Reaction Records was an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

British

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

, run by music executive Robert Stigwood in 1966 and 1967. Although Reaction released only three albums, one EP and eighteen singles in its brief existence, its roster included two of the most popular British bands of the time,

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are conside ...

and

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

. The label's first single, The Who's " Substitute", was released several times with different B-sides due to the band's legal dispute with their former

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, Shel Talmy. This experience could be seen as one of the deciding factor in the Who's manager's Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp deciding to form their own Track Records label which was also distributed by

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

. Polydor's involvement with these two labels (as well as Giorgio Gomelsky's

Marmalade Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The well-known version is made from bitter orange. It is also made from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamo ...

label) can be seen as a learning process by Polydor who were interested in expanding their base and had little or no experience in the 1960s

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

/ rock market; at the time, most of their business was done in the

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, ...

genre, as exemplified by Bert Kaempfert. Stigwood operated the RSO Records label in the 1970s and 1980s. As with Reaction, RSO was distributed through

Discography

Albums

# Cream: '' Fresh Cream'' (Reaction 593 001 mono/594 001 stereo) # The Who: '' A Quick One'' (Reaction 593 002 mono, no UK stereo) # Cream: ''

Disraeli Gears ''Disraeli Gears'' is the second studio album by the British rock band Cream. It was released in November 1967 and reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart. Search "Cream" in ''Name of Artist'', and No. 1 on the Swedish and Finnish charts. The alb ...

'' (Reaction 593 003 mono/594 003 stereo)

Singles

# The Who: " Substitute" / "Circles" / "Instant Party" (Reaction 591 001) Released 4 March 1966 #* The Who: "Substitute" / The Who Orchestra: "Waltz for a Pig" (Reaction 591 001) Re-released 14 March 1966 # Paul Dean: "She Can Build A Mountain" / "A Day Gone By" (Reaction 591 002) # Oscar: "Club Of Lights" / "Waking Up" (Reaction 591 003) # The Who: " I'm a Boy" / "In the City" (Reaction 591 004) # Birds Birds: "Say Those Magic Words" / "Daddy Daddy" (Reaction 591 005) # Oscar: "Join My Gang" / "A Day Gone By" (Reaction 591 006) # Cream: " Wrapping Paper" / "Cat's Squirrel" (Reaction 591 007)http://www.ginger-baker.com/ look under Section ''Singles'' # Lloyd Banks: "We'll Meet Again" / "Look Out Girl" (Reaction 591 008) # The Maze: "Hello Stranger" / "Telephone" (Reaction 591 009) # The Who: " Happy Jack" / "I've Been Away" (Reaction 591 010) # Cream: "

I Feel Free "I Feel Free" is a song first recorded by the British rock band Cream. The lyrics were written by Pete Brown, with the music by Jack Bruce. The song showcases the band's musical diversity, effectively combining blues rock with psychedelic p ...

" / "N.S.U." (Reaction 591 011) # Oscar: "Over The Wall We Go" / "Every Day of My Life" (Reaction 591 012) # West Point Supernatural: "Time Will Tell" / "Night Train" (Reaction 591 013) (produced and written by Howard Conder) # Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas: "Chinese Girl" / "Town Of Tuxley Toymaker" (Reaction 591 014) # Cream: " Strange Brew" / " Tales of Brave Ulysses" (Reaction 591 015) # Oscar: "Holiday" / "Give Her All She Wants" (Reaction 591 016) # The Sands: "Mrs Gillespie's Refrigerator" / "Listen To The Sky" (Reaction 591 017) # Marion Montgomery: "Love Makes Two People Swing" / "Monday Thru Sunday" (Reaction 591 018)

EP

# The Who: " Ready Steady Who" (Reaction 592 001)

References

{{Authority control British record labels Record labels established in 1966 Record labels disestablished in 1967 Rock record labels

Discography

Albums

Singles

EP

See also

References