Caroline Records is a record label that was founded in 1973. Founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976 and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. The label released the work of American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

and

new wave music New wave is a music genre that encompasses pop music, pop-oriented styles from the 1970s through the 1980s. It is considered a lighter and more melodic "broadening of Punk subculture, punk culture". It was originally used as a catch-all fo ...

bands. Caroline had a number of

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

labels, including

Astralwerks Astralwerks (or Astralwerks Records) is an American record label primarily focused on electronic music that is now owned by Universal Music Group. Its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group in the United States. The label was founded in ...

Gyroscope A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining Orientation (geometry), orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in ...

, Caroline Blue Plate, Beat the World, Scamp and

Passenger A passenger is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The vehicles may be bicycles, ...

. In 2013, the brand was relaunched by

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

via the

Capitol Music Group Capitol Music Group is an American front-line umbrella label operating as a unit of Interscope Capitol Labels Group, itself a division of Universal Music Group. Inherited from UMG's acquisition of EMI's catalog in 2013, it oversees the handling of ...

UK label

The original Caroline record label started as a subsidiary of

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, and controlled 5 companies remaining of once more than 400. Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneu ...

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

from 1973 to 1976. It specialized in inexpensive LPs by

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

artists that lacked commercial appeal. Caroline Records rarely mentioned a connection with Virgin, and some UK and European Virgin albums that were distributed internationally (instead of being manufactured in each country) named Caroline as their American distributor. The first release was '' Outside the Dream Syndicate'' by

Tony Conrad Anthony Schmalz Conrad (March 7, 1940 – April 9, 2016) was an American video artist, experimental filmmaker, musician, composer, sound artist, teacher, and writer. Active in a variety of media since the early 1960s, he was a pioneer of both ...

and Faust in 1973. The logo was a photographic-style variation of Virgin's "Twins" logo, designed by Roger Dean.

US label

In 1983, the Caroline name was reused by Virgin in the US as the importer Caroline Distribution. Caroline Distribution founded the current Caroline Records in 1986. Some Caroline Records CDs issued in the US, bore the label name Caroline Blue Plate, especially Virgin UK originally-issued progressive rock records. Caroline Records was merged into Virgin Records after Virgin was acquired by Thorn EMI. Caroline Distribution was separated and became part of EMI Music Distribution. In 2013, the brand was revived by Universal Music Group under Capitol Music Group.

France label

Caroline France was created in 2014 by Thomas Lorain following a call from Caroline who wanted a subsidiary in France. Caroline France renamed itself Virgin Records France in 2021 following the launch of Virgin Music Label & Artist Services.

Primo Scree

Primo Scree was an imprint of Caroline Records created by Ned Hayden of the Action Swingers, who had previously been a sales rep at Caroline. Its releases included the Action Swingers' single "Fear of a Fucked Up Planet", as well as Gumball's debut album '' Special Kiss'' and

Monster Magnet Monster Magnet is an American rock music, rock band formed in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 1989 by Dave Wyndorf (vocals and guitar), John McBain (musician), John McBain (guitar), and Tim Cronin (vocals and drums). The band has since undergone severa ...

's debut album '' Spine of God''.

Notable releases

* 50 Cent – '' Animal Ambition'' * Audio Active &

Laraaji Laraaji (born Edward Larry Gordon, 3 May 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist specializing in piano, zither and mbira. His albums include the 1980 release ''Day of Radiance, Ambient 3: Day of Radiance'', produced by Brian Eno as part of h ...

– ''The Way Out Is the Way In'' *

Kevin Ayers Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was active in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely asso ...

, June Campbell Cramer &

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

– ''

Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy ''Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy'' is an experimental music/spoken word album by poet Lady June (a.k.a. June Campbell Cramer). It features musical contributions by Kevin Ayers and Brian Eno. Overview The recording was made for £400 in the liv ...

'' *

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...

– '' Quickness'' * Ben Folds Five – '' Ben Folds Five'' (under Passenger Records) *

Harold Budd Harold Montgomory Budd (May 24, 1936December 8, 2020) was an American music composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the Mojave Desert, he became a respected composer in the minimal music and avant-garde scene of Southern California ...

