Colgems

Colgems Records was an American record label that operated from 1966 until 1971. It was established as a joint venture between Screen Gems, the television and music-publishing division associated with Columbia Pictures, and RCA Victor. The venture was created to release records by the Monkees and other performers connected with the Columbia/Screen Gems entertainment operation, while RCA supplied manufacturing and distribution in the United States. In markets outside the United States, Colgems material generally appeared through RCA Victor rather than under the Colgems name. The label emerged during the rapid expansion of television-linked pop music in the 1960s. Screen Gems was deeply involved in developing and exploiting The Monkees, a television series whose cast also became a commercially successful recording act. Colgems therefore served both as a conventional pop label and as a vehicle for coordinating recordings, television properties, films, and soundtracks. Its flagship releases included the Monkees albums The Monkees, More of the Monkees, Headquarters, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., and The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees. The label also issued music connected with the Monkees feature film Head. Colgems inherited the position previously occupied by Colpix Records, an earlier Screen Gems-related label. Colpix was dissolved to make way for the newer venture, and most of its catalog was removed from active circulation. Before the Monkees became established, Colpix had been associated with future Monkees members Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith, who recorded under the name Michael Blessing. The Colpix catalog was subsequently sold to Roulette Records and is now administered separately from the Colgems catalog. Although the Monkees dominated Colgems' public identity, the label's roster also included artists such as Sally Field, Jewel Akens, Sajid Khan, Paula Wayne, P.K. Limited, the Hung Jury, Fountain of Youth, the Lewis & Clarke Expedition, Hoyt Axton, Alex Keenan, and comedian Rich Little. Colgems also released soundtracks and soundtrack-related recordings for a broad range of motion pictures, including Oliver!, In Cold Blood, Head, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Casino Royale, Hammerhead, The Professionals, The Night of the Generals, Murderers' Row, Lawrence of Arabia, The Southern Star, The Happening, Interlude, and Getting Straight. The label weakened as the Monkees' commercial momentum faded. The final Monkees studio album, Changes, involved only Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz and performed poorly both critically and commercially. Colgems' last release was Barrel Full of Monkees, issued in January 1971; it featured the label's principal act but sold weakly and reached only number 207 on the Billboard album chart. Colgems then ceased operations, and its artists and master recordings were transferred to Bell Records, which was wholly owned by Columbia Pictures. The subsequent ownership history became divided. Columbia's music operations were later reorganized around Arista Records. In 1979, Columbia Pictures sold Arista, including the Colgems assets, to Ariola Records, whose parent company BMG later merged with RCA Records in 1985. Sony acquired Columbia Pictures in 1989, and most non-Monkees Colgems assets ultimately came under Sony Music Entertainment. The Monkees recordings followed a separate path: Rhino Records acquired the group's audio catalog, television series, film Head, and rights to the Monkees name and logo in 1994. A related Screen Gems-Columbia imprint, SGC Records, also operated through a distribution arrangement with Atlantic Records, including releases by the band Nazz.

Colgems Records was formed in 1966 through a partnership between Screen Gems and RCA Victor. Screen Gems brought its television, film, publishing, and artist-development relationships, while RCA provided the physical manufacturing and distribution system. The label was created during the development of The Monkees, a Screen Gems television project that was being built simultaneously as a pop-music property. This arrangement allowed records, television programming, film projects, and associated merchandise to be coordinated under a common commercial structure. The venture replaced Colpix Records, an earlier label connected with Screen Gems. Colpix was dissolved, and nearly all of its releases were taken out of print. Its historical importance included early recordings by Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith, the latter using the name Michael Blessing. The Colpix catalog was sold to Roulette Records rather than becoming an active part of the Colgems catalog. The Monkees became Colgems' defining act. The label released the group's principal 1960s albums, including The Monkees, More of the Monkees, Headquarters, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., and The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees. Colgems also handled the soundtrack album for Head, the Monkees' 1968 film. The label's role was not limited to one television-derived group, however. Its roster included Sally Field, Jewel Akens, Sajid Khan, Paula Wayne, P.K. Limited, the Hung Jury, Fountain of Youth, the Lewis & Clarke Expedition, Hoyt Axton, Alex Keenan, and Rich Little. The Lewis & Clarke Expedition included the future singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey among its members. Screen Gems and Columbia Pictures properties also supplied a substantial soundtrack business. Colgems releases were associated with films including Oliver!, In Cold Blood, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Casino Royale, Hammerhead, The Professionals, The Night of the Generals, Murderers' Row, Lawrence of Arabia, The Southern Star, The Happening, Interlude, and Getting Straight. RCA Victor distributed Colgems products internationally under its own label, making Colgems primarily a United States-facing imprint even when its recordings circulated abroad. The company's fortunes were closely tied to the Monkees. By the end of the 1960s, the group had lost much of its earlier commercial momentum. Changes, the final Monkees album released by Colgems, featured only Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz and was received as a commercial and critical disappointment. In January 1971 Colgems issued Barrel Full of Monkees, a compilation that became its final release. The album sold poorly and peaked at number 207 on Billboard's album chart. Colgems subsequently closed, with its artists and master recordings transferred to Bell Records, then a wholly owned Columbia Pictures label. The company's assets passed through several corporate structures after the label ended. Columbia's music interests were reorganized around Arista Records, and in 1979 Columbia Pictures sold Arista and the associated Colgems assets to Ariola Records. Ariola's parent company, BMG, later merged with RCA Records in 1985. After Sony acquired Columbia Pictures in 1989, the non-Monkees portion of the Colgems catalog ultimately came under Sony Music Entertainment. The Monkees assets were treated separately. Rhino Records acquired the group's audio catalog, television series, Head, and rights to the Monkees name and logo in August 1994. A related imprint, SGC Records, meaning Screen Gems-Columbia, operated through Atlantic Records under a distribution arrangement resembling the Screen Gems–RCA relationship. SGC released material by Nazz. Although Colgems itself was short-lived, its recordings remain significant to the history of television-linked pop, soundtrack marketing, and the corporate consolidation of American recorded music.

