Warner Music’s Global Catalogue division has announced the return of its historic $tateside Records imprint, focusing on classic jazz, soul and R&B releases.
The label’s story began in 1962 when EMI formed $tateside Records to release licensed American recordings to the UK and Europe to compete with Decca London’s American Recordings and Pye’s Pye International labels. It scored its first of many hits in 1962 with Palisades Park by Freddy Cannon.
$tateside would grow to become one of the most widely collected UK record labels in the 1960’s thanks to the incredible music it released, especially early Motown singles. This helped develop a strong fanbase in Europe as $tateside released classics by Marvin Gaye, The Miracles and The Supremes, who hit #1 with “Baby Love” in 1964 and many now highly collectible Northern Soul classics.
The label was retired in 1973, only to be revived for a brief period in the 1980’s as a reissue label under the guidance of British record industry luminary Tony Wadsworth at EMI Records and then again in the late 90s when it specialized in building fantastic compilation brands like “Testify,” “Talcum Soul” and “What’s Happening $tateside”, as well as single artist releases by the likes of Tina Turner, Bobby Womack, David Axelrod, Cannonball Adderley, Minnie Riperton and more.
$tateside Records will return once again this year as Warner Music’s Global Catalogue Division re-launches the beloved label as a new marketing imprint with a focus on classic jazz, soul and R&B catalogue. To help introduce $tateside to a new generation, the label’s music will be available on streaming services. Spotify is featuring several $tateside playlists now at httpss://open.spotify.com/user/statesiderecords.
The first releases from the new $tateside imprint are available now. The Roulette Sides spotlights legendary jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan, who joined Dizzy Gillespie’s big band when he was just 18 and would later become the star of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He was also a major influence on the genre and is the subject of a documentary titled, I Called Him Morgan.
The Roulette Sides 10” features three tracks from Morgan on 33 ⅓rpm vinyl. Now available for the first time since the 1970s, the music was cut straight to lacquer from the original production masters. The music is also available for digital download and through various streaming services.
The latest release from $tateside was a mono 10” replica of Split Kick, the 1955 album by celebrated jazz saxophonist Stan Getz on 33 ⅓rpm vinyl.
Recent $tateside offerings also include titles from John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and George Benson amongst other greats.