Charisma Records (also known as The Famous Charisma Label) was a British record label founded in 1969 by former journalist Tony Stratton Smith. He had previously acted as manager for rock bands such as the Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der Graaf Generator. Gail Colson was label manager and joint managing director.
The label's most successful acts were Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Julian Lennon, and Monty Python. The first release was the eponymous debut LP by Rare Bird, in December 1969, who gave Charisma its first hit single, "Sympathy", in early 1970. Besides the Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der Graaf Generator, the label also released material by Robert John Godfrey, Lindisfarne and Alan Hull, Hawkwind, the Alan Parsons Project, Clifford T. Ward, String Driven Thing, Jack the Lad, Audience, Vivian Stanshall, Brand X, John Betjeman, Malcolm McLaren, Charlie Drake, and Afraid of Mice. The 1970s solo albums of Peter Hammill, Tony Banks and Steve Hackett were also on Charisma.
Managing director Colson left Charisma in the late 1970s to form her own management company, Gailforce.
In 1983, Charisma Records was acquired by Virgin Records and continued to operate until 1986, when Virgin absorbed the label. In 1992, Virgin was purchased by EMI, then known as Thorn EMI. With most of EMI's purchase by Universal Music Group, Charisma returned to Virgin Records. A new version of Charisma, with no connection to the original label other than the name, operated between 1990 and 1992, with a street-oriented and independently distributed subsidiary called Cardiac Records. Some Charisma Records recordings were re-issued on the EMI label. In the UK, the label was revived by EMI's Angel Records in 2007.
Distribution Charisma was initially manufactured and distributed in the United Kingdom via a licensing deal with Lee Gopthal's B&C Records, sharing the B&C catalogue series for both singles and albums, prior to B&C ceasing to release records on the B&C label, when it concentrated on marketing instead. In early 1972, B&C brokered a deal with Precision Tapes to manufacture and distribute Charisma's albums in tape format. From early 1970, Charisma's European distribution was handled by Phonogram Inc.
In the United States and Canada, Charisma recordings were initially licensed to other labels. These included ABC Records, along with subsidiaries, Impulse, Probe and Dunhill. Artists included Van der Graaf Generator and Genesis. Elektra Records in the US released records by Charisma artists Atomic Rooster, Audience, Lindisfarne and Jack the Lad.
In 1971, Charisma entered into a distribution agreement with Buddah Records and began to release albums on the Charisma label in the US. These included Pawn Hearts by Van der Graaf Generator and Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot and Genesis Live by Genesis. Atlantic Records also later released Charisma recordings in the United States from 1973 to 1974 including many Genesis titles.
In 1973, Atlantic stopped distributing Charisma in America; as a result, in the US Charisma's bands signed to various labels such as Mercury Records (Van der Graaf Generator) and Arista Records (Monty Python). Genesis records were released in the US under Atlantic's subsidiary label Atco Records from 1974 to 1976. In 1976, Charisma signed a new distribution deal in the UK with Polydor that lasted until 1980. In Canada, many Charisma releases were distributed by GRT and PolyGram Canada.
Between 1980 and 1982, Charisma operated a subsidiary called Pre Records, who were devoted to new wave and reggae acts. Pre's roster included Scars, Prince Far I, Delta 5, Gregory Isaacs, the Monochrome Set and Congo Ashanti Roy, amongst others. Pre also licensed albums by the Residents and Tuxedomoon from the American label Ralph Records. In Europe, Pre's releases were issued on the Charisma label.
Collectable "pink scroll" label design Charisma's first UK label was a distinctive magenta scroll design (though it is generally referred to in record collecting circles as "pink scroll") – magenta was the colour that Stratton Smith chose to represent the label, and this was reflected in his later horseracing colours, red for Manchester United, green for Brazil, and magenta for Charisma. Its second logo, used beginning in 1972, of John Tenniel's drawing of the Mad Hatter, sometimes combined with a montage of other images from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, made the label instantly recognizable.
