Polydor

Few labels can boast as long, prestigious and varied a musical history as Polydor Records. From the 60s beat boom onwards, through the eras of progressive rock, disco and punk, the label has been in the vanguard of every significant new musical development, while today the likes of the Lady Gaga, HAIM, Ellie Goulding and Lana Del Rey maintain Polydors enviable cutting-edge reputation. Founded in Germany in 1946 as the popular music arm of the long-established Deutsche Grammophon label, the UK division of Polydor was not established until ten years later perfectly timed to coincide with the rocknroll revolution that was transforming the musical landscape and establishing youth culture for the first time as a significant phenomenon. Initially, the label concentrated on releasing continental-made recordings but with Germany a popular touring destination for the emerging British beat groups, there were rich pickings to be had. In August 1961, German Polydor released a single called My Bonnie by Tony Sheridan and The Beat Boys. Nobody realised it at the time, but the record was destined to change the face of popular music, for the backing group was none other than the Beatles. Recorded in Hamburg during the bands legendary three month residency at that citys Top Ten Club, My Bonnie was the first official release by the group and was reissued two years later, when it briefly charted in Britain during the first flush of Beatlemania. Polydor went on to place itself at the centre of the creative melting-pot that was British music in the 1960s by signing a series of adventurous production deals with some of the most dynamic pop entrepreneurs. At the time the approach was highly unusual, but it established a model that has since been much-copied. Giorgio Gomelsky, who had discovered the Rolling Stones and managed the Yardbirds, brought in Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger. Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp brought in the The Who, and via their Track Records imprint, Jimi Hendrix, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Thunderclap ...