''For the label of the same name, formed by

Pickwick International Pickwick Records was an American record label and British record distributor known for its budget album releases of sound-alike recordings, bargain bin reissues and repackagings under the brands Design, Bravo (later changing its name to Internat ...

, see

Quintessence Records Quintessence Records started in 1976. Quintessence was formed by Pickwick International Inc. as a budget label. Pickwick’s trademark for Quintessence was filed on December 10, 1976 with the initial Q made to look like a clef symbol. The label ...

'' Quintessence Records was a Canadian independent record label, notable for releasing a number of records by punk rock bands in the

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

area between 1978 and 1981.

History

Quintessence Records was an independent record label that evolved from a Vancouver independent retail record store of the same name, located in the

Kitsilano Kitsilano () is a neighbourhood located in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kitsilano is named after Squamish chief August Jack Khatsahlano, and the neighbourhood is located in Vancouver's West Side along the south shore of En ...

neighbourhood. The store was the only local record store selling

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and new wave music at the time. The record label were started by store owner Ted Thomas in 1978, at the instigation of store employee Gerry Barad Scott Beadie
Records & Labels
as referenced to the film "Bloodied But Unbowed", April 24, 2010; www.thepunkmovie.com. Retrieved 2015-01-25. Barad during this time also became a well-known concert promoter of local punk bands. He later became the chief operating officer of

Live Nation Entertainment Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...

. The label was primarily known for releasing music by Vancouver punk bands, most notably music by the Subhumans, D.O.A.,

Pointed Sticks Pointed Sticks are a Canadian punk rock/ new wave band from Vancouver. Originally active from 1978 to 1981, then reuniting to perform in July 2006 through to November 2012. After a three-year hiatus, Pointed Sticks returned to the stage in June ...

and early recordings by

Art Bergmann Arthur Frank Bergmann (born February 8, 1953 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who was one of the key figures in Canadian punk rock in the late 1970s.Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, '' Have ...

. The first EP released by Quintessence Records, was ''Hawaii'', by the

Young Canadians Young Canadians (originally The K-Tels) were a Canadian punk rock band formed in Vancouver in 1978 and active for just under two years. The YC's were influenced not only by the other punk bands in town at that time such as D.O.A. and the Pointed ...

. The band, which featured Art Bergmann, had previously been known as the K-Tels, prior to being served with a cease and desist order by

K-tel K-tel International Ltd is a Canadian company which formerly specialized in selling consumer products through infomercials and live demonstration. Its products include compilation music albums, including ''The Super Hits'' series, ''The Dynamic ...

Corporation. Sam Sutherland,
Perfect Youth: The Birth of Canadian Punk
'. Retrieved 2015-01-29. The label also was involved in releasing the early recordings of Canadian

country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...

band

Blue Northern Blue Northern was a country rock band active between 1977 and 1982. They released four Top 40 singles in Canada; in their final year they were nominated for a Canadian Country Music Award. History Blue Northern was formed in Vancouver, British ...

. Both the record label and related record store ceased operations in 1981. The record store lease was taken over by former Quintessence Records employee

Grant McDonagh Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, ...

, who continued in the tradition of Quintessence Records as

Zulu Records Zulu Records is a Canadian record store and independent record label, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that sells new and used CDs, LPs, 45s, turntables and concert tickets and is currently located at 1972 West 4th Avenue. One of the most famo ...

, operating both a record store and an independent record label.Uncredited
Punk scene pioneer waxes on record industry
''

Vancouver Courier The ''Vancouver Courier'' was a Canadian semi-weekly local newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by the Van-Net chain owned by Glacier Media Group. In 2007, it was Canada's largest distributed community newspaper, with a we ...

'' via Canada.com, August 6, 2008. Retrieved 2015-01-26.

Discography

D.O.A. - The Prisoner (1978)
AV - AV EP (1978)

- What Do You Want Me To Do (1978)
The K-Tels - Automan (1979)

- Hawaii (1979)
Subhumans - S/T (1979)
D.O.A. - Disco Sucks (1979)
The Pointed Sticks - The Real Thing (1979)
The Pointed Sticks - Lies! (1979)
Female Hands - S/T (1980)
Modernettes - Teen City (1980)
Young Canadians - This Is Your Life (1980)
Blue Northern - Blue (1980)
UJ3RK5 - S/T (1980)
Pointed Sticks - Perfect Youth (1980)
Subhumans - Firing Squad (1980)
Cover Boys - It's A New World/She's A Jerk (1980)

References

{{Authority control Canadian independent record labels