History Creator / VertigoRecords

It was the end of TheSixties. RockAndRoll had turned into {{Rock}}, and the British record industry responded with several new labels dedicated to the "underground" genres that the counterculture listened to, such as ProgressiveRock, HardRock and FolkRock. Some were independents like [[Creator/IslandRecords Island]], Charisma, and [[Creator/ChrysalisRecords Chrysalis]], while others were major label imprints like [[Creator/DeccaRecords Decca]]'s Deram and Creator/{{EMI}}'s [[Creator/HarvestRecords Harvest]]. Olav Wyper of Philips Records wanted his company to enter this lucrative market, so he spearheaded the formation of Philips' own "hippie label", Vertigo, which was launched in November 1969.

As TheSeventies became TheEighties, the music industry changed, with PunkRock, NewWaveMusic and later AlternativeRock becoming the hip new genres; Vertigo failed to keep pace, although signings like Music/ThinLizzy and Music/DireStraits kept them on the charts. By the mid-80s, the label had become the European home for HeavyMetal and HairMetal bands like Music/DefLeppard, Music/{{KISS}}, Music/{{Scorpions}} and Music/BonJovi, with Music/{{Metallica}} as its most prominent act. Since the TurnOfTheMillennium, Vertigo (now a part of Creator/UniversalMusicGroup thanks to corporate mergers) has undergone a resurgence with new signings like Music/TheKillers, Music/{{Soundgarden}}, and Dirty Pretty Things; even Black Sabbath, who left Vertigo in 1987, returned for the band's final albums. Vertigo is also still active in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}, having merged with Creator/CapitolRecords.

As TheSeventies became TheEighties, the music industry changed, with PunkRock and NewWaveMusic becoming the hip new genres; Vertigo failed to keep pace, although signings like Music/ThinLizzy and Music/DireStraits kept them on the charts. By the mid-80s, the label had become the European home for HeavyMetal and HairMetal bands like Music/DefLeppard, Music/{{KISS}}, Music/{{Scorpions}} and Music/BonJovi, with Music/{{Metallica}} as its most prominent act. Since the TurnOfTheMillennium, Vertigo (now a part of Creator/UniversalMusicGroup thanks to corporate mergers) has undergone a resurgence with new signings like Music/TheKillers, Music/{{Soundgarden}}, and Dirty Pretty Things; even Black Sabbath, who left Vertigo in 1987, returned for the band's final albums. Vertigo is also still active in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}, having merged with Creator/CapitolRecords.

It was the end of TheSixties. RockAndRoll had turned into {{Rock}}, and the British record industry responded with several new labels dedicated to the "underground" genres that the counterculture listened to, such as ProgressiveRock, HardRock and FolkRock. Some were independents like [[Creator/IslandRecords Island]], Charisma, and [[Creator/ChrysalisRecords Chrysalis]], while others were major label imprints like [[Cretor/DeccaRecords Decca]]'s Deram and Creator/{{EMI}}'s [[Creator/HarvestRecords Harvest]]. Olav Wyper of Philips Records wanted his company to enter this lucrative market, so he spearheaded the formation of Philips' own "hippie label", Vertigo, which was launched in November 1969.

->''"I was sitting in traffic, it was raining; my car windows were steamy and I wanted to look at something in shop window across the street. I drew an increasingly large circle, like a spiral, in the fog of the auto glass. That was the starting point for “swirl” label that we developed with the input of our in-house art team, Linda Glover and Mike Stanford- the whole point was to draw you in, and combined with the label name I conceived- 'Vertigo'- it captured the sense I wanted to create- a sort of hypnotic quality. It was also visually a lot more interesting than bare typeface of the standard label logo and copy on virtually every other record. I wanted this to function as 'art', and couldn’t have done it without Linda and Mike."''
-->--'''Olav Wyper''' discusses the origin of Vertigo, from [[https://thevinylpress.com/a-conversation-with-olav-wyper-creator-of-the-vertigo-swirl-records/ this interview]]

It was the end of TheSixties. RockAndRoll had turned into {{Rock}}, and the British record industry responded with several new labels dedicated to the "underground" genres that the counterculture listened to, such as ProgressiveRock, HardRock and FolkRock. Some were independents like [[Creator/IslandRecords Island]], Charisma, and [[Creator/ChrysalisRecords Chrysalis]], while others were major label imprints like Decca's Deram and EMI's [[Creator/HarvestRecords Harvest]]. Olav Wyper of Philips Records wanted his company to enter this lucrative market, so he spearheaded the formation of Philips' own "hippie label", Vertigo, which was launched in November 1969.

