunderclap Newman

External links

• Track Records