Private Stock Records
Encyclopedia
Private Stock Records was a record label
which was started in 1974
by Larry Uttal after he was ousted from Bell Records. The label had hit record
s with singles by David Soul
of Starsky and Hutch
fame ("Don't Give Up on Us
"), Starbuck
("Moonlight Feels Right"), Austin Roberts
("Rocky"), Samantha Sang
("Emotion"), Walter Murphy
and the Big Apple Band ("A Fifth of Beethoven
"), and Frankie Valli
("My Eyes Adored You
").
Blondie
's eponymous debut album
, which was not a commercial success at the time, was also originally issued on Private Stock in 1976, as were two final single releases by Junior Campbell
. Singer-songwriter Tom Paxton
's 1975 album, Something in My Life and Rupert Holmes
' fourth album, Pursuit of Happiness were also released by the label. Peter Lemongello
released one album for Private Stock after his successful debut Love '76. However, the Love '76 album was never released by Private Stock.
The label closed down in 1978
when Uttal moved to London
where he died some years later. His son Jai Uttal
has the rights to the catalogue but does not have access to the master tapes as they were lost when an unpaid storage bill forced their auction. As such, most if not all Private Stock CD's have been dubbed from vinyl.
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
which was started in 1974
1974 in music
-January–April:*January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band kick off their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It's Dylan's first time on the road since 1966.*January 17...
by Larry Uttal after he was ousted from Bell Records. The label had hit record
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
s with singles by David Soul
David Soul
David Soul is an American-British actor and singer, best known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television programme Starsky and Hutch . He gained British citizenship in 2004.-Early life:...
of Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
fame ("Don't Give Up on Us
Don't Give Up on Us (song)
"Don't Give Up on Us" is a song by David Soul.Riding high on the success of playing in the hit TV show Starsky and Hutch, Soul returned to one of his early career choices as a singer...
"), Starbuck
Starbuck (band)
Starbuck was a rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1974 by keyboardist/vocalist/record producer Bruce Blackman and marimba player Bo Wagner. Both Blackman and Wagner, along with guitarist Johnny Walker, had previous success with Mississippi-based "sunshine pop" group Eternity's Children,...
("Moonlight Feels Right"), Austin Roberts
Austin Roberts (singer)
Austin Roberts is an American singer and songwriter. His most successful recording was 1975's "Rocky"; a transatlantic Top 40 hit single.-Early years:...
("Rocky"), Samantha Sang
Samantha Sang
Samantha Sang is a stage name of Australian singer, Cheryl Lau Sang, from Melbourne, who had an earlier career as Cheryl Gray. She had a number eight hit in Australia with "You Made Me What I Am" in 1967. By 1969, she had relocated to United Kingdom and worked with Bee Gees but then returned...
("Emotion"), Walter Murphy
Walter Murphy
Walter Anthony Murphy, Jr. is an American instrumentalist, songwriter, and arranger. He rose to fame with the hit instrumental "A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of passages from the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, in 1976, when disco was at the height of its...
and the Big Apple Band ("A Fifth of Beethoven
A Fifth of Beethoven
"A Fifth of Beethoven" is a disco instrumental recorded by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band. It was adapted by Murphy from the first movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. The record was produced by noted production music and sound effects recording producer Thomas J. Valentino. It was one of...
"), and Frankie Valli
Frankie Valli
Frankie Valli is an American musician, most famous as frontman of The Four Seasons. He is well-known for his unusually powerful falsetto singing voice...
("My Eyes Adored You
My Eyes Adored You
"My Eyes Adored You" is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. It was originally recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974. After the MoWest label balked at the idea of releasing it, the recording was sold to lead singer Frankie Valli for $4000...
").
Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
's eponymous debut album
Blondie (album)
Blondie is the eponymous debut album by American New Wave band Blondie, released in 1976 on Private Stock Records. The first single "X Offender" was originally entitled "Sex Offender" but since radio stations would not play a song with such a controversial title, the band renamed the song...
, which was not a commercial success at the time, was also originally issued on Private Stock in 1976, as were two final single releases by Junior Campbell
Junior Campbell
Junior Campbell is a Scottish composer, songwriter and musician. He was a founding member, lead guitarist, piano player, and singer with the Scottish band Marmalade and co-wrote and produced some of their biggest successes, including "Reflections of My Life", "I See The Rain" and "Rainbow".He...
. Singer-songwriter Tom Paxton
Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
's 1975 album, Something in My Life and Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes is an American-British composer, singer-songwriter, musician and author of plays, novels and stories. He is best known for his number one pop hit "Escape " and the song "Him", which reached the number 6 position on the Hot 100 U.S. pop chart in 1980...
' fourth album, Pursuit of Happiness were also released by the label. Peter Lemongello
Peter Lemongello
Peter Lemongello is an American singer from Islip, Long Island, New York, best known for his album Love '76, one of the first albums to be sold exclusively through television advertising...
released one album for Private Stock after his successful debut Love '76. However, the Love '76 album was never released by Private Stock.
The label closed down in 1978
1978 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....
when Uttal moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he died some years later. His son Jai Uttal
Jai Uttal
Jai Uttal is an American musician and singer-songwriter born in New York City. Often performing with his "Pagan Love Orchestra," Jai's music is influenced by his R&B roots of the 1960s and '70s and by traditional Indian music, which he first became familiar with at age 19.When he was 19, Jai moved...
has the rights to the catalogue but does not have access to the master tapes as they were lost when an unpaid storage bill forced their auction. As such, most if not all Private Stock CD's have been dubbed from vinyl.