Andrew Lauder (music executive)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Lauder is a record company executive and former A&R
manager. Initially noted for his adventurous signings of bands as diverse as Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
, Can
, Hawkwind
and Brinsley Schwarz
to Liberty Records
and United Artists Records
in the 1960s and 70s, he went on to form numerous independent labels including Radar Records
, F-Beat Records
and Demon Music Group
.
, England
in 1952, the son of a timber yard owner, he attended Wellingborough School
, Northamptonshire
. He moved to London around 1965 to look for a job. He joined Southern Music, as an accounts clerk.
in the UK. Lauder was initially "label manager" and oversaw the reissuing of back catalogues including Eddie Cochran
and Fats Domino
, before making himself Liberty’s Artists and Repertoire (A&R) manager and quickly signing The Idle Race, Family
and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
. Also, in 1968 Tony McPhee & The Groundhogs for £50. On the Liberty sampler 'Gutbucket'(1969) Lauder placed The Bonzo's spoof 'Can Blue Men Sing The Whites' directly after Tony McPhee's 'No More Doggin'. In 1971 The Groundhog's 'Split' LP was the best selling record on the Liberty / UA label.
Under Lauder’s direction, Liberty primarily signed hippy or underground "album bands", and also licensed a number of US acts such as Captain Beefheart
. Lauder largely ignored the pop market, although Liberty had a few UK hit singles such as Creedence Clearwater Revival
’s "Proud Mary".
In 1968, Liberty was bought by Transamerica Corporation
and then absorbed by their existing label United Artists Records
, Lauder becoming head of A&R for United Artists in the UK. In 1969 United Artists rebuffed Chrysalis Records
’ attempt to poach Lauder, and gave him greater control.
Lauder's personal music preferences were West Coast hippy bands such as Quicksilver Messenger Service
and the Grateful Dead
, which was reflected in his signing bands like Man
and Help Yourself
; but Lauder became known for releasing an extremely diverse range of bands; from Krautrock
:- Can
, Amon Duul II
, via Underground music
:- Hawkwind
and Motörhead to Pub rock
:- Brinsley Schwarz
, Dr Feelgood and The Inmates
and then Punk rock
, signing The Stranglers
and Buzzcocks
shortly before leaving United Artists.
Lauder commissioned a number of notable artists, including Barney Bubbles
, Rick Griffin
and Hapshash and the Coloured Coat
and used a wide variety of promotional techniques: coloured vinyl, elaborate album covers, limited edition budget albums and charity concerts.
Lauder trusted his own intuition – bringing The Flamin' Groovies to Britain, even though they had been turned down by United Artists in the US. He would also stick with artists who left bands in his roster, e.g. signing Motorhead, Michael Moorcock
and Robert Calvert
from Hawkwind, and Deke Leonard
, Clive John and The Neutrons when they left Man. His personal interests were reflected in events such as the “United Artists 'Save Hartlepool Football Club' weekend”
, but instead, he co-founded Radar Records
with Martin Davis. Radar took on several Stiff Records
acts, including Nick Lowe
, Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Yachts
.
In 1979 Lauder and Jake Riviera
opened F-Beat Records
, and several acts, notably Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Nick Lowe, transferred from Radar Records. Lauder and Riviera also started Demon Music Group
in 1980, to concentrate on the singles market, early signings including Department S
and Bananarama
.
Lauder was briefly with Island Records, signing U2
in March 1980 and offering Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley
a solo record deal.
In 1988, Andrew Lauder formed the UK based Silvertone Records under the Zomba Group of Companies. Initially focusing on rock music such as The Stone Roses
, Lauder soon expanded their roster to include Peter “Sonic Boom” Kember
John Lee Hooker
, J.J. Cale
and The Men They Couldn't Hang
.
In 1993 Lauder started “This Way Up” label whose signings included Ian McNabb
, The Warm Jets
and Tindersticks
.
