Not exactly a label, I suppose, but perhaps distinctive enough to merit its own page. The late '70s saw a vogue for coloured vinyl, shaped records - the first 'non-round' single, Richard Myhill's 'It Takes Two To Tango' (Mercury / Utopia, TANGO-1) got into the Top 20 in 1978 largely on its novelty value - and latterly picture discs. The first picture disc to come out was, as Eddie Hutchinson has been kind enough to point out, 'My Best Friend's Girl' by the Cars (Elektra, K-12301), which charted in that same year. In July 1979 Lightning Records issued ten singles in picture disc form under the 'Cruisin' banner; these had catalogue numbers from Lightning's 'Old Gold' series (q.v.) but there was no reference to Old Gold on the records. The matrix numbers had an extra 'P' in them, as in 'LIG 9015 P', which was lacking in those of the standard vinyl versions. The 'A' sides ('Nearsides') were of a standard design, while the 'B' sides ('Offsides') featured pictures of different classic cars. The music consisted of a selection of popular songs from the Rock 'n' Roll era, by the likes of the Everly Brothers and The Drifters. Pressing was by Damont, distribution by WEA. Thanks to Keith Stephens for drawing the series to my attention.
Copyright 2010 Robert Lyons.