DiscReet Records
Discreet Records was an American record label that was founded by the composer and rock musician Frank Zappa and his manager Herb Cohen in 1972. Under the umbrella of Warner Bros. Records released until 1979, in addition to all productions of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention also material by other artists, including Ted Nugent and Tim Buckley.
History
Zappa and Cohen had Discreet Records founded in 1972. The occasion was the spring of 1973 in the upcoming expiry of the contract between Warner and Bizarre / Straight. The new company had its headquarters on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Zappa, Cohen and her new business partner Zach Glickman signed a contract with Warner Bros. Records, who took over the worldwide distribution of discreet Productions.
The first release on the new label was the Mothers album Over -Nite Sensation, which came on September 7, launched in 1973. The album climbed into the Billboard charts at # 32 up, and brought Zappa and the Mothers their first gold disc. Buoyed by this success, Zappa at the end of March 1974 released his next album. Apostrophe (') has been intensively promoted by Warner, the album peaked in the charts of " Cash Box " magazine 18th place, in the Billboard charts, it even made it into the top 10 - and this album was "gold ". The decoupled in the autumn of single "Do not Eat The Yellow Snow " / " Cosmik Debris " - the piece was this shortened in comparison to the LP version and remixed - reached number 86 of the charts.
In the initial phase, other productions of the label of success seemed to be crowned. From the country-rock singer Kathy Dalton, can be heard on their recordings and Lowell George of Little Feat in 1974 two singles were initially published. The second - "Boogie Bands And One Night Stands " - placed on rank 72 on the Billboard charts. Cohen had committed a number of other artists for Discreet Records in addition to the experimental singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, who had already published plates on Zappa's Straight label: the hard rock band Whiz Kids, the pop singer Keith, who with " 98.6 " in 1967 had a top 10 hit single, the former singer of Black Oak Arkansas, Brenda Patterson, the be resettled in the southern rock singer-songwriter Denis Bryant (now Bryant Sterling), Christopher Bond, the rock band Growl and Ted Nugent and his band The Amboy Dukes.
Zappa did not agree with Cohen's artistic personnel policy. As his biographer Barry Miles wrote that he had " the feeling that they have lost control of Discreet ." (P. 291) As a result, Zappa graduated from a private contract with Warner. He wanted his next album One Size Fits All appeared there, and not at Discreet. This not only led to delays in the delivery of the plate, the internal rift was so obvious. Zappa dismissed Cohen in May 1976. The resulting litigation lasted until the year 1982 as for Zappa had far-reaching consequences. Pending the outcome of the trial, he could not access his stored at Discreet film and tape archives, virtually his entire financial wealth was frozen, the band name The Mothers of Invention, he was not allowed to use for the time being, and also the delivery of the album Zoot Allures was delayed.
With the beginning of the conflict appeared on Discreet exclusively, or even albums by Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, but no other productions of other artists. After the release of the album Orchestral Favorites in May 1979, the label his work cease.