By 2002 Lauder was living in Knowstone, Devon where he ran Acadia and Evangeline (not to be confused with the US Evangeline Records
label) releasing albums by Ronnie Lane
, Spirit
, Gov’t Mule, Loudon Wainwright III
and The Steepwater Band
and employed local schoolgirl Joss Stone
on work experience. These labels later became part of Floating World Records.
Having officially retired, Andrew Lauder intends to release an autobiography and undertake a lecture tour in 2010.
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
manager. Initially noted for his adventurous signings of bands as diverse as Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band are a band created by a group of British art-school denizens of the 1960s...
, Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
, Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
and Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardist Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lodge.-Formation:...
to Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
and United Artists Records
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
in the 1960s and 70s, he went on to form numerous independent labels including Radar Records
Radar Records
Radar Records was a UK-based record label formed by Martin Davis who had previously worked at United Artists Records, and Andrew Lauder, who had previously been head of A&R at the UK divisions of Liberty Records and United Artists...
, F-Beat Records
F-Beat Records
F-Beat Records was one of the record labels set up by Jake Riviera in late 1979/early 1980, at the same time as he started Demon Records. The label's first release, I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down by Elvis Costello & the Attractions, reached number 4 in the UK charts, the highest singles chart...
and Demon Music Group
Demon Music Group
Demon Records is a United Kingdom record label founded in 1980 by former United Artists A&R executive Andrew Lauder and Jake Riviera who had previously started Stiff Records...
.
Early life
Lauder was born in Hartlepool, County DurhamCounty Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1952, the son of a timber yard owner, he attended Wellingborough School
Wellingborough School
Wellingborough School is an independent fee-paying day school in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. It was established in 1595 and is one of the oldest schools in the country.-History:...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. He moved to London around 1965 to look for a job. He joined Southern Music, as an accounts clerk.
Liberty and United Artists Records
In 1967 a friend introduced Lauder to Bob Reisdorf, who was launching Liberty RecordsLiberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
in the UK. Lauder was initially "label manager" and oversaw the reissuing of back catalogues including Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
and Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
, before making himself Liberty’s Artists and Repertoire (A&R) manager and quickly signing The Idle Race, Family
Family (band)
Family were an English rock band that formed in late 1966 and disbanded in October 1973. Their style has been characterised as progressive rock, although their sound often explored other genres, incorporating elements of styles like as folk, psychedelia, acid, jazz fusion and rock and roll...
and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band are a band created by a group of British art-school denizens of the 1960s...
. Also, in 1968 Tony McPhee & The Groundhogs for £50. On the Liberty sampler 'Gutbucket'(1969) Lauder placed The Bonzo's spoof 'Can Blue Men Sing The Whites' directly after Tony McPhee's 'No More Doggin'. In 1971 The Groundhog's 'Split' LP was the best selling record on the Liberty / UA label.
Under Lauder’s direction, Liberty primarily signed hippy or underground "album bands", and also licensed a number of US acts such as Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
. Lauder largely ignored the pop market, although Liberty had a few UK hit singles such as Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
’s "Proud Mary".
In 1968, Liberty was bought by Transamerica Corporation
Transamerica Corporation
Transamerica Corporation is a holding company for various life insurance companies and investment firms doing business primarily in the United States. It was acquired by the Dutch financial services conglomerate AEGON in 1999.-History:...
and then absorbed by their existing label United Artists Records
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
, Lauder becoming head of A&R for United Artists in the UK. In 1969 United Artists rebuffed Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
’ attempt to poach Lauder, and gave him greater control.
Lauder's personal music preferences were West Coast hippy bands such as Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco.-Introduction:Quicksilver Messenger Service gained wide popularity in the Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe and several of their albums ranked...
and the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, which was reflected in his signing bands like Man
Man (band)
Man are a rock band from South Wales whose style is a mixture of West Coast psychedelia, progressive rock, blues and country-rock. Formed in 1968 as a reincarnation of Welsh rock harmony group ‘’The Bystanders’’, Man are renowned for the extended jams in their live performances, and having had...
and Help Yourself
Help Yourself (band)
Help Yourself, known to their fans as "The Helps", were an English rock band of the early 1970s whose style developed from “American-flavoured country-rock… …to acid-drenched psych.”.-History:...
