An American label, based in New York and specializing in R&B / Soul music. Avco Embassy was started in the late '60s as an offshoot of the film company, which was headed by Joseph Levine. 'Billboard' of the 24th of May 1969 reported on the forthcoming development and said that successful producers / songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore had been brought on board as vice presidents and 'chief operating officers' of the new label. The first single was expected to appear within two months, with the first album following in the autumn.
High Chart action was hard to come by for Avco Embassy initially, despite an early hit in the form of 'I Who Have Nothing' by Liquid Smoke, but an important step was taken in November 1970 when it acquired the rights to The Stylistics' 'You're A Big Girl Now' from Sebring Records. The Stylistics went on to provide the company with a string of hits in the USA and the UK, including a No.1 in both countries. A restructuring took place in 1971: Avco Embassy Records and its two associated publishing companies, Avco Embassy Music and Avemb Songs, were grouped together to make a separate division within their parent Avco Embassy company, and the name of Avco Embassy Records was shortened to just Avco Records. 'BB' of the 8th of May, commenting on the development, said that the rejigged company was looking to expand and was chasing production and distribution deals.
There were encouraging signs. In 1974 a No.1 for The Stylistics' 'You Make Me Feel Brand New' contributed to what 'BB' of the 27th of July stated had been Avco's best-ever quarter in its history, and in an effort to widen its appeal outside its R&B / Crossover base the company opened an office in Nashville for Country product. Van McCoy's 'The Hustle' added another No.1 in the summer of 1975. Then in September came the news that Peretti and Creatore had purchased Avco Records and its associated publishing arms. The purchase spelled the end for Avco's Nashville office, which had lasted just over a year - it closed at the end of August ('BB', 13th September 1975).
A change of name to H&L took place in the early spring of 1976, and the company's focus of attention switched from New York across the Hudson River to Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 'BB' of the 16th of October 1976 said that a new studio was planned there, and added that the main artist roster was intended to grow from four artists to ten, with a new emphasis on Pop. Early in 1977 there came a blow, when Peretti and Creatore, along with Bud Katzel (another top executive of H&L), pleaded guilty in a 'payola' scandal - they had been charged with paying DJs around $170,000 to play Avco records, during a period covering January 1971 to January 1975. The maximum penalty was a $10,000 fine and a year in prison ('BB', 8th January). In the event the year of imprisonment was suspended in favour of a small number of weekends in prison, but fines were applied: $10,000 each for Peretti and Creatore, $5,000 for Katzel ('BB', 19th February). It's surely only a coincidence that the first H&L single released after the sentencing was 'Shame And Scandal In The Family' by The Stylistics.
That legal matter apart, 1977 was a reasonable one for H&L, but 1978 was relatively quiet. Then in January 1979 came the news that the company was 'regrouping'. It was stopping its sales and distribution activities, and intended to operate more or less as a production company from that point. Artists would still be signed, developed and recorded but they would be placed with other companies. The H&L label was to cease operations in the States, though it would continue to release records in overseas territories. Explaining the decision, Creatore said that independent companies were unable to compete with the muscle of the majors. Brenda & Herb's 'I Who Have Nothing', which had been issued the previous November, therefore proved to be H&L's final American release. A few H&L records did indeed come out overseas during 1979 but there don't appear to have been any in 1980, and by the middle of the decade the company's back catalogue had been sold.
In Britain, Avco Embassy was licensed to Philips / Phonogram. 'Music Week' of the 18th of July stated that the deal was a three-year one and that the label was to launch in the autumn with four albums and a single, Liquid Smoke's American hit 'I Who Have Nothing'. The launch may have been delayed, but it eventually took place either in late 1970 or in the first few months of 1971; the Liquid Smoke single failed to appear then or later. The relationship with Phonogram must have been satisfactory, as it was renewed in the summer of 1973 ('MW', 16th June) and again in 1979 ('MW', 29th July). It covered manufacture and distribution, by Phonodisc, and marketing, by Phonogram. Catalogue numbers were in a 6105-000 series, in line with the Phonogram family's policy of having seven-figure numbers starting with a '6'.
Singles initially tended to have large spindle holes, after the Phonodisc fashion of the time, though they could have solid centres. At first they had an Avco Embassy label and sleeve (1, 7); they lost the 'Embassy'and became plain 'Avco' (2, 3, 8) in March 1972. 6105-009, Donnie Elbert's 'I Can't Help Myself', was a hit at the time of the changeover and exists in both forms. For some reason the change took place here some eight months or so after it did in America. The initial attractive paper label was replaced by a dull injection-moulded one in 1973, a sad fate which befell all the Phonogram labels; briefly they were blue (4) but they soon turned purple (5). Some copies of Van McCoy's 'The Hustle' can be found with paper labels as a result of custom pressings by CBS (6). The company sleeve eventually went, replaced by a standard Phonogram one (9). The change of name from Avco to H&L took place in or around April 1976; the catalogue sequence was unaffected. The H&L label was sufficiently different for me to give it its own page (q.v.), and a label scan can be seen there.
The Avco Embassy / Avco / H&L trio were no strangers to the Charts. Donnie Elbert was the first to score, his 'I Can't Help Myself' b/w 'Love Is Here And Now You're Gone' (6105-009; 2/72) peaking at No.11; Limmie & The Family Cookin' did better, with three hits during 1973-74, two of them in the Top Ten - 'You Can Do Magic' b/w 'Spider' (6105-019; 1/73) did best, hitting the No.3 spot. Van McCoy managed to break into the Charts four times during 1975-77, 'The Hustle' b/w 'Hey Girl Come And Get It' (6105-037; 5/75) also reaching the No.3 position. By far the most successful act however was The Stylistics, with sixteen hits during 1972-77, including 9 Top 10s as well as a No.1 in 'Can't Give You Anything' b/w 'I'd Rather Be Hurt By You' (6105-039; 7/75). The discography below covers Avco Embassy, Avco and H&L singles. Thanks to Robert Bowes for the scan of the blue label.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.