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Backstreet Records was an
MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...
subsidiary label founded in 1979 by Danny Bramson, who was executive director of MCA's
Universal Amphitheatre Universal Amphitheatre (later known as Gibson Amphitheatre) was an indoor amphitheatre located in Los Angeles, California, within Universal City, California, Universal City. It was built as an outdoor venue, opening in the summer of 1972 with a p ...
. The name was derived from the
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
song "
Backstreets "Backstreets" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from the album ''Born to Run'', which was released in 1975. In the original vinyl release, it concludes side one of the record. Structure "Backstreets" begins with a minute-long instrumental introduc ...
". The label's first releases were Robbie Patton's ''Do You Wanna Tonight'' and the self-titled debut album by Tears in August 1979. The first major signing to the label was
Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
, ending a legal battle between Petty and MCA over his recording contract which was acquired when MCA purchased
ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...
. The label's roster of artists also included J.J. Cale, Keith Sykes,
Nils Lofgren Nils Hilmer Lofgren (born June 21, 1951) is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a memb ...
,
Men Without Hats Men Without Hats are a Canadians, Canadian New wave music, new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of s ...
, and
Walter Egan Walter Egan (born July 12, 1948) is an American rock musician, best known for his 1978 gold status hit single " Magnet and Steel" from his second album release, ''Not Shy'', produced by Egan, Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut. The song reach ...
. The label's last release was in 1983, after which it was absorbed into MCA Records. Backstreet also released rock-oriented
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...
s to several films produced by its parent company
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...
, including ''
Where the Buffalo Roam ''Where the Buffalo Roam'' is a 1980 American semi-biographical comedy film which loosely depicts author Hunter S. Thompson's rise to fame in the 1970s and his relationship with Chicano attorney and activist Oscar "Zeta" Acosta. The film was ...
'', '' Nighthawks'', '' The Border'', '' Cat People'' and ''
Doctor Detroit ''Doctor Detroit'' is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Michael Pressman with writing by Bruce Jay Friedman, Carl Gottlieb, and Robert Boris. The film stars Dan Aykroyd, Howard Hesseman, Lynn Whitfield, Fran Drescher, and Donna Dixon ...
''.


Partial discography

* 1979: ''Do You Wanna Tonight'' – Robbie Patton (MCA-3169) * 1979: ''Tears'' – Tears (MCA-3172) * 1979: ''Damn the Torpedoes'' – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (MCA-5105) * 1980: ''Where The Buffalo Roam'' soundtrack (MCA-5126) * 1981: ''Hard Promises'' – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (BSR-5160) * 1981: ''Nighthawks'' – Keith Emerson: ''Nighthawks'' soundtrack (BSR-5196) * 1981: ''Night Fades Away'' – Nils Lofgren (BSR-5251) * 1981: ''It Don't Hurt To Flirt''– Keith Sykes (BSR-5277) * 1982: ''Counting the Beat'' – The Swingers (BSR-5328) * 1982: ''Long After Dark'' – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (BSR-5360) * 1982: ''The Border'' –
Ry Cooder Ryland Peter Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, and h ...
(BSR-6105) * 1982: ''Cat People'' soundtrack –
Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...
(BSR-6107) * 1983: ''Rhythm of Youth'' – Men Without Hats (BSR-5436) * 1983: ''Wild Exhibitions'' – Walter Egan (BSR-5400) * 1983: ''Wonderland'' – Nils Lofgren (BSR-5421) * 1983: ''Doctor Detroit'' soundtrack (BSR-6120) * 1983: ''Hardchoir'' – Hardchoir (BSR-39009)


References

{{Authority control Rock and roll record labels MCA Records Universal Music Group Labels distributed by Universal Music Group Record labels based in California