; but Lauder became known for releasing an extremely diverse range of bands; from Krautrock
Krautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
:- Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
, Amon Duul II
Amon Düül II
-Studio Albums:-Live Albums:-Compilations:-Singles:-External links:*...
, via Underground music
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
:- Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
and Motörhead to Pub rock
Pub rock (UK)
Pub rock was a rock music genre that developed in the mid 1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, pub rock was a reaction against progressive and glam rock. Although short-lived, pub rock was notable for rejecting stadium venues and for returning live rock to the small pubs and...
:- Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardist Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lodge.-Formation:...
, Dr Feelgood and The Inmates
The Inmates
The Inmates are a British garage rock/pub rock band, formed after the split up of The Flying Tigers in 1977. In the early 1980s, they had a medium sized international hit with a cover of The Standells' "Dirty Water", and a UK Top 40 hit with "The Walk"...
and then Punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, signing The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
and Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
shortly before leaving United Artists.
Lauder commissioned a number of notable artists, including Barney Bubbles
Barney Bubbles
Colin Fulcher aka Barney Bubbles was a radical English graphic artist, whose work primarily encompassed the disciplines of graphic design, painting and music video direction. He is most renowned for his distinctive contribution to the graphic design associated with the British independent music...
, Rick Griffin
Rick Griffin
Richard Alden Griffin was an American artist and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters in the 1960s. As a contributor to the underground comix movement, his work appeared regularly in Zap Comix. Griffin was closely identified with the Grateful Dead, designing some of their best known...
and Hapshash and the Coloured Coat
Hapshash and the Coloured Coat
Hapshash and the Coloured Coat is the name of an influential British graphic design and avant-garde musical partnership between Michael English and Nigel Waymouth, producing psychedelic posters and two albums of underground music...
and used a wide variety of promotional techniques: coloured vinyl, elaborate album covers, limited edition budget albums and charity concerts.
Lauder trusted his own intuition – bringing The Flamin' Groovies to Britain, even though they had been turned down by United Artists in the US. He would also stick with artists who left bands in his roster, e.g. signing Motorhead, Michael Moorcock
Michael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
and Robert Calvert
Robert Calvert
Robert Calvert was a writer, poet, and musician.-Biography:Born Robert Newton Calvert in Pretoria, South Africa, Calvert's parents moved to England when he was two years of age and later attended school in London and Margate. He began his career by writing poetry and in 1967 formed a Street...
from Hawkwind, and Deke Leonard
Deke Leonard
Roger "Deke" Leonard is a rock musician, "serving a life sentence in the music business." Best known as a member of the progressive rock band Man, which he joined and left several times, and for fronting his own rock and roll band Iceberg, which he formed and disbanded several times, he is also...
, Clive John and The Neutrons when they left Man. His personal interests were reflected in events such as the “United Artists 'Save Hartlepool Football Club' weekend”
Independent Record Companies
In 1977, Lauder was offered major role at Arista RecordsArista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, but instead, he co-founded Radar Records
Radar Records
Radar Records was a UK-based record label formed by Martin Davis who had previously worked at United Artists Records, and Andrew Lauder, who had previously been head of A&R at the UK divisions of Liberty Records and United Artists...
with Martin Davis. Radar took on several Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
acts, including Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
, Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Yachts
Yachts (band)
Yachts were a British pop/rock band, best remembered for their 1977 single, "Suffice To Say", and “minor new wave classic”, "Love You, Love You".-Career:...
.
In 1979 Lauder and Jake Riviera
Jake Riviera
Jake Riviera is a music business entrepreneur best known for his management of such performers as Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe and as co-founder of pioneering British indie label Stiff Records.Riviera was in school bands and local groups in north-west London in the 60s, and became road manager of...
opened F-Beat Records
F-Beat Records
F-Beat Records was one of the record labels set up by Jake Riviera in late 1979/early 1980, at the same time as he started Demon Records. The label's first release, I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down by Elvis Costello & the Attractions, reached number 4 in the UK charts, the highest singles chart...
