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 outlet for a number of his bands including, Moving Targetz and Swindled.

Vernon is best know for writing the Canadian_Pop_Music_Encyclopedia, which has biographies on hundreds of Canadian bands. He also authoured a story of his label. BULLSOGRAPHY: The Bullseye Records of Canada Story

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 complimentary 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 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, are released in quick succession landing many of the bands publishing and/or record deals with major labels.

Bullseye expands 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 triute 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 labels finds a silent partner and becomes 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' and promotes a national 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 comedy DVD by Glen "That Canadian Guy" Foster.

• In 2003, new distribution deal with FUSION III in Canada and Burnside Distribution in the United States; 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 signs Wild T & The Spirit for first new studio recording in 10 years called 'True Bliss'; releases Terry Draper's 'best of' 'Aria 52: A Five Year Mission'.

• In 2004 Bullseye releases The First Time's "It's On" CD, Creighton Doane's "Learning More & More About Less & Less"; DVD's by Rubber akaharem scarem ("Live At The Gods 2002) and Glen "That Canadian Guy" Foster ("Shot At The Empire"); film producer Sylvan Bell uses 100% Bullseye acts for the soundtrack to his B-Movie slasher flick "The Night They Returned"; 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 signs 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 reunites to promote the Bullseye exclusive boxed set release "SunSet: 1973 - 1981" for the first time in 23 years; Bullseye re-issues the Bomb Records catalogue masters "Gotta Have Pop", "On The Radio", "Goodbye LA" from ]]Bob Segarini]] and Twitch's "Twitch & Shout"; Dee Long releases 'Long Live & Prosper' - a live performance enhanced CD.

• 2006...Bullseye picks up Canadian licensing for the Ian Anderson DVD/CD package "Ian Anderson Plays The Orchestral Jethro Tull"; Bullseye revives its famed 'Unsigned, Sealed & Delivered' compilation series; Bullseye releases two award winning anthology discs by Dave Rave; Cheaper Than Therapy's Ivan Judd gets co-starring role in SV Bell's direct-to-video movie production of "Demons Of The Black Sun" which also includes the Therapy title track "Isabelle".

• 2007...Bullseye launches new-talent label Frontline Records with Lisa Millar as its president; Klaatu's "Magentalane" finally gets the remaster treatment and is released exclusively in the US; Bullseye gets North American rights to Harem Scarem's "Early Years" and "Human Nature" CDs; Bullseye signs finished goods deals with Viletones, Sapphire City and the re-issue of 1960s Ottawa legends The Townsmen; Bullseye signs 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)

References

This article "Bullseye Records" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Bullseye Records. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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