Custom Records was a budget record label owned by the Bihari Brothers.
Background The label was a subsidiary of Modern Records.Both Sides Now Publications Custom Album Discography By David Edwards and Mike Callahan It was formed some time prior to March 1965 and according to an article in Billboard, it was a new label that already had 31 LPs in its catalogue. The records were to sell at $1.98 as opposed to the other budget LPs that retailed at 98 cents and 99 cents.Billboard March 6, 1965 Page 30 Bihari Sees Trend to Better $1.98 Budget Saul Bihari recognized the value of the rack jobber for these types of records.Billboard March 6, 1965 Page 38 Bihari Sees Trend to Better $1.98 Budget Continued from page 30
Some of the records were re-releases of previous Crown releases and the covers often featured a female in some pose designed to attract attention.Music By The Pound Crown Records, Custom Records
Trends
Covering artists One artist that was covered by Custom was Hank Williams. The album Your Cheatin' Heart and other Hank Williams Favorites Custom CM 1023, CS 1023 featured a singer called Johnny Williams who was really Curley Williams.Hank Williams Listings Budget Labels & Tribute Albums to Hank Williams Later the It's Happening album by The Dave Clark Five And The Playbacks was released on Custom CS 1098. The album only had 2 tracks by the Dave Clark Five with The Playbacks covering the remainder. It was also released on Crown CST 473 in 1964.Discogs The Dave Clark Five And The Playbacks – It's HappeningRate Your Music The Dave Clark Five and The Playbacks The Playbacks appear to be just studio musicians.The British Music Invasion: Collectors Quick Reference Written and compiled by R. Duane Cozzen Page 38 The Dave Clark Five
Exploiting the Psychedelic trend In 1967, the label released More Psychedellic Guitars CS-1096 (with 2 LLs), an album that featured the tracks "Another Trip", "Really Got It Bad", "Out Of Touch", The Letdown" "Psychedelic A-Go-Go" Flower Power", "Flower Power/Can You Dig It", "Sit- In", "Lost In Space", and "Psychedelic Venture".Collectors Frenzy MORE PSYCHEDELIC GUITARS - RARE Original CUSTOM US LP This like the earlier release Psychedellic Guitars CM 2078,Discogs Jerry Cole – Psychedellic Guitars appears to be reissues of earlier Jerry Cole albums with the titles changed. This music however wasn't quite Psychedelic.Discogs Jerry Cole – More Psychedellic Guitars One Exploito album that was a bit more in the psych mode was Are You Experienced by T. Swift & The Electric Bag.Flea Market Funk October 14, 2009 T. Swift and the Electric Bag – Are You Experienced?Popsike T Swift & The Electric Bag Lp Psych Sealed Guitar Fuzz This also featured Cole.ACE Psychedelic Guitars, Jerry Cole By Mike Vernon
Later years In 1978, the company appeared to be still in operation with a large section of the page in the January 7 issue of Billboard magazine, offering congratulations to fellow Los Angeles label Laff Records for their ten-year anniversary.Billboard January 7, 1978 Page 38 A Company Built On Laughter
List of artists Jerry Cole Stan Getz Coleman Hawkins B.B. King Don Lee Jimmy McCracklin Jimmy Smith Curley Williams
References