Columbia Records

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

• Set up in the late 19 century – the era that is key to the development of gramophone
th

technology
• Begins as a manufacturer of wax cylinders in the USA and subsequently expands
operations to the UK and to other international markets
• Subsequently becomes a pioneer of different forms of recording technology (e.g the 78, 45,
the LP record) – the history of Columbia Records is the not just the history of artists, but also
of technological developments
• Columbia becomes noted for blues, folk and jazz, heavily influenced by the work of one
John Hammond
•It is also noted for its shifting nature over a long period – like many large cultural industries,
record labels are subject to changing company structure and focus, as well as changes in
overall ownership
 John Hammond’s role, particularly in the role of promotion of blues and folk music
• Began working as an arranger for Columbia in the 1930s
• He organized the concert ‘From Spirituals to Swing’ at Carnegie Hall in 1938, explicitly
connecting localized folk music to mass popular express
• This connected with the American folk revival, spearheaded by John and Alan Lomax
• Hammond becomes pivotal in developing Columbia as a key jazz, blues and folk label –
both as a producer and an A & R

Key Releases

BOB DYLAN – THE FREEWHEELIN’ BOB DYLAN (1963)

• Establishes the classic sound of Dylan in the early 1960s – earnest lyrics on politics
(‘Blowin’ in the Wind’, ‘Masters of War’) and love (‘Don’t Think Twice’), with a simple
accompaniment of acoustic guitar and harmonica. Dylan mines this sound on his
subsequent two albums
• Produced by the aforementioned John Hammond, the album became a major seller and as
a result Dylan became the poster boy for the American folk movement
•The record boasted an iconic image on ithe cover – with a clear attempt to create visual
branding for the artist. The cover presents a romantic scene of Bob Dylan and his girlfriend
Suze Rotolo on a Manhattan back street,
making a virtue of the ‘natural’, unadorned presentation of the artist
• Also featured liner notes discussing and describing each of the album’s 13 tracks

JOHNNY CASH – AT FOLSOM PRISON (1968)

• Recorded live to a group of convicts at Folsom Prison in California

• The idea came from Cash himself, who pitched the idea to Columbia producer Bob
Johnston (who also produced a number of Bob Dylan albums, including Highway ‘61
Revisited), the artist having recorded ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ in 1956
• Country music was – and still is, in many respects rightly – perceived as a solidly
conservative form of music
• Johnny Cash’s album gave country music an oppositional edge. By performing in a
sympathetic manner for prisoners, a less conservative form of country became ever more
popular, exemplified by the likes of GramParsons and Willie Nelson
• Cash himself identified strongly with outsiders and the underdog in society, writing the song
‘The Man In Black’ to underline this
• Cash also released an album recorded live at San Quentin, which was likewise put out on
Columbia

MILES DAVIS – ON THE CORNER (1972)

• Seen as a radical gear shift for Miles Davis

• His sound changed in the late 1960s, using more electronic instrumentation and
developing what became known as ‘fusion jazz’ – exemplified by records such as In A Silent
Way (1968) and Bitches Brew (1969)- after his pioneering of both cool jazz (Kind Of
Blue)and hard bop (E.S.P) in the 1950s and 1960s
• He went even further on On The Corner, putting together an album that brought elements
of jazz alongside avant-garde synthesized sounds, funk-influenced percussion, extensive
use of effects pedals with his trumpet and – perhaps most controversially – Miles Davis
abandoning the trumpet altogether on some tracks in favour of atonal electric organ
•Like Bob Dylan, Miles Davis was very skilled in assembling players to realise his vision

INFLUENCE OF COLUMBIA RECORDS

• The classic releases described in this lecture had massive impacts on a range of different
genres
• The invention of the 12” vinyl LP shaped not only the way listeners consumed music from
the 1940s onwards, but also influenced how songwriters and musicians compose music –
often with the idea of the A side and B side in mind (this also applies to the 7” single)
• The idea of a big label that curated as well as nurtured artists (and their catalogues) was
unheard of before Columbia Records
• It has become a brand that is synonymous with artistic integrity, and allowing artists
autonomy – although the label (huge as it was/is) has
released its fair share of disposable ephemera

TIMELINE

•1887 – Set up as an offshoot of a gramophone manufacturer

•1910 – Shifts in ownership begin from early on, as well as internationalizing of operations –
opening outposts in Britain, Japan etc
•1931 – John Hammond begins work there and significantly shapes Columbia’s aesthetic
•1938 – Hammond organizes the ‘From Gospel to Swing’ concerts, setting out the ‘folk’
origins of then predominant form of popular music
•1939 – Alex Steinweiss starts work as a graphic designer at Columbia, and begins to initiate
a greater interest in the packaging of records
•1948 – Columbia releases the vinyl LP (long playing) record, to be played at 33 revolutions
per minute. A more durable form of music listening compared to the 78, the vinyl LP
effectively beginning the ‘vinyl era’ of music consumption. Columbia attempts to market the
product as a status symbol, as well as encouraging the collection of records
•1955 – Trumpeter and composer Miles Davis is signed to the Columbia Records, and is
signed to the label until 1972. Columbia also signed other significant jazz artists such as
Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus
•1957 – Miles Davis’ first ‘classic’ album Kind Of Blue is released
•1961 – Bob Dylan is signed by John Hammond and becomes its most significant artist. He
still releases on the label to this day
•1963 – Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan released / 1965 – Highway 61 Revisited released / 1968 –
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison released / 1972 – On The Corner released
•1970s – Releases the early work of bands such as Aerosmith, Santana etc
•1994 – Releases the debut album of Jeff Buckley (
Grace), one of its most iconic release
Bjork

