Hi all...does anyone have the answer as to why the U.K Tamla Motown label design was changed in 1976 to the white and blue Motown label...why 76?...why that particular release?...why drop Tamla? etc etc.
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Hi all...does anyone have the answer as to why the U.K Tamla Motown label design was changed in 1976 to the white and blue Motown label...why 76?...why that particular release?...why drop Tamla? etc etc.
I have wondered this too mowsville. Maybe the shiny blue design was more modern-looking? Then again none of the labels [[Motown, Gordy, Tamla) in the US were changed like Tamla Motown was in the UK.
Terry Wilson's book refers to the introduction of the Blue label [[1976-79) as the supposed ' New Era".
A bit like washing powder gets a rebranding " New and improved".
I can't remember the dates at all - but at some point, Tamla Motown left EMI, and became independent, before returning to another major distributor. Did the departure from EMI coincide with the change in the label?
I cant ever remember Tamla Motown going independent...the label change came in 1976 while it was still being distributed by EMI and then in the early 80s they went straight to RCA from EMI but the label design remained the same.
Motown "left" EMI around 1974. This means that they set up their own offices but retained EMI for pressing and distribution. They stayed with EMI in some capacity, however, until IIRC the early 80s, when they switched to RCA for pressing and distribution.Quote:
Originally Posted by mowsville
IIRC the master tapes were still retained at EMI's Abbey Road, however.
Thanks for the update. I was still a child when all this happened, and didn't really have any idea about such things as Abbey Road's importance in music, nor the role of EMI and so on. I know when I went to see 'Lady Sings The Blues' I was the only person in the cinema and I didn't fully understand all of what was happening on screen as I was so young!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sotosound