Swan Song Records
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Swan Song Records was a record label launched by 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.
The label design was based on Evening, Fall of Day (1869) by painter William Rimmer, while the company logo featured a pair of swans.
A lavish media party was held at Chislehurst Caves in Kent, England on October 31, 1974, to celebrate the label’s first release by the Pretty Things, Silk Torpedo. 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.
Artists who signed with the label but did not produce any releases included New York singer-songwriter Mirabai, Metropolis which featured members from the Pretty Things, guitarist Richie Sambora (who later joined Bon Jovi), and the Kentucky Headhunters. Both Iron Maiden and The Q Tips featuring Paul Young were considered but not signed. Four artists that Swan Song Records wanted to sign but bowed out to other labels were Roy Harper, blues guitarist Bobby Parker, composer Vangelis, and John Lennon before his return to music in 1980.
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 Swan Song’s passing, while Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones signed up with Atlantic Records.
- UK Address: 484 Kings Road, London, SW10 U.K.
- 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 Hock – 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, Sian Meredith – Assistants (UK)
The following is a list of Swan Song Records’ commercially-released records, with release dates, catalogue numbers, title, and artists.
Label discography
- June 15, 1974 - SS-8410 - Bad Company - Bad Company
- November 1, 1974 - SS-8411 - Silk Torpedo - Pretty Things
- November, 1974 – SSK-19401 – "Is It Only Love/Joey" – Pretty Things
- February 24, 1975 - SS-2-200 - Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin
- April 2, 1975 – SS-70102 – "Trampled Underfoot/Black Country Woman" (US only) – Led Zeppelin
- April, 1975 - SS-8412 - Suicide Sal - Maggie Bell
- April 12, 1975 - SS-8413 - Straight Shooter - Bad Company
- 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
- December, 1975 - SS-8414 - Savage Eye - Pretty Things
- January, 1976 – SSK-19405 – "Sad Eye/Remember the Boy" – Pretty Things
- February 21, 1976 - SS-8415 - Run With the Pack - Bad Company
- April 5, 1976 - SS-8416 - Presence - Led Zeppelin
- 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
- October 22, 1976 - SS-2-201 - The Song Remains the Same (soundtrack) - Led Zeppelin
- February, 1977 - SS-8500 - Burnin' Sky - Bad Company
- April, 1977 - SS-8417 - Detective - Detective
- April, 1977 – SSK-19410 – "Ju Ju Man/What Did I Do Last Night" – Dave Edmunds
- April, 1977 - SS-8418 - Get It - Dave Edmunds
- June, 1977 – SSK-19411 – "I Knew the Bride/Back to Schooldays" – Dave Edmunds
- March, 1978 – SSK-19412 – "Hazell/Night Flighting" – Maggie Bell
- April, 1978 - SS-8504 - It Takes One to Know One - Detective
- 1978 – LAAS-002 – "Live from the Atlantic Studios" (promo disc) – Detective
- September, 1978 – SSK-19413 – "Deborah/What Looks Best on You" – Dave Edmunds
- September 8, 1978 - SS-8505 - Tracks on 4 Wax - Dave Edmunds
- November, 1978 – SSK-19414 – "Television/Never Been in Love" – Dave Edmunds
- 1978 – PR-230 – "College Radio Presents Dave Edmunds" (promo disc) – Dave Edmunds
- March, 1979 – SSK-19416 – "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy/Crazy Circles" – Bad Company
- March 17, 1979 - SS-8506 - Desolation Angels - 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
- July 5, 1979 - SS-8507 - Repeat When Necessary - Dave Edmunds
- August 8, 1979 – SSK-19418 – "Girls Talk/Bad is Bad" (clear vinyl issue) – Dave Edmunds
- August 20, 1979 - SS-16002 - In Through the Out Door - Led Zeppelin
- 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
- February, 1981 - SS-8509 - Midnight Flyer - Midnight Flyer
- 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
- April 20, 1981 - SS-16034 - Twangin’... - 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
- August, 1981 - SS-16048 - Sad Café - Sad Café
- October, 1981 – BAM-1 – "Hold Me/Spring Greens" – B.A. Robertson and Maggie Bell
- 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
- April, 1982 – SSK-19426 – "Waiting for You/Rock 'n' Roll Party" – Midnight Flyer
- June 28, 1982 - SS-8512 - Pictures at Eleven - Robert Plant
- July, 1982 – SAM-154 – "Pictures at Eleven – Interview with Alan Freeman" (promo disc) – Robert Plant
- August, 1982 - 790001-1 - Rough Diamonds - Bad Company
- 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
- November 22, 1982 - 790051-1 - Coda - Led Zeppelin
- January, 1983 – MB-1 – "Crazy/All I Have to Do Is Dream" – Maggie Bell
- April, 1983 - 790078-1 - Wildlife - Wildlife
- September, 1983 – B-9842 – "Somewhere in the Night/Sun Don’t Shine" – Wildlife
see also
| Led Zeppelin |
|---|
| John Bonham - John Paul Jones - Jimmy Page - Robert Plant |
| Original albums: Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin III - Untitled - Houses of the Holy - Physical Graffiti - Presence - The Song Remains the Same - In Through the Out Door - Coda |
| Other albums: Boxed Set - Profiled - Remasters - Boxed Set 2 - The Complete Studio Recordings - BBC Sessions - Early Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin Volume One - Latter Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin Volume Two - How the West Was Won |
| Films: The Song Remains the Same - Led Zeppelin DVD |
| Songs: "The Battle of Evermore" - "Dazed and Confused" - "Stairway to Heaven" - "When the Levee Breaks" |
| Other: Peter Grant - Swan Song Records |