Another notable aspect of Vertigo is the emphasis that the label, which [[TagLine billed itself]] as "The Sight and Sound of Contemporary Music", put on eye-catching graphics and packaging. Vertigo's logo, designed by Philips art director Linda Glover, has come to be known as the "Vertigo swirl"; it's a series of concentric black and white circles that originally took up the entirety of a record's A side label, creating [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning a hypnotic spinning effect]] as the record played. (All the credits and info appeared on the B side.) Most Vertigo albums from the classic late 60s/early 70s era have gatefold covers, with a few even sporting elaborate die-cut or poster-sized sleeves.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vertigo_records_ad_november_1969.jpg]]

->''"I was sitting in traffic, it was raining; my car windows were steamy and I wanted to look at something in shop window across the street. I drew an increasingly large circle, like a spiral, in the fog of the auto glass. That was the starting point for “swirl” label that we developed with the input of our in-house art team, Linda Glover and Mike Stanford- the whole point was to draw you in, and combined with the label name I conceived- 'Vertigo'- it captured the sense I wanted to create- a sort of hypnotic quality. It was also visually a lot more interesting than bare typeface of the standard label logo and copy on virtually every other record. I wanted this to function as “art,” and couldn’t have done it without Linda and Mike."''

As TheSeventies became TheEighties, the music industry changed, with PunkRock and NewWaveMusic becoming the hip new genres; Vertigo failed to keep pace, although signings like Music/ThinLizzy and Music/DireStraits kept them on the charts. By the mid-80s, the label had become the European home for HeavyMetal and HairMetal bands like Music/DefLeppard, Music/{{KISS}}, Music/{{Scorpions}} and Music/BonJovi, with Music/{{Metallica}} as its most prominent act. Since the TurnOfTheMillennium, Vertigo (now a part of Universal Music Group thanks to corporate mergers) has undergone a resurgence with new signings like Music/TheKillers, Music/{{Soundgarden}}, and Dirty Pretty Things; even Black Sabbath, who left Vertigo in 1987, returned for the band's final albums. Vertigo is also still active in UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}, having merged with Creator/CapitolRecords.

->''"I was sitting in traffic, it was raining; my car windows were steamy and I wanted to look at something in shop window across the street. I drew an increasingly large circle, like a spiral, in the fog of the auto glass. That was the starting point for “swirl” label that we developed with the input of our in-house art team, Linda Glover and Mike Stanford- the whole point was to draw you in, and combined with the label name I conceived- “Vertigo”- it captured the sense I wanted to create- a sort of hypnotic quality. It was also visually a lot more interesting than bare typeface of the standard label logo and copy on virtually every other record. I wanted this to function as “art,” and couldn’t have done it without Linda and Mike."''

* Music/WithinTemptation (except Japan)

* Music/{{Toto}}

It was the end of TheSixties. RockAndRoll had turned into {{Rock}}, and the British record industry responded with several new labels dedicated to the "underground" genres that the counterculture listened to, such as ProgressiveRock, HardRock and FolkRock. Some were independents like Island, Charisma, and [[Creator/ChrysalisRecords Chrysalis]], while others were major label imprints like Decca's Deram and EMI's [[Creator/HarvestRecords Harvest]]. Olav Wyper of Philips Records wanted his company to enter this lucrative market, so he spearheaded the formation of Philips' own "hippie label", Vertigo, which was launched in November 1969.

As TheSeventies became TheEighties, the music industry changed, with PunkRock and NewWaveMusic becoming the hip new genres; Vertigo failed to keep pace, although signings like Music/ThinLizzy and Music/DireStraits kept them on the charts. By the mid-80s, the label had become the European home for HeavyMetal and HairMetal bands like Music/DefLeppard, Music/{{KISS}}, Music/{{Scorpions}} and Music/BonJovi, with Music/{{Metallica}} as its most prominent act. Since the TurnOfTheMillennium, Vertigo (now a part of Universal Music Group thanks to corporate mergers) has undergone a resurgence with new signings like Music/TheKillers, Music/{{Soundgarden}}, and Music/DirtyPrettyThings; even Black Sabbath, who hadn't released anything on Vertigo since 1987, returned for the band's final albums. Vertigo is also still active in Germany, having merged with Creator/CapitolRecords.

As TheSeventies became TheEighties, the music industry changed, with PunkRock and NewWaveMusic becoming the hip new genres; Vertigo failed to keep pace, although signings like Music/ThinLizzy and Music/DireStraits kept them on the charts. By the mid-80s, the label had become the European home for HeavyMetal and HairMetal bands like Music/DefLeppard, Music/{{KISS}}, Music/{{Scorpions}} and Music/BonJovi, with Music/{{Metallica}} as its most prominent act. Since the TurnOfTheMillennium, Vertigo (now a part of Universal Music Group thanks to corporate mergers) has undergone a resurgence with new signings like Music/TheKillers, Music/{{Soundgarden}}, and Music/DirtyPrettyThings; even Black Sabbath, who hadn't released anything on Vertigo since 1987, returned for the band's final albums.

* Music/{{Metallica}}

It was the end of TheSixties. RockAndRoll had turned into {{Rock}}, and the British record industry had responded with several new labels dedicated to the "underground" genres that the counterculture listened to, such as ProgressiveRock, HardRock and FolkRock. Some were independents like Immediate, Island, and [[Creator/ChrysalisRecords Chrysalis]], while others were major label imprints like Decca's Deram and EMI's [[Creator/HarvestRecords Harvest]]. Olav Wyper of Philips Records wanted his company to enter this lucrative market, so he spearheaded the formation of Philips' own "hippie label", Vertigo, which was launched in November 1969.

