what labels do you just plain hate seeing?

akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
edited August 2005 in Record Collecting
im not talking about content since all these labels have lots of classic stuff on them, im talking about label designs you just hate running into, well-designed or not...

cant stand seeing just about any late-70s design label.

i hate the orange epic label and hate the black one even more.
i hate the white A & M label with the tan letters
i hate the columbia label with the yellow "columbia" around the outside
the WB label with the buildings
any capitol label after the lime green one
that damn scotti brothers label on 45s

thousands of others...

major labels i love to see, however:

yellow epic
lime green capitol (rainbow & black's good, but lime green is more my era)
360 columbia

thats all i got off the top of my head though. of course theres obvious ones like impulse or blue note or prestige or whatever...


EDIT: wait, does that wb label have buildings on it? or am i thinking of the 70's mercury one? maybe they both have buildings.
«1

  Comments


  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts

    the WB label with the buildings


    Cosign

  • DocBeezyDocBeezy 1,918 Posts

    the WB label with the buildings


    Cosign

    Yeah that one sucks

    Also, that one that Bobby Sherman was on. Its blue, fuck i forgot the name. I hate it.

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    metromedia? ah man i actually like seeing that one, unless its a bobby sherman record.

    i mean,

    winstons - amen brother
    elephants memory - mongoose
    some other 45 i have with like 4 uptempo breaks


    but i must remember this thread is not about content.

  • DocBeezyDocBeezy 1,918 Posts
    metromedia? ah man i actually like seeing that one, unless its a bobby sherman record.

    i mean,

    winstons - amen brother
    elephants memory - mongoose
    some other 45 i have with like 4 uptempo breaks


    but i must remember this thread is not about content.

    Yeah, I think that is why I hate that label, cause of Shermans weak ass.

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    then again, even bobby sherman has a nice break...

  • mordecaimordecai 2,204 Posts


    hope this isn't "too obvious" for you ako.

  • DocBeezyDocBeezy 1,918 Posts
    then again, even bobby sherman has a nice break...

    fuck a break.

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    definitely not, completely forgot about it and agree completely!

    only reason windham hill was so obvious to me was because i grew up around that shit...haha

  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts


    hope this isn't "too obvious" for you ako.
    I always liked the IRS lable.

  • mrmatthewmrmatthew 1,575 Posts
    Coral 45's

    RCA 45's.

    Jubilee.



    CANNAAN

    TEMPO

    WORD

    (annoying Xian bin filling hope-dashers)






  • Those Def Jam labels annoy me. As well as the Sugar Hill label. They all look the same so you tend to leave em there after you have seen so many.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    wait, does that wb label have buildings on it? or am i thinking of the 70's mercury one? maybe they both have buildings.

    the wb label had the palm trees. mercury was the buildings.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    im probably gonna get flamed clean into next week for this, but i never liked the design on the "people" label. you know, james brown's company. it just looks crude as hell.

    the original green-and-black "glades" label was pretty funky looking as well. they later cleaned it up, but those early issues (timmy thomas' "why can't we live together," latimore's "stormy monday," etc.) were plug-ugly.

    and that was one psychotic looking bird on the "parrot" label (the london subsidary that recorded tom jones, englebert humperdinck, savoy brown, the zombies, etc.)

  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    uptown records

    too many heavy d and mcgruff joints, not enough "party and bullshit."

  • uptown records

    too many heavy d and mcgruff joints, not enough "party and bullshit."


  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    the original green-and-black "glades" label was pretty funky looking as well. they later cleaned it up, but those early issues (timmy thomas' "why can't we live together," latimore's "stormy monday," etc.) were plug-ugly.

    ah really? i kinda like that label design. personally the later glades label was SUPER ugly.

    but as far as crudeness goes: tons of funk 45 labels that werent just text have some of the sloppiest/crudest looking images on them ever, but that gives them their charm and ive come to really like a lot of them. kinda like how i love the look of private press lp's with stock covers now, when im sure i used to think they were the ugliest thing ever..haha

    thought of another label i dont really like looking at (and i might get shot down for this one...): polydor. dont know why but ive never really been a fan...however dont get me wrong, for such a large label they put out a TON of great stuff...

    and a label i LOVE seeing:

    late 60's cadet. nothing lights up my eyes like one of those in a pile of wackness...add cadet concept to the list.


    understand that most of these labels that i love seeing arent really due to the design, just the association with great music.

  • Mmmm...AKO...mmmm....How bout that red WM-2?


  • wait, does that wb label have buildings on it? or am i thinking of the 70's mercury one? maybe they both have buildings.

    the wb label had the palm trees. mercury was the buildings.

    Both of those designs suck. And all Reprise, looks like K-Tel or something.

  • cosign on mercury w/ buildings.

    love seeing: limelight.

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    Mmmm...AKO...mmmm....How bout that red WM-2?


    ah yeah, forgot about that...it's in our storage unit for the time being actually, had to put a bunch of stuff away but i'll get back to you when i get it out again.

    id kill to have all those in working condition...

  • Chaps

  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    the white A & M label with the tan letters
    With the ugly fade? Yep. Mostly shit on that one, too.

    the WB label with the buildings
    Yeah, but you always have to check to see if it's the Black Belt Jones theme.

    I always hated the later, cursive yellow-on-purple Gordy label. So cheapslick.

