In the '70's, occasionally records came with a custom label. These labels extended the design of the cover art into the label itself.
The last time I pulled out the below title, I began to ponder when custom labels began. I think this one was the first.
Apple Jam - The bonus disc from George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. (Apple 1970)
The third record included in George's landmark release. All those songs that didn't make it on Beatles records burst forth when he was free. The jam record presents a nice contrast to the Phil Spector production on the 'regular' records.
Oh yeah, the music. It's a loose jam featuring Derek and the Dominoes plus George Harrison and Dave Mason.
Custom Labels weren't all that common as most releases tended to feature the current company label. Releases with one era appropriate company label would then change to the current company label. It seemed odd to see early Beatles records carry the Apple label, then the red Capitol label (the one with 'Capitol' on the bottom) or the green label with the short lived round logo. They should have left them alone.
I never thought of that before. I recall seeing Frank Sinatra albums that had his picture on the label, I believe it was his label Reprise.
ReplyDeleteThe early Reprise releases had Frank's picture instead of the Riverboat. Not sure I count those as the label had nothing to do with the actual release - only the artist. Would love to be proven wrong about this being the earliest.
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