As TheSeventies became TheEighties, the music industry changed, with PunkRock and NewWaveMusic becoming the hip new genres; Vertigo failed to keep pace, although signings like Music/ThinLizzy and Music/DireStraits kept them on the charts. By the mid-80s, the label had become the European home for HeavyMetal and HairMetal bands like Music/DefLeppard, Music/{{KISS}}, Music/{{Scorpions}} and Music/BonJovi, with Music/{{Metallica}} as its most prominent act. Since the TurnOfTheMillennium, Vertigo (now a part of Universal Music Group thanks to corporate mergers) has undergone a resurgence with new signings like Music/TheKillers, Music/{{Soundgarden}}, and Music/DirtyPrettyThings; even Black Sabbath, who hadn't released anything on Vertigo since 1987, returned for the band's final releases.

[[/index]]

As TheSeventies became TheEighties, the music industry changed, with PunkRock and NewWaveMusic becoming the hip new genres; Vertigo failed to keep pace, although signings like Music/ThinLizzy and Music/DireStraits kept them on the charts. By the mid-80s, the label had become the European home for HeavyMetal and HairMetal bands like Music/DefLeppard, Music/{{KISS}}, Music/{{Scorpions}} and Music/BonJovi, with Music/{{Metallica}} as its most prominent act. Since the TurnOfTheMillennium, Vertigo (now a part of Universal Music Group thanks to corporate mergers) has undergone a resurgence with new signings like Music/TheKillers, Music/{{Soundgarden}}, and Music/DirtyPrettyThings; even Black Sabbath, who hadn't released anything on Vertigo since 1987, returned for its final releases.

* Music/VanDerGraafGenerator

Another notable aspect of Vertigo is the emphasis that the label, which [[TagLine billed itself]] as "The Sight and Sound of Contemporary Music", put on graphics and packaging. Vertigo's logo, designed by Philips art director Linda Glover, has come to be known as the "Vertigo swirl"; it's a series of concentric black and white circles that originally took up the entirety of a record's A side label, creating [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning a hypnotic spinning effect]] as the record played. (All the credits and info appeared on the B side.) Most Vertigo albumns from the classic late 60s/early 70s era have gatefold covers, with a few even sporting elaborate die-cut or poster-sized covers.

Another notble aspect of Vertigo is the emphasis that the label, which [[TagLine billed itself]] as "The Sight and Sound of Contemporary Music", put on graphics and packaging. Vertigo's logo, designed by Philips art director Linda Glover, has come to be known as the "Vertigo swirl"; it's a series of concentric black and white circles that originally took up the entirety of a record's A side label, creating [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning a hypnotic spinning effect]] as the record played. (All the credits and info appeared on the B side.) Most Vertigo albumns from the classic late 60s/early 70s era have gatefold covers, with a few even sporting elaborate die-cut or poster-sized covers.

It was the end of TheSixties. RockAndRoll had turned into {{Rock}}, and the British record industry had responded with several new labels dedicated to the genres that the counterculture listened to, such as ProgressiveRock, HardRock and FolkRock. Some were independents like Island and Immediate, while others were major label imprints like Decca's Deram and EMI's [[Creator/HarvestRecords Harvest]]. Olav Wyper of Philips Records wanted his company to enter the "undeground" market, so he spearheaded the formation of Philips' own "hippie label", Vertigo, which was launched in November 1969.

Many Vertigo releases were non-starters that are remembered only by collectors, but several of their performers did well, with some even gaining iconic status. Music/ManfredMann switched from pop music to {{Jazz}} and SpaceRock with his new band, Chapter Three. Music/GentleGiant gained a cult following for their complex prog rock. Music/RodStewart put out his first two solo albums on Vertigo before switching to its corporate stablemate Creator/MercuryRecords. The hard rock of Music/UriahHeep and Music/StatusQuo sold consistently. Music/{{Kraftwerk}} managed an unlikely American hit single with its synth-driven KrautRock. However, Vertigo's most popular and influential act was Music/BlackSabbath, who helped forge the destiny of HeavyMetal for decades to come.

Many Vertigo releases were non-starters that are remembered only by collectors, but several of their performers did well, with some even gaining iconic status. Music/ManfredMann switched from pop music to JazzRock with his new band, Chapter Three. Music/GentleGiant gained a cult following for their complex prog rock. Music/RodStewart put out his first two solo albums on Vertigo before switching to its corporate stablemate Creator/MercuryRecords. The hard rock of Music/UriahHeep and Music/StatusQuo sold consistently. Music/{{Kraftwerk}} managed an unlikely American hit single with its synth-driven KrautRock. However, Vertigo's most popular and influential act was Music/BlackSabbath, who helped forge the destiny of HeavyMetal for decades to come.