American, the successor to Warner Spector (q.v.). Warner Spector enjoyed a short life in the UK, gaining the rights to Phil Spector productions and to old material from his Philles label in August 1974 and losing them in February 1975. A month after it had reported on the loss 'Music Week' broke the news that the Phil Spector International company had signed a deal with Polydor covering all territories except Canada and the USA ('MW', 3rd May). Records would appear on the company's own label, which was intended to see the release of 'at least forty tracks a year'. In the event some twenty-one singles and around a couple of dozen albums emerged over the course of the following two-and-a-half years, with a few more following in 1981. There was some new material but most of it consisted of reissues from the Philles catalogue, as compiled by Malcolm Jones. Manufacture and distribution were by Phonodisc. The labels were injection moulded, as were those of all Polydor-group singles at that time; they usually came in either metallic light blue (1) or silver (2), though the occasional red label can be found (3). One design served throughout, and there was a company sleeve (4).
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.