Icelandic Roots

- Bjork Gudmondsdottir was born in 1965 in Reykjavik. She was raised and still lives in
Iceland
- Iceland had, since the 14th century, been a colony of Denmark, gaining sovereignty in
1918, before becoming a fully independent republic in 1944 via referendum
- An historically isolated island economy in the north Atlantic with essentially only one city
(the capital
Reykjavik), the country has mostly been self-reliant in terms of musical production – as well
as in terms of
Energy
- Due to its hard to reach location, touring bands did not come to the country historically –
with The Fall (above) and The Birthday Party notable exceptions in the 1980s; The Fall even
recorded part of their classic
Hex Enduction Hour (1982) in the country
- A relatively vibrant scene emerged due to this isolation, due to making a virtue of necessity
– local musicians were able to develop their craft, without needing to compete with touring
artists
- From 1951 until 2006, Iceland had a permanent American army presence on it (Keflavik Air
Base, pictured), due to its strategic location between the United States and the Soviet Union.
This brought with it many American cultural influences (including, of course, records)
- The isolation of Iceland in a popular music sense has been decreased by the successes of
artists such as Bjork and Sigur Ros, as well as – later on – the Airwaves Music Festival
(originally located at Keflavik air base!)
- The country has a particularly high level of participation in creative work - currently, 1 in 4
people in Iceland work in Creative Industries, and 1 in 10 people have published books

Influences on Bjork’s career

■ The island of Iceland itself and it’s ‘village factor’. Iceland has a particularly small
population (350,000 people) and, by extension, a small, close-knit scene. Bjork strongly
identifies as an Icelander, and has been known to support smaller nations in their desires for
independence
■ Bjork served a lengthy apprenticeship in this scene, from releasing a self-titled album
when she was 11, to playing in punk and post-punk groups, eventually reaching a
mainstream international audience with her band The Sugarcubes
■ Bjork had an eclectic series of influences – local Icelandic music, punk, post-punk, jazz,
reggae, etc. This eclecticism has been evident throughout her career. Later her
collaborations with different producers would lead to further intriguing results, mostly from
electronic music (house, trip hop, etc)
■ The music education provided by the Icelandic government – Bjork studied flute and piano
in state school
■ Bohemian, artistic background - her mother was an artist as well as a political activist;
Bjork grew up in a commune, along with her mother and stepfather

Homogenic (1997)

■ The aesthetic of Homogenic moved away from a more ‘twee’ image

■ A more dense production sound, incorporating live strings and orchestration alongside
largely electronic music, exemplified by the single Bachelorette
■ Alexander McQueen – the fashion designer – put together the visual aesthetic of the
record
■ The album was hugely successful, but hereafter Bjork moves towards a more generally
experimental approach whilst still being concerned with writing
Selmasongs (2000)
■ ‘A New World’
■ Composed as part of the soundtrack Bjork wrote for the Lars Von Trier film Dancer In The
Dark (2000), an incredibly dark musical set in small town America
■ The song’s lyrics – as well as the lyrics of other songs on the album – are delivered from
the perspective of Selma
■ Bjork also starred as the main character Selma, hence the title Selmasongs
■ The album also featured a collaboration with Thom Yorke
Medulla (2004)
■ The entire album was composed with vocal sounds only – no conventional instruments
were used in its recording (acoustic or electric)
■ This lead to collaborations with the likes of beatboxers Rahzel (part of the hip hop group
The Roots) and Dokaka, Mike Patton, Robert Wyatt, as well as Icelandic choir singers
■ The lead single Triumph of a Heart – directed by Spike Jonze - takes this in very
interesting directions, as it’s a dance song

Stylistic Features of Bjork’s work

■ A spirit of collaborationis evident throughout her work – not only with other songwriters and
producers, but also with film-makers (both in cinematic and music video form), fashion
designers (evidenced often by her stage attire, like Lady Gaga before the fact) and visual
artists
■ Experimental and playful approach to music-making, inspired by her roots in Bohemian
culture, as well as punk/post-punk scenes in Iceland. These experimental approaches are
mostly filtered through the form of a pop song
■ Frequent situating of her work in the environment of Iceland – both urban and rural. Bjork
still lives in the country, and often sets her music videos within the country also (we have
seen this already today)
■ Eclecticism – Bjork, throughout her career, has brought together different generic
influences into her work
■ The importance of production – Bjork never really functioned as a straight-up singer-
songwriter; the producer’s role – either occupied by herself alone or in collaboration with
other people – has always been crucial to her musical output