Features

The original Warner Brothers label was gold colored with “Vitaphonic Long Play” on the bottom, separated by “Stereo” in red letters, boxed in black. In small red letter above that it reads “Warning:reproduce only with stereophonic cartridge and stylus. Pressure not to exceed 6 grams” (mono releases were originally gold as well, but were later changed to grey). This label continued into the mid-sixties. Original pressings of records like 1962’s Peter Paul and Mary (WS 1449) feature that label, as does Peter Paul and Mary’s Moving album (WS 1473) from 1963.
Promo copies were black and white

At some point soon thereafter, the “six gram” warning disappeared, as did the “Vitaphonic Long Play” along the label bottom. The boxed red “Stereo” remained.

This label continued until sometime in 1968 or early 1969 when it was completely changed- probably to coincide with the company’s purchase by 7-Arts. The new label was solid dark olive green. Inside an orange square at the top was a new Warner’s logo in blue, which was a large “W” in which the final upstroke had a line veering off to the left forming a “7”. Above that in black letters it says “Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Records”. Getting rid of the famous Warner keystone was of course a sin of the same magnitude as RCA’s putting Nipper to sleep.

I bought a copy of Van Dyke Parks’ Song Cycle shortly after its release, and it has the “Seven Arts” green label. Recently I came upon a copy with the gold label and Warner Brothers keystone.

Soon thereafter, Seven-Arts sold off Warner Brothers and the famous Warners keytone returned in orange with blue “WB”. The company was described on the label as “a subsidiary & licensee of Warner Bros. Inc.” To tell if you have an original of the period, look at the jacket. If it has the square with the “W-7”, and it says “Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Inc.” but the record has the green label with the WB keystone, you know you’ve got a second pressing.

So if you find a copy of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks (WS 1768) from 1969 and it has the green label with keystone, its a second pressing since the jacket features the “W-7” logo.

The green label continued throughout the early seventies (promos had white labels). Around 1974 the label changed again to a full color rendering of a palm tree lined street (actually on the lot of Warner Brothers Pictures). The keystone “WB” had shrunk in size, and above it is written “Burbank, Home of Warner Bros. Records”. Also at this time the Warner Communications logo- a square with rounded corners and a “W” in the center appeared. Warner Brothers records was now a “subsidiary of Warner Communications.”

This label continued throughout the seventies, and was replaced at the end of the decade with a more simple, more corporate label that left the colorful seventies behind and anticipated the Reagan ‘80s. The new label was a very soft greyish white with a series of faint dark grey horizontal lines running across the label from top to bottom. At the top was a new, more ornate “WB” keystone in silvery blue to suggest metal, with an orangey center and “records” in a scroll going through the center. The address and “Warner Bros. Records Inc.” encircled the label perimeter in small letters. A very tasteful label that with a few variations turned out to be Warners’ last for vinyl.

In 1981 on some releases the faint lines disappeared, and by 1983, or perhaps sometime earlier, a series of faint dark grey shadow versions of the new keystone were placed on the label at regular intervals.

The Reprise label was originally a three color label: yellow on the bottom half, lime green (with a drawing of a steamboat in it) on the left top quarter, and pink on the right, with “reprise:” written in white lower case script within a grey shaded box. Sinatra’s records had his face on the label.

In 1968 or 1969 probably coinciding with the change from gold to green at Warner Brothers Records, the label became dark mustard-orange over most of its surface, and bright orange on the top quarter. The steamboat was retained, but there was a new Reprise logo: a round dark mustard-orange circle with a colon and a large lower case “r” that looked like it was typed. Attached to it was a smaller square with the “W-7” logo. The change occured around the release of Jimi Hendrix’s Axis: Bold As Love ( RS 6281) because a few copies exist with the tri-color label, but the new Seven Arts logo is on the front of the jacket.

The Neil Young After the Gold Rush label shown on the next page not supposed to exist. It is the "7-Arts" label, yet when the album was released, Seven Arts no longer owned the company and you won't find the "7-Arts" logo on any album jacket. A Neil Young collector website disputed my claim that I had one of these, until I sent him proof. Of the many original pressings I have of this album, this unusally one is easily the best sounding.

With the change to Warner Communications, the label changed again: becoming all mustard-orange colored, but retaining the steamboat. The “:r” logo was kept as well, but in a bright orange square. Also appearing, the new Warner Communications logo on the bottom.

This was to be the second to last Reprise LP label.

The final Reprise label features a deep blue and orange and baby-blue label.

My experience has been that Warner/Reprise records are of consistent high quality. The vinyl, though sometimes thin (not like “Dynaflex” though), is generally well finished and very quiet. Concentricity is excellent as well. Best of all, I have found that regardless of which pressing you own, or find new or used in record stores (including Warner/Reprise’s budget line), you will get excellent sound, though not as good as an original, and quality does vary between various releases and iterations. Also, there are various masterings of even “original pressings,” especially in the Neil Young catalog.

We are not talking about audiophile-oriented recordings here. Few if any are minimally miked, but many offer fine, natural sound, with pleasing, though artificial soundstage presentation. Many, like Joni Mitchell’s simply recorded Blue are good enough to be declared audiophile quality. Others obviously have Aphex Aural Exciters and other sonic detritus on them, but still, compared to many other labels, there is an abundance of great sounding records in the catalog, partly because Warner/Reprise concentrated on singer/songwriters who played acoustic instruments, and based their arrangements around them.

