Bullseye Records
| Bullseye Records | |
|---|---|
| File:Bullseyelogo2007 full.jpg | |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Jaimie Vernon Simon Bedford-James |
| Status | Inactive |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
Search Bullseye Records on Amazon.Bullseye Records of Canada, Inc., or just Bullseye Records, was a Canadian record label started in 1985 by Jaimie Vernon as an outlet for a number of his bands including Moving Targetz and Swindled.
Vernon is best known for writing the Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia, which has biographies on hundreds of Canadian bands[1]. He also authored a story of his label, BULLSOGRAPHY: The Bullseye Records of Canada Story[2]
In 2000, owner Jaimie Vernon launched the label full-time as a Canadian Classic Rock re-issues label for the preservation of previously released recordings and new material by still active Canadian evergreen recording artists.
Company history
Beginnings
Bullseye Records was created in March 1985 as a vehicle for Toronto garage band Moving Targetz by its founding members Jaimie Vernon and Simon Bedford-James as a play-on-words.
The label's first official release was Moving Targetz's "Wonderful World of Moving Targetz" -- a 12" EP featuring five songs -- on April 22, 1985. With no actual distribution in place, Bullseye went door-to-door to record retailers in the Greater Toronto Area in an attempt to sell the new release.
The 1990s
The label partnered with complementary music business companies Paul Anand Music (P.A.M.) and Brian Gagnon's SoundDynamix Studios to form an in-house recording, manufacturing and distribution network.
The first project "Unsigned, Sealed & Delivered, Vol.1" is notable in that it featured the comeback recording by "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide" hitmakers The Kings (entitled "Parting Of The Ways") and up-and-coming ska act King Apparatus who were signed to Raw Energy/A & M as a result of their appearance on the compilation.
"Volume 2" and "Volume 3", featuring 36 acts, were released in quick succession, landing many of the bands publishing and/or record deals with major labels.
Bullseye expanded its roster as an independent distributor and released three "Unsigned, Sealed & Delivered" compilations. The fifth volume proved to be the most successful out of the six titles and opened the door for European distribution through Interplanet Music.
The label's fortunes soon began to improve when Bullseye signed former Klaatu band member Terry Draper. In February 1997 Bullseye's first new release was Draper's debut CD "Light Years Later" followed by the live CDRom entitled "Live...Years Later: From The Cue To The 'Shoe". A second Klaatu member, Dee Long, released a 6 song CD-EP of older 1980s demos called "Digital" mid-1998. A tribute CD to Klaatu would follow by year's end. These titles would work as collateral towards the label's first national distribution deal with fledgling independent distributors Indie-Pool.
1999 found them releasing Dee Long's "BHB4" two disc set, the first of many tribute CDs - a Bay City Rollers tribute, Terry Draper's children's CD "Can You Pretend?", blues guitarist Rick Robichaud's "Robichaud Road", and the Terry Brown mixed album "Poised" by Soap Opera.
The 2000s
The label found a silent partner and became a player. With distribution through KOCH, initially, the label became a beacon for Canadian classic rock re-issues -- attracting the likes of Klaatu, Goddo, Randy Bachman's Guess Who archives and his two Brave Belt albums, Walter Zwol's debut album with Brutus, acoustic folk act Silverlode, synth pop cult act Figures At Dawn, art punk act The Dishes, Hamilton rockabilly act The Shakers, Tom Wilson's pre-Junkhouse band The Florida Razors, Bruno Gerussi's Medallion (featuring Georgia Straight journalist Tom Harrison) and Jitters/Stiv Bators member David Quinton's solo debut from 1980. The label even re-issued underappreciated New York punk band The Fast's 'best of'.
The label was also investing in new recordings utilizing the clout and cache from its classic rock roster, most notably with Jeff Jones (ex-Ocean, Red Rider) who managed to land major Canadian airplay with two singles from the debut album "Positive". Other acts re-inventing themselves for the new age were Moxy, Killer Dwarfs, Mainline, Honeymoon Suite, Rubber (aka Harem Scarem), Dave Rave (Teenage Head, Goddo), one-hit wonders The Kings and former Grapes Of Wrath co-founder Tom Hooper. Bob Segarini would even re-invigorate his career as a member of the Bullseye released albums by both The Anger Brothers (also featuring Goddo's Greg Godovitz) and Cats & Dogs.
Bullseye did not forget its roots in developing new artists and helped launch the career of Top20 radio hit maker John Boswell, Creighton Doane, Maureen Leeson, Cheaper Than Therapy, Velvet Hammer, Dr. Lotech & The Minimalist Man, as well as continuing its plan to nurture the blossoming career of Soap Opera (later known as The First Time) and its cornerstone artists Terry Draper and Dee Long.
