Charisma Records
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Charisma Records was a record label founded by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith in 1969. Tony Stratton-Smith was at that time a manager for The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der Graaf Generator. He was unable to find a record company that would release an album by Van der Graaf Generator, one of his favourite groups. So Mr. Stratton-Smith founded his own company and released the album The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other himself. Charisma was initially distributed in England as an off-shoot of B&C Records, but it later absorbed that label. During the mid and late 1970's Charisma's European distribution was handled by Phonogram Records.
Charisma's first record label was a distinctive pink "scroll" design. The company proudly proclaimed itself "The Famous Charisma Label", a phrase actually which caused some to conclude the company's name was "Famous Charisma." Its logo (used from the 1970s) of Sir John Tenniel's drawing of the Mad Hatter (sometimes combined with a montage of other images from Alice in Wonderland) made the label instantly recognisable.
Its most successful acts were Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Julian Lennon and the Monty Python comedy team. It also released material by Lindisfarne and Alan Hull, The Alan Parsons Project, Clifford T. Ward, String Driven Thing, Jack The Lad, Audience, Vivian Stanshall, the Scars, Brand X, Sir John Betjeman and Malcolm McLaren. 1970s solo albums of Peter Hammill, Tony Banks and Steve Hackett were also on Charisma Records.
In the United States and Canada, Charisma Records recordings were first licenced to other labels such as ABC Records (Trespass by Genesis which was actually first issued on ABC's jazz label Impulse.) ABC subsidiary Probe Records released The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other by Van der Graaf Generator, while the Dunhill Records subsidiary released H to He, Who Am the Only One by the same group. Elektra Records in the US released recordings by Charisma Records artists Atomic Rooster, Audience and Lindisfarne. It was not until 1971 that Charisma entered into a distribution agreement with Buddah Records to finally release albums on the Charisma Records label in the US and Canada. These releases included Pawn Hearts by Van der Graaf Generator and Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot and Genesis Live by Genesis. Atlantic Records also released Charisma recordings in the United States from 1973 to 1992 including many Genesis titles. Mercury Records (Godbluff by Van der Graaf Generator) and Arista Records (Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album by Monty Python) have also at various times release Charisma Records recordings in the US. In 1983, Charisma Records were acquired by Virgin Records. Following the acquisition Charisma continued to operate until 1992, when Virgin absorbed the label following its purchase by EMI. Some Charisma Records recordings have most recently been re-issued on the EMI label. In the UK, the label has been revived by EMI's Angel Music Group.
