Everything about Sire Records totally explained
Sire Records Company is an
American record label, owned by
Warner Music Group and distributed through
Warner Bros. Records
Label history
Beginnings
The label was founded in
1966 as
Sire Productions by
Seymour Stein and
Richard Gottehrer. Its early releases as a record label were issued in
1968, distributed by
London Records. From the beginning, Sire introduced obscure British bands to the American market. Early releases included the
Climax Blues Band,
Barclay James Harvest and
proto-punks
The Deviants. The label was distributed by
Polydor Records from
1970 until
1971, during which time the now-famous logo was introduced, and then by
Famous Music from
1972 to
1974, during which the progressive rock band
Focus charted with their 1972 hit "
Hocus Pocus." In the seventies, Sire released a number of compilation LPs, including the 3 volume "History Of British Rock" series, and diverse artists such as
The Turtles,
Duane Eddy,
The Small Faces, and
Del Shannon. The UK signing policy was vindicated when Climax Blues Band scored a Top 40 hit in 1977 with "Couldn't Get It Right". Also in 1977 Stein, who had worked with the group in the 60s, convinced the
Shangri-Las to reform and return to the studio. But the trio were unhappy with the quality of material they recorded, and they opted out of their contract. Those tracks have yet to be released.
Acquisition by Warner
In the later 1970s, Sire transformed itself into a successful
independent record label and went on to sign artists from the burgeoning
punk rock and
New Wave scenes, including The
Ramones,
The Dead Boys and
Talking Heads.
ABC Records, who had inherited the original Famous Music distribution arrangement, was sold to
MCA Records, leading to the acquisition of Sire by Warner Bros. Records in
1978. During the 1980s, Sire achieved mainstream status after having launched the recording careers of
Madonna and
Ice T - who were signed to the label in 1982 and 1986 respectively — as well as with
Depeche Mode and
The Cure. Into the 1990s the label had continued commercial success with acts such as
Seal,
k.d. lang,
Tommy Page and
A House.
In 1995, Sire left Warner Bros. to operate under its sister label
Elektra Records where Stein was appointed president. Sire later left the Elektra umbrella, but remained at Warner Music Group. In 2000, Sire Records and the US division of London Records were merged to become
London-Sire Records. This partnership dissolved in April 2003, at which point the company went back to being called Sire Records. In the time since, it has returned to the Warner Bros. Records fold.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sire Records'.
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