In other ventures, Bullseye briefly delved into the book publishing business by releasing Greg Godovitz's (Fludd, Goddo) autobiography 'Travels With My Amp'[3] and promoted a national media campaign helping to sell nearly 4,000 copies of the rock star's book and spur sales of his band Goddo's back catalogue. They released a comedy DVD by Glen "That Canadian Guy" Foster.
- In 2003, a new distribution deal with FUSION III in Canada and Burnside Distribution in the United States; the first new Goddo album "Kings Of The Stoned Age" mixed by Andy Curran (Coney Hatch); re-issues of Klaatu's "Endangered Species" and "Sir Army Suit"; Bullseye signed Wild T & The Spirit for their first new studio recording in 10 years called 'True Bliss'; released Terry Draper's 'best of' 'Aria 52: A Five Year Mission'.
- In 2004 Bullseye released The First Time's "It's On" CD, Creighton Doane's "Learning More & More About Less & Less"; DVDs by Rubber akaHarem Scarem ("Live At The Gods 2002) and Glen "That Canadian Guy" Foster ("Shot At The Empire"); film producer Sylvan Bell used 100% Bullseye acts for the soundtrack to his B-Movie slasher flick "The Night They Returned"; a 75 song, 3 CD Beatles tribute CD "It Was 40 Years Ago Today" to international critical acclaim and huge sales; and a compilation of Canadian Classic Rock rarities called "When CanCon Rocked, Volume 1".
- In 2005... Bullseye signed a co-operative distribution deal with Revolver Records UK -- allowing Revolver's "Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen", Leo Sayer's "Voice In My Head" and The One Three's "Life Goes On" to get domestic release in Canada; Klaatu reunited to promote the Bullseye exclusive boxed set release "SunSet: 1973 - 1981" for the first time in 23 years; Bullseye re-issued the Bomb Records catalogue masters "Gotta Have Pop", "On The Radio", "Goodbye LA" from Bob Segarini and Twitch's "Twitch & Shout"; Dee Long released 'Long Live & Prosper' - a live performance enhanced CD.
- 2006...Bullseye picked up Canadian licensing for the Ian Anderson DVD/CD package "Ian Anderson Plays The Orchestral Jethro Tull"; Bullseye revived its famed 'Unsigned, Sealed & Delivered' compilation series; Bullseye released two award winning anthology discs by Dave Rave; Cheaper Than Therapy's Ivan Judd got a co-starring role in SV Bell's direct-to-video movie production of "She Demons Of The Black Sun" which also included the Therapy title track "Isabelle".
- 2007...Bullseye launched new-talent label Frontline Records with Lisa Millar as its president; Klaatu's "Magentalane" finally got the remaster treatment and was released exclusively in the US; Bullseye got North American rights to Harem Scarem's "Early Years" and "Human Nature" CDs; Bullseye signed finished goods deals with Viletones, Sapphire City and the re-issue of 1960s Ottawa legends The Townsmen; Bullseye signed legendary singer Ronnie Hawkins to a finished goods distribution deal. .
Artists
- Ian Anderson
- Battered Wives
- Brave Belt
- Bruno Gerussi's Medallion
- Brutus
- The Carpet Frogs
- Cheaper Than Therapy
- Jamie Dart
- Terry Draper
- The First Time
- Goddo
- The Guess Who
- Harem Scarem
- Honeymoon Suite
- Jeff Jones
- Joe Mannix
- Melanie Joy
- Killer Dwarfs
- The Kings
- Klaatu
- Maureen Leeson
- Dee Long
- Mainline
- Moxy
- David Quinton
- Dave Rave
- Leo Sayer
- Bob Segarini
- Kate Schrock
- Twitch
- Jaimie Vernon
- Velvet Hammer
- Michael White
- Keith Whittaker(The Demics)
- Holly Woods of Toronto
Affiliated labels
Former subsidiaries
- Carpitol Records (1986)
- Left-Of-Centre Records (2001)
- Frontline Records (2006)
See also
Notes
References
External links
References
- ↑ Vernon, Jamie. Canadian Pop Encyclopedia. Createspace. ISBN 978-1475182095. Search this book on
- ↑ Vernon, Jamie (2018). BULLSOGRAPHY: The Bullseye Records of Canada Story. Createspace. ISBN 978-1481894913. Search this book on
- ↑ Godovitz, Greg (2002). Travels With My Amp. Abbyfield. ISBN 9781894584067. Search this book on
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