1) VAN MORRISON: Astral Weeks. [Lewis Merenstein (producer); no engineer listed] Warner Brothers-Seven Arts WS 1768 (1969).

“If I ventured in the slipstream, between the viaducts of your dreams”, are the opening lines Morrison sings. His lyrics get more obscure from there, but precise meaning isn’t as important as the rich images he conjures up on what is clearly one of the few real masterpieces of the sixties. This record has not given up an ounce of immediacy to time. It is as powerful and mysterious as it was when first released. It epitomized the feelings of many at the end of the tumultuous decade, and if there was a musical coda to the era, it was this record as a whole, and the rococo “Cyprus Avenue”, and the melancholic “Madame George” in particular.

The story goes, the assembled musicians had no idea what they would be playing, and neither did Van. It all kind of just happened. No doubt Larry Fallon, who is credited with arranging and conducting, would beg to differ. Regardless of how it came together, it did, with the help of Modern Jazz Quartet drummer Connie Kay, Richard Davis on acoustic bass, John Payne on flute and soprano sax and many others not credited. The all acoustic arrangements are replete with lush strings, stinging horn sections and flute and acoustic guitar fills. And it’s all recorded as you would like. A top recommendation.

2) RANDY NEWMAN: Creates Something New Under The Sun. [ Lenny Waronker and Van Dyke Parks (producers); Lee Herschberg (engineer).] Reprise RS 6286 (1968). (rare, original cover shown)

The title ain’t lying. I bought this when it came out because I related to the dumpy looking guy with the close cropped hair, yellow turtleneck and checked sports jacket on the cover. Shortly after its release, the cover was changed to one featuring a cooler close up of Newman’s face. Regardless of which cover you get, inside is a record containing eleven Newman instant classics, including “Love Story” which follows a love affair through marriage, children, retirement in Florida and finally the passing away of the principals—all in three minutes. There’s the bitter “So Long Dad”, the muted despair of “I Think Its Going To Rain Today” and “Living Without You”, and the mocking, off kilter “Davy The Fat Boy.”The emotions Newman examines are C&W staples, but they’re rarely dealt with in pop. And while Country and Westerners wallow in those feelings Newman laughs at them- but only under his breath. In fact Newman’s whiney singing is almost under his breath as well. But it’s original and ultimately endearing.

The lush Newman arrangements behind his wispy voice and spare piano feature a large string section, plus horns, percussion, and accordian among the instruments. Herschberg says it was all recorded “live,” and you’ll have no doubt when you hear it. The sound is somewhat distant and muted though. Another top recommendation.

3)VAN DYKE PARKS: Song Cycle. [Leonard Waronker (producer); Lee Herschberg (engineer) Warner Brothers WS 1727 (1969/Sundazed LP 5140 180g).

There hadn’t been anything like it when it was released, and there hasn’t been anything like it since- not even from Parks. “Ambitious” seriously understates Parks’ surrealistic portrayal of southern California. What Robert Towne did for L.A. in the film “Chinatown,” Parks does for it here. Actually the album covers a broader sweep of Americana- its subject is Parks’ migration west- but that barely suggests what the album is about and it doesn’t begin to explain the magic in these grooves.

The album opens with a recreation of a bluegrass band Parks may or may not have been in, but you don’t know that- all you hear is some awful hissy mono sound. Suddenly it segues into Parks singing “That’s a tape that we made, but I’m sad to say it never made the grade. That was me, third guitar. I wonder where the others are now. I sold the guitar today. I never could play it anyway”. Behind him is a springy, reverberant tack piano. Suddenly a string section enters, repeating descending figure- suggesting the first lurches of a roller coaster as it begins its journey to the top of the first hill- or maybe one of those Worlds’ Fair rides where you sweep past a disorienting series of dioramas.

“Vine Street”, a Randy Newman song about attempting a musical career in Los Angeles- complete with string allusions to Beethoven’s “Ninth symphony” is the albums’ real opener. The arrangement ebbs and flows, swells and recedes as Parks heaves a salvo of musical sounds at you, then withdraws them just as quickly, effectively preventing you from becoming grounded in any recognizable musical form.

The effect is pleasurable disorientation as the music and lyrics conjure up rich, though frequently indefinable images. Its not pop, its not classical- I don’t know what it is, but I’ve gotten lost in it every play for over twenty years. When you hear what Parks does to Donovan’s “Colours” on side two, how he states the theme, takes it apart, shreds it into tiny fragments and showers them over your head in a burst of musical confetti, you’ll begin to put this record’s pieces together. Another top recommendation. Sundazed’s reissue is absolutely worth getting.

4) LITTLE FEAT: Dixie Chicken. [Lowell George (producer); no engineer credited (probably George Massenburg).] Warner Brothers BS 2686 (1973).

Their strongest album with songs like the title tune, “Two Trains”, Allen Toussaint’s great “On Your Way Down”, and of course “Fat Man In The Bathtub”. Also of note: Lowell George’s brilliant evocation of the Watergate era, “Kiss It Off”. All of Little Feat’s albums offer fine sound and this is no exception: deep bass, clean percussion, sparkling guitars- all well placed for a multitrack pop record. If your system can’t resolve which of the two Bonnies, Raitt (an item with George at the time) or Bramlett is singing background, you have some work to do.

End of Part 1