Reuben Garcia Daniel Lentz – ''Music for 3 Pianos'' * Cabaret Voltaire – ''The Drain Train'' * Cabaret Voltaire – '' Drinking Gasoline'' * Cherry Poppin' Daddies – '' Kids on the Street'' Kids on the Street > Overview

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

.com * Cluster – '' Grosses Wasser'' (CD reissue) * Cluster – '' One Hour'' * Lol Coxhill – ''Fleas in Custard'' * Dumblonde – '' Dumblonde'' * Drop Nineteens – ''

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

'' *

Egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

– '' The Civil Surface'' * Beowülf – '' Lost My Head... But I'm Back on the Right Track'' *

– '' Before and After Science'' * Eno Moebius Roedelius – '' After the Heat'' (CD reissue) * Brian Eno & Jah Wobble – '' Spinner'' * Excel – '' Split Image'' * Excel – '' The Joke's on You'' * Excel – '' Seeking Refuge'' *

Fred Frith Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as a founding member of the English avant-rock group Henry ...

– '' Guitar Solos'' * Various artists – '' Guitar Solos 2'' *

Gilgamesh Gilgamesh (, ; ; originally ) was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the protagonist of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', an epic poem written in Akkadian during the late 2nd millennium BC. He was possibly a historical king of the Sumer ...

– ''Gilgamesh'' *

Gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

– '' Camembert Electrique'' * Gong – '' Angel's Egg'' * Gong – '' You'' *

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band based in Buffalo, New York, composed of lead vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik, bassist and vocalist Robby Takac, as well as several rotating members since its formation in 1986. After starting ...

– ''

'' * Heatmiser – '' Mic City Sons'' * Henry Cow – '' Concerts'' *

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...

– '' Pretty on the Inside'' * Bat For Lashes–''

Two Suns ''Two Suns'' is the second studio album by English singer Natasha Khan, known professionally as Bat for Lashes. It was released on 3 April 2009 by The Echo Label and Parlophone. The album was produced by Khan herself and David Kosten (who a ...

'' * Bat For Lashes – '' Fur and gold'' *

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

– ''Year After Year'' * Idaho – ''This Way Out'' * Idaho – '' Three Sheets to the Wind'' * Jabula – '' Thunder into our hearts'' *

Killing Joke Killing Joke were an English rock music, rock band formed in Notting Hill, London, in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Killing Joke ...

– ''

'' *

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...

– '' The Paradigm Shift'' *

KT Tunstall Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (born 23 June 1975) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on ''Later... with Jools Holland'', and h ...

– '' Kin'' (under

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing LLC (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is an American music publisher. Responsible for publishing the largest quantity of music, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021, it is part of Sony ...

) * Jayce Lewis/Protafield – ''Nemesis'' * Mercyful Fate – '' Melissa'' * The Misfits – '' Static Age'' *

– '' Tab'' * NF – ''

Perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous syste ...

'' * NF – '' The Search'' * NF – ''

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large. As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...

'' * Oh Wonder – '' Oh Wonder'' *

Andy Partridge Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer best known for co-founding the band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writing a ...

– ''Through the Hill'' * Primus – '' Frizzle Fry'' * Smashing Pumpkins – '' Gish'' *

Southern Culture on the Skids Southern Culture on the Skids, also sometimes known as SCOTS, is an American rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band released their debut EP ''Voodoo Beach Party'' in 1984, followed by their self-titled debut album the following ...

– ''For Lovers Only'' * Steven Wilson – '' To the Bone'' *

Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...

– '' Join the Army'' * Suicideboys – '' I Want to Die in New Orleans'' * Swans – '' Children of God'' * Tangerine Dream – '' Livemiles'' * Tangerine Dream – ''

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; ), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greece, ancient Greek city in Aeolis. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north s ...

'' * Tony Conrad with Faust – '' Outside the Dream Syndicate'' * Uncle Slam – ''Say Uncle'' * Underdog – ''The Vanishing Point'' The Vanishing Point > Overview

.com * Various artists – '' Greasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance Hall'' *

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

– '' Keep Me Singing'' (2016) * Walt Mink – '' Bareback Ride'' * Walt Mink – '' Miss Happiness'' * Warzone – '' Don't Forget the Struggle, Don't Forget the Streets'' * White Zombie – '' Gods on Voodoo Moon'' (cassette version only) * White Zombie – '' Soul-Crusher'' * White Zombie – '' Make Them Die Slowly'' * White Zombie – '' God of Thunder'' * Youth of Today – '' We're Not in This Alone''

UK label

US label

France label

Primo Scree

Notable releases

References

External links