• 1994

  Rhino acquires Monkees-related assets

  [1]Colgems Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Rhino obtains the Monkees audio catalog, television series, Head, and related name and logo rights.

• 1979

  Colgems assets pass to Ariola

  [1]Colgems Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Columbia Pictures sells Arista and associated Colgems assets to Ariola Records.

• 1971

  Colgems closes

  [1]Colgems Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  After issuing Barrel Full of Monkees, the label ends operations and its assets are transferred to Bell Records.

• 1970

  Changes becomes the final Monkees studio album on Colgems

  [1]Colgems Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The album, made primarily by Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, arrives as the group's commercial momentum is fading.

• 1968

  Head soundtrack is released

  [1]Colgems Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Colgems issues the soundtrack associated with Head, the Monkees' feature film.

• 1966

  Colgems Records is established

  [1]Colgems Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Screen Gems and RCA Victor create a joint-venture label to release recordings by the Monkees and other affiliated artists.

• 1966

  Colpix is replaced

  [1]Colgems Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The earlier Colpix label is dissolved as Colgems becomes the principal Screen Gems-related record imprint.

A 1960s entertainment-linked record label combining Screen Gems' television and film properties with RCA Victor's manufacturing and distribution infrastructure. Colgems was positioned around commercially accessible pop music, especially recordings associated with the Monkees, while also serving as a soundtrack outlet for Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems productions.

• Artist catalog · 1966

  The Monkees catalog

  Colgems' central commercial property was the recorded output of the Monkees. The label issued the group's early and mid-period albums, including The Monkees, More of the Monkees, Headquarters, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., and The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees. These releases connected a television franchise with a separately marketed pop-recording career and made Colgems one of the clearest examples of a 1960s media-convergence label.

• Film soundtrack · 1968

  Head soundtrack

  The soundtrack to Head supported the Monkees' 1968 feature film and extended the group's screen-and-record relationship beyond the television series. It was part of Colgems' broader role in issuing music tied to Screen Gems and Columbia Pictures productions.

• Film soundtrack catalog · 1966

  Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems soundtracks

  Colgems released soundtrack recordings associated with a wide selection of films, including Oliver!, In Cold Blood, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Casino Royale, The Professionals, Lawrence of Arabia, The Happening, and Getting Straight. These releases broadened the label beyond pop acts and tied its output to Columbia Pictures' film library.

• Singles and albums · 1966

  Non-Monkees artist releases

  The label's wider roster included Sally Field, Jewel Akens, Sajid Khan, Paula Wayne, P.K. Limited, the Hung Jury, Fountain of Youth, the Lewis & Clarke Expedition, Hoyt Axton, Alex Keenan, and Rich Little. These releases reflected Screen Gems' effort to operate a broader entertainment label rather than a single-act imprint.

• 1971

  Phase out Colgems and transfer its business to Bell RecordsStrategy

  Background

  The label declined after the Monkees' commercial performance weakened, culminating in the poor reception of Changes and the weak sales of Barrel Full of Monkees.

  Action taken

  Colgems ceased operations and its artists and master recordings were folded into Bell Records.

  Aftermath

  The assets continued through Columbia's later music-company reorganizations and eventually divided between Sony-controlled non-Monkees holdings and Rhino-controlled Monkees properties.

  Source

• 1966

  Replace Colpix with the Colgems joint ventureStrategy

  Background

  Screen Gems and RCA Victor needed a label structure suited to television-linked pop recordings, particularly the developing Monkees project.

  Action taken

  Colpix was dissolved and Colgems was established as a joint venture, with RCA responsible for manufacturing and distribution.

  Aftermath

  The new imprint became the principal label for the Monkees and a range of Screen Gems and Columbia Pictures soundtrack releases.

  Source

1. 1Colgems Recordsen.wikipedia.org