    Also:
    The navy Epic; Abnak (Atlantic rip); tan RCA (booooo-ring); Steed; the later, seated King; Turbo; Hit (looks like an Oldies reissue label); Old Town (the ugly side of DIY labels); the really colorful Keen label (Sam C. or no, this is ugly)


    ...and James - I LOVE that People label. Come on, brother. Red, Purple and Blue versions. The Grey-on-White is too clean.

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    the WB label with the buildings
    Yeah, but you always have to check to see if it's the Black Belt Jones theme.

    I always hated the later, cursive yellow-on-purple Gordy label. So cheapslick.

    Also:
    The navy Epic; Abnak (Atlantic rip); tan RCA (booooo-ring); Steed; the later, seated King; Turbo; Hit (looks like an Oldies reissue label); Old Town (the ugly side of DIY labels); the really colorful Keen label (Sam C. or no, this is ugly)


    ...and James - I LOVE that People label. Come on, brother. Red, Purple and Blue versions. The Grey-on-White is too clean.
    yeah, i used to check if the later wb 45 was "cosmic sea"...but i got that lp now so i dont even care...

    that later gordy label is diiisgusting. should have changed the label to "grody" (im oh so clever)

    nayv epic sucks

    abnak has its moments but they did SUCH bad job designing that label...and yeah, blatant rip off atlantic..

    tan RCA has good shit sometimes, but i prefer orange

    maybe i just like steed for the illusion...but that horse 45 label that's ALWAYS andy kim makes me sick..

    i love turbo! looks so cheezy but half the time is some raw shit (injun joe anybody?) the design makes me laugh because it just doesnt make sense to me in the least bit, plus i really do kinda like the design anyway for some strange reason.

    hit's gross

    old town gets my love, even if it is ugly..

    cant stand seeing that keen label.

    and yeah! red people label is awesome. plus i just love the letters, stick and ball...and how the "e"s connect completely.just a circle with a line through it.

    cant get enough

  • I always hated the later, cursive yellow-on-purple Gordy label. So cheapslick.

    I think that was the earlier label - with the motto, "it's what's in the grooves that count?" At any rate, it never bothered me, but I thought the later one (still yellow and purple, but with the large G) was more tasteful, not as all-over-the-damn-place.

    Turbo

    As far as designs go, I prefer the later blue Turbo (with the chrome lettering) over the pink-and-orange one. But for music, I avoid the slick chrome logo - that's when Turbo (and the rest of the All Platinum family) went disco. As far as straight-up soul and funk, it's all about the earlier, rawer design.

    Old Town (the ugly side of DIY labels)

    Depends on which design. The one with the yellow moon rising over the city skyline is pure class, whether it's the blue or red versions. Sure wish I could find a decent pic online. Now, THIS hand-drawn monstrosity here is the definition of "tacky":



    ...and James - I LOVE that People label. Come on, brother. Red, Purple and Blue versions. The Grey-on-White is too clean.

    Wouldn't have been so bad, 'cept that the drawing of the actual people at the bottom of the label looks like somebody's kindergarten finger-painting class.

    Now, you wanna see a label design I LOVE? The black superman with X-ray vision that adorned the Invictus label.

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    Old Town (the ugly side of DIY labels)

    Depends on which design. The one with the yellow moon rising over the city skyline is pure class, whether it's the blue or red versions. Sure wish I could find a decent pic online. Now, THIS hand-drawn monstrosity here is the definition of "tacky":


    thats the one i was thinking of when i replied...who drew that text?! just awful. but its got that charm i love...

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    Now, you wanna see a label design I LOVE? The black superman with X-ray vision that adorned the Invictus label.




  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    Now, THIS hand-drawn monstrosity here is the definition of "tacky":



    That's the one. Bad Tacky, unlike the "man-riding-an-8-point-buck-in-a-cloud-of-smoke-after-some-woman's-legs" on Dud Sound, which is Good Tacky. Oh, and you just got called out up above.







    No hijack: My copy of "I Call my Baby Pussycat" has bullshit levels, whereas the recent CD remaster is perfect. What the hell? I've always wondered if the Osmium version was better.

  • BAD Westbound:


    Even though most of this label's classic recordings were released with this label, what the hell is that? Looks like somebody's vomit in the river!

    GOOD Westbound:


    I always thought the truck was a nice touch.

  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    BAD Westbound:


    Even though most of this label's classic recordings were released with this label, what the hell is that? Looks like somebody's vomit in the river!

    GOOD Westbound:


    I always thought the truck was a nice touch.

    I like it the other way around. The mind-melting always reminded me of Hazel in a freakout, and the sleeve is perfect. The truck reminded me of trucks. And the fact that the label had really slipped (IMO)

  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    BAD Westbound:


    Even though most of this label's classic recordings were released with this label, what the hell is that? Looks like somebody's vomit in the river!

    GOOD Westbound:


    I always thought the truck was a nice touch.

    I like it the other way around. The mind-melting always reminded me of Hazel in a freakout, and the sleeve is perfect. The truck reminded me of trucks. And the fact that the label had really slipped (IMO)

    took the words right of my mouth.

    that old westbound label has a great look in my opinion! plus its always exciting to find stuff on that label...even though half the time i do its always that damn "americans" or whatever 45. seriously unavoidable.

    new one is gross. haha. i like the new W logo but the rest is way too late-70s early 80s looking.

    old one seems psychadelic and gritty, new one seems..polished and businessy..hahahaha, im terrible at describing things.

    but then again thats what this thread is all about. personal opinions.
Sign In or Register to comment.