Most Charisma artists were relatively unknown early on, so original pressings have become quite rare and sought after by collectors. The "pink scroll" label was first used in the UK from 1969 until mid-1972. This was replaced by the Mad Hatter label, designed by Paul Whitehead. In the US, the pink scroll labels were used in late 1973 and early 1974 on releases distributed by Buddah. Releases distributed by Atlantic Records used a variation of the Mad Hatter design.
Much of the early distinctive artwork used by the label was created by Paul Whitehead. Whitehead's original illustrations for three Genesis albums were stolen from the Charisma archives when it was sold to Virgin Records in 1983. Whitehead claimed that Charisma staff got wind of the imminent sale and proceeded to loot its office.
Notable releases
Albums Year Artist Album Charts Certifications 1969 Van der Graaf Generator The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other UK #47 1970 The Nice Five Bridges UK #2 1970 Lindisfarne Nicely Out of Tune UK #8 1971 The Nice Elegy UK #5 1971 Lindisfarne Fog on the Tyne UK #1 1971 Van der Graaf Generator Pawn Hearts ITA #1 1971 Genesis Nursery Cryme UK #39 FRA: Gold 1972 Lindisfarne Dingly Dell UK #5 1972 Bo Hansson Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings UK #34, US #154 AUS, UK: Gold 1972 Genesis Foxtrot UK #12 FRA, UK: Gold 1973 Genesis Genesis Live UK #9 1973 Lindisfarne Lindisfarne Live UK #25 1973 Clifford T. Ward Home Thoughts UK #40 1973 Alan Hull Pipedream UK #29 1973 Genesis Selling England by the Pound UK #3 FRA, UK, US: Gold 1974 Genesis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway UK #10 FRA, UK, US: Gold 1975 Steve Hackett Voyage of the Acolyte UK #26 UK: Silver 1976 Genesis A Trick of the Tail UK #3, NLD #7, US #31 FRA, UK, US: Gold 1976 The Alan Parsons Project Tales of Mystery and Imagination US #38 GER: Gold 1976 Hawkwind Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music UK #33 1976 Genesis Wind & Wuthering UK #7, US #26 FRA, UK, US: Gold 1977 Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel FRA #5, NOR #5, UK #7, SWE #8, GER #9, ITA #9, NLD #9, US #38 FRA, GER, UK: Gold 1977 Brand X Moroccan Roll UK #37 1977 Hawkwind Quark, Strangeness and Charm UK #30 1977 Genesis Seconds Out UK #4 1978 Genesis ...And Then There Were Three... GER #2, UK #3, NOR #7, NLD #8, US #14 US: Platinum, FRA, GER, UK: Gold 1978 Steve Hackett Please Don't Touch UK #38 1978 Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel FRA #2, UK #10 1979 Tony Banks A Curious Feeling UK #21 1979 Steve Hackett Spectral Mornings UK #22 1980 Genesis Duke UK #1, GER #2, FRA #4, NOR #4, SWE #9, US #11 UK, US: Platinum, FRA: Gold 1980 Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel FRA #1, UK #1, NOR #5, CAN #7, SWE #8, US #22 CAN: 2× Platinum, FRA, UK, US: Gold 1980 Steve Hackett Defector UK #9 1980The ResidentsThe Commercial Album 1981 Steve Hackett Cured UK #15 1981 Genesis Abacab UK #1, NOR #4, GER #6, NLD #6, US #7 US: 2× Platinum, FRA, GER, UK: Gold 1982 Genesis Three Sides Live UK #2, NLD #6, US #10 US: Gold 1982 Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel CAN #2, FRA #5, UK #6, SWE #10, US #28 CAN: Platinum, UK, US: Gold 1983 Malcolm McLaren Duck Rock2 UK #18 UK: Silver 1983 Steve Hackett Highly Strung UK #16 1983 Peter Gabriel Plays Live UK #8 1983 Genesis Genesis1 GER #1, UK #1, AUT #2, NLD #2, NOR #2, SWI #2, FRA #5 UK: 2× Platinum, FRA, GER: Platinum 1984 Julian Lennon Valotte AUS #8, US #17, UK #20 US: Platinum, UK: Silver 1986 Peter Gabriel So3 CAN #1, NLD #1, NOR #1, NZ #1, UK #1, GER #2, SWE #2, US #2 US: 5× Platinum, UK: 3× Platinum, GER, NLD: Platinum, FRA: Gold 1986 Genesis Invisible Touch1 UK #1, GER #2, NLD #2, NOR #3, SWE #4, SWI #4, AUT #5, FRA #8 UK: 4× Platinum, FRA, GER: Platinum 1986 The World's Famous Supreme Team Rappin' 1: On Virgin Records in Australia, Atlantic Records in the US 2: On Island Records in the US 3: On Geffen Records in the US live album
Singles Year Artist Single Charts Certification1970Rare Bird"Sympathy"FRA #1, ITA #1, UK #27 1971 Lindisfarne "Lady Eleanor" UK #3 1971 Lindisfarne "Meet Me on the Corner" UK #5 1973 Clifford T. Ward "Gaye" UK #8 1974 Genesis "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" UK #21 1977 Peter Gabriel "Solsbury Hill" UK #13 1977 Genesis Spot the Pigeon UK #14 1978 Genesis "Follow You Follow Me"1 SWI #6, UK #7, GER #8 1980 Peter Gabriel "Games Without Frontiers" UK #4, CAN #7 1980 Genesis "Turn It on Again" UK #8 1980 Peter Gabriel "No Self Control" UK #33 1980 Peter Gabriel "Biko" UK #38 1981 Genesis "Abacab"1 NOR #8, UK #9 1981 Genesis "Keep It Dark" UK #33 1982 Genesis 3×3 UK #10 1982 Malcolm McLaren and the World's Famous Supreme Team "Buffalo Gals"1 SWI #9, UK #9 1983 Malcolm McLaren and the Mclarenettes "Soweto" UK #32 1983 Malcolm McLaren and the Ebonettes "Double Dutch" UK #3, IRE #7, NZ #10 1984 Malcolm McLaren "Madam Butterfly (Un bel di vedremo)" IRE #10, UK #13 1985 Julian Lennon "Too Late for Goodbyes"1 IRE #5, UK #6 1985 Julian Lennon "Say You're Wrong" US #21 1986 Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer"2 IRE #3, UK #4, NLD #6, GER #7, ITA #8 1991 Julian Lennon "Saltwater"1 IRE #5, UK #6 1: On Atlantic Records in Canada, New Zealand and the US 2: On Geffen Records in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US EP
Compilation / sampler albums +YearAlbum1973Parlour Song Book – An Evening of Victorian GemsMusic from Free CreekLay Lady LayCharisma FestivalOne More ChanceThe Golden Age of ComedyCharisma Disturbance1974Charisma KeyboardsThe Famous Charisma Label 5th Anniversary1975Beyond an Empty Dream (Songs for a Modern Church)Charisma Records October ReleasesCharisma Records September ReleasesBeyond an Empty Dream1976Summit Meeting1977Charisma Festival '771979Charisma Presentation1980MasterpiecesUntitledThe Charisma Repeat PerformanceDisco Promozionale1981We Are Most Amused: The Very Best of British ComedyHeat from the Street1983Songs for a Modern Church '831984Hip Hop – The Original and Best
See also Lists of record labels
References
External links The Famous Charisma Discography – Book with foreword by Michael Palin Collectors Website – Contains discography Tony Stratton Smith and The Marquee Club Colin Richardson was International Manager for Charisma between 1972 and 1976 Current Charisma label from Angel Music Group UK Charisma Labelography