, and several acts, notably Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Nick Lowe, transferred from Radar Records. Lauder and Riviera also started Demon Music Group
Demon Music Group
Demon Records is a United Kingdom record label founded in 1980 by former United Artists A&R executive Andrew Lauder and Jake Riviera who had previously started Stiff Records...
in 1980, to concentrate on the singles market, early signings including Department S
Department S (band)
Department S were a British new wave band formed in 1980, who took their stage name from the 1960s TV series Department S. They are best known for their debut single, "Is Vic There?", which was originally released in December 1980.-1980s:...
and Bananarama
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
.
Lauder was briefly with Island Records, signing U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
in March 1980 and offering Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley
Pete Shelley
Pete Shelley is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of Buzzcocks.-Biography:...
a solo record deal.
In 1988, Andrew Lauder formed the UK based Silvertone Records under the Zomba Group of Companies. Initially focusing on rock music such as The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Lauder soon expanded their roster to include Peter “Sonic Boom” Kember
Peter Kember
Peter Kember is a British musician and producer, more usually known as Sonic Boom, and was a founding member of alternative rock band Spacemen 3....
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, J.J. Cale
J.J. Cale
JJ Cale , born John Weldon Cale on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and musician. Cale is one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz influences. Cale's personal style has...
and The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Men They Couldn't Hang are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush , Paul Simmonds , Philip "Swill" Odgers , Jon Odgers and Shanne Bradley .- Controversy and success:Their first single, "The Green Fields...
.
In 1993 Lauder started “This Way Up” label whose signings included Ian McNabb
Ian McNabb
Robert Ian McNabb is a British singer-songwriter and musician from Liverpool, England. He is known both for his work as leader and songwriter-in-chief of The Icicle Works in the 1980s, and his critically acclaimed solo career throughout from the early 1990s to date...
, The Warm Jets
The Warm Jets
Warm Jets were a British pop indie band, who had two UK top 40 singles and a top 40 album in 1998.-History:The band formed in 1995 by Louis Jones, Paul Noble and Ed Grimshaw and signed to This Way Up records in early 1996...
and Tindersticks
Tindersticks
Tindersticks are an Indie rock band from Nottingham, England formed in 1991. They released six albums before singer Stuart A. Staples took on a solo career. The band reunited briefly in 2006, but more permanently the following year...
.
By 2002 Lauder was living in Knowstone, Devon where he ran Acadia and Evangeline (not to be confused with the US Evangeline Records
Evangeline Records
Evangeline Records is an independent American record label based in San Francisco, California that promotes and releases music in the indie rock, baroque pop, psych folk, and Gothic Americana genres. The label was founded by notable songwriters Bob Frank and John Murry in 2006.Both Frank and Murry...
label) releasing albums by Ronnie Lane
Ronnie Lane
Ronald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane was an English musician, songwriter, and producer who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of two prominent English rock and roll bands; the Small Faces where he was nicknamed "Plonk", – and, after losing the band's frontman, Faces, with two new...
, Spirit
Spirit (band)
Spirit was an American jazz/hard rock/progressive rock/psychedelic band founded in 1967, based in Los Angeles, California.- The original lineup :...
, Gov’t Mule, Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Snowden Wainwright III is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, folk singer, humorist, and actor. He is the father of musicians Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche, brother of Sloan Wainwright, and the former husband of the late folk singer Kate McGarrigle.To...
and The Steepwater Band
The Steepwater Band
The Steepwater Band is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1998 by the trio of Jeff Massey , Joe Winters , and Tod Bowers...
and employed local schoolgirl Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
on work experience. These labels later became part of Floating World Records.
Having officially retired, Andrew Lauder intends to release an autobiography and undertake a lecture tour in 2010.