Spin Records
Encyclopedia
Spin Records was an Australian popular music label of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was established in late 1966 by Clyde Packer
and a group of partners including entrepreneur Harry M. Miller
. The label's first A&R manager was Nat Kipner (the father of musician-songwriter-producer Steve Kipner
) who produced several early Spin releases. Most Spin recordings from the late 1960s and early 1970s were produced by Festival Records
house producer Pat Aulton
.
Launched in late 1966 with the single "Someday" by former Aztecs
guitarist Tony Barber, the label was originally called Everybody's, which was also the name of a teen magazine published by Packer's Consolidated Press. The overt cross-promotion reportedly met with resistance from commercial radio, so the label was hastily rebadged as "Spin" after only four singles.
Spin was distributed by Festival Records
, then Australia's largest independent recording company. Spin releases played an important part in Festival's business in this period, with hit albums and singles including the 1969 hit single "Mr Guy Fawkes" by The Dave Miller Set and the original Australian cast recording of the rock musical Hair
, which became the first Australian cast recording to earn a Gold Record award. Through Kipner (who briefly managed The Bee Gees just before they returned to the UK) Spin was also able to secure the lucrative Australian release rights to the Bee Gees' Polydor recordings from 1967 until the Spin label folded in 1973.
Clyde Packer
Robert Clyde Packer , usually known as "Clyde", was the son of Australian newspaper magnate Frank Packer and the elder brother of media baron Kerry Packer...
and a group of partners including entrepreneur Harry M. Miller
Harry M. Miller
-Early career:Born in New Zealand, Miller grew up in Grey Lynn, Auckland, and moved to Australia in 1963, where he established a company called Pan Pacific Productions with Keith and Dennis Wong, owners of the noted Sydney nightclub "Chequers"...
. The label's first A&R manager was Nat Kipner (the father of musician-songwriter-producer Steve Kipner
Steve Kipner
Steve Kipner is a multi-platinum-selling songwriter and record producer with hits spanning over a 40 year history, including chart-topping songs such as Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", Chicago's Grammy-nominated "Hard Habit to Break", "Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera, for which he won an...
) who produced several early Spin releases. Most Spin recordings from the late 1960s and early 1970s were produced by Festival Records
Festival Records (Australia)
Festival Records was an Australian music recording and publishing company which was founded in Sydney in 1952 and operated until 2005....
house producer Pat Aulton
Pat Aulton
Pat Aulton was a noted Australian record producer, musician, arranger and songwriter.He is best known for the successful pop and rock singles and albums he produced for Australian and New Zealand artists in the 1960s and early 1970s on the Sunshine and Spin Records labels...
.
Launched in late 1966 with the single "Someday" by former Aztecs
Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs
Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian pop and rock group dating from the mid-sixties. The group enjoyed huge success in the mid-1960s, but split in 1967. They re-emerged in the early seventies to become one of the most popular Australian hard-rock bands of the period...
guitarist Tony Barber, the label was originally called Everybody's, which was also the name of a teen magazine published by Packer's Consolidated Press. The overt cross-promotion reportedly met with resistance from commercial radio, so the label was hastily rebadged as "Spin" after only four singles.
Spin was distributed by Festival Records
Festival Records (Australia)
Festival Records was an Australian music recording and publishing company which was founded in Sydney in 1952 and operated until 2005....
, then Australia's largest independent recording company. Spin releases played an important part in Festival's business in this period, with hit albums and singles including the 1969 hit single "Mr Guy Fawkes" by The Dave Miller Set and the original Australian cast recording of the rock musical Hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
, which became the first Australian cast recording to earn a Gold Record award. Through Kipner (who briefly managed The Bee Gees just before they returned to the UK) Spin was also able to secure the lucrative Australian release rights to the Bee Gees' Polydor recordings from 1967 until the Spin label folded in 1973.