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Wikipedia

4AD

March 06, 2023

For the year, see AD 4. For the Bauhaus EP, see 4AD (EP).

4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name "Axis" (after the Hendrix album)[1] by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records.[2][3] The name was changed to 4AD after the release of the label's first four singles. Later that year, Watts-Russell and Kent purchased the label from Beggars Banquet to become an independent record label, and Kent sold his share to Watts-Russell a year later.

4AD
Parent companyBeggars Group
Founded1980; 43 years ago (1980)
FounderIvo Watts-Russell
Peter Kent
Distributor(s)Beggars Group
GenreAlternative rock, post-punk, dream pop, electronic
Country of originUnited Kingdom
LocationLondon
Official websitewww.4ad.com

The label gained prominence in the 1980s for releasing albums from alternative rock, post-punk, gothic rock, and dream pop artists, such as Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Modern English, Dead Can Dance, Clan of Xymox, Pixies, Throwing Muses, and Watts-Russell's own musical project This Mortal Coil. In 1987, the label scored an international hit with the dance music single "Pump Up the Volume" by the one-off project M|A|R|R|S. 4AD continued to have success in the 1990s and 2000s, with releases from The Breeders, Lush, Belly, Red House Painters, Camera Obscura, TV on the Radio, St. Vincent, and Bon Iver. As of January 2022, the label's current roster includes acts such as Dry Cleaning, The National, Daughter, Deerhunter, Big Thief, Aldous Harding, U.S. Girls, Erika de Casier, and Future Islands.[4]

In 1999, Watts-Russell sold 4AD back to the Beggars Group. The label's history was detailed by Martin Aston in the book Facing The Other Way, released in 2013.[5]

History

Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, employees of the Beggars Banquet record store and label, founded Axis Records in late 1979 as a property of Beggars Banquet, that was run by the two of them.[6] After the first four Axis singles in early 1980,[6] it became apparent that the name Axis was already being used by another music company[7] and the name was changed to 4AD, an abbreviation of the word forward.[8] Other names which they had considered included 1980AD, 4WD and 1984.[9]

An initial idea for the label was that it would be a "testing ground" for Beggars Banquet; successful acts would graduate up to Beggars Banquet after a year at 4AD. The only band to follow this path would be Bauhaus, who were signed to Beggars Banquet in late 1980, before Watts-Russell and Kent purchased the label outright.[6]

The two were the sole owners for about a year. Kent sold his share to Watts-Russell at the end of 1981, and started a new Beggars Banquet subsidiary, Situation Two Records.[6] Watts-Russell would maintain ownership of the label, and act as its president, until the late 1990s.

Watts-Russell invited the graphic designer Vaughan Oliver and the photographer Nigel Grierson to create sleeve art for the label, and as a result, 4AD acquired a visually distinctive identity. Its artists, such as Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance, developed cult followings in the mid-1980s,[6] but 4AD continued to evolve, and, after signing Throwing Muses and Pixies, the label increasingly concentrated on underground American rock music. In 1983, 4AD had a minor hit in America with the Modern English single "I Melt With You". In 1987, 4AD had a UK number-one hit with the collaged "Pump up the Volume" by M|A|R|R|S[6] (licensed to 4th & B'Way/Island Records in the US).

In the 1990s, 4AD established an office in Los Angeles and had success with bands such as The Breeders, Belly, Red House Painters, Unrest and His Name Is Alive, as well as solo material by Frank Black and Kristin Hersh.[6]

The label's deal with Warner Bros. Records in the United States in 1992 would start the beginning of a new phase in 4AD history. New signings that year included American underground acts Kendra Smith, Tarnation, Air Miami and The Amps. The following year Watts-Russell started a sub-label, Guernica, who would release records by Unrest, That Dog, and Bettie Serveert.[10]

In 1999, Watts-Russell sold his share in 4AD back to the Beggars Group (as it had by then become), but the label continued to release music and add new artists to its roster.[11] Simon Halliday took control of the label at the end of 2007. Immediate successes were Bon Iver's critically lauded debut For Emma, Forever Ago (CAD 2809) and Dear Science by Brooklyn's TV on the Radio (CAD 2821). In 2008, the Beggars Group re-aligned itself so that several labels, including Beggars Banquet itself, were folded up on to the 4AD label.[12][13] Bands including The National were moved to 4AD as a part of this merger. In 2009, the label released, amongst others, St. Vincent's second record Actor (CAD 2919) and Camera Obscura's My Maudlin Career. The following year, 4AD saw the release of The National's High Violet and acclaimed albums from Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Blonde Redhead and Deerhunter.

In the next three years, 4AD oversaw new releases from Scott Walker, Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, and Tune-Yards, whilst also expanded its roster with a number of beats and electronic acts[14] in the shape of acts including Purity Ring and Grimes, with the latter releasing one of the best received albums of 2012. Additional signings to the label include bEEdEEgEE, of Gang Gang Dance, Lo-Fang, and British producer SOHN. At the start of 2014, the label also announced the additions of Future Islands and Merchandise, followed by D.D Dumbo.

In 2015, the label released critically lauded albums by Deerhunter and Grimes, amongst others. The following year, the label and The National landed their first UK No. 1 record with Sleep Well Beast.[15] Latest signings to the roster include Aldous Harding and British band Dry Cleaning.

In April 2021, the label released Bills & Aches & Blues, a compilation album featuring bands from 4AD covering songs the label had released over its 40 years.[16]

Distribution

While 4AD did not handle any distribution outside the United Kingdom for many years, it had many willing distributors in many countries; Virgin Records for France, Nippon Columbia distributed much of the label in Japan, while PolyGram subsidiary Vertigo Records released many of the label's records in Canada. The USA had always been a tough market for 4AD, even though its records sold well there as imports. Only a few of the label's acts had deals to license their recordings in the US, among various labels.

In 1992, Watts-Russell signed a five-year distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records so that nearly all 4AD releases would be released in the United States. When the deal ended, he offered to sell the label back to Beggars Banquet. Dead Can Dance's output, however, stayed with Warner Bros. until the sale back to Beggars Group.

The deal with Beggars Banquet was completed by early 1999, and since then it has owned 4AD and its distribution worldwide. This led to many negotiations for the label's back catalogue, like getting back American distribution rights for Pixies, Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins.

Artists

Current

Former

Releases

For 4AD releases, see Category:4AD albums.

Catalog numbering scheme

In 2013, the music historian Martin Aston wrote in Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD:[17]

The attention to cataloguing aided the collectability of 4AD (the prefixes extended to DAD, GAD and HAD). It was all part of the bespoke detail that set independent labels apart from the majors. It created an identifiable culture that had grown big enough to support its own distribution system and trade magazine.

For the most part, 4AD's official UK releases follow a standard scheme for designating catalog numbers. Although there have been some variations over the years, some general rules can be devised to easily determine the format (LP, CD, etc.) and year of release by looking at a 4AD catalog number.

Prefix

The first part of a catalog number is a prefix that contains a variation of "AD," based on the 4AD name. Some standards are:

  • AD = single
  • BAD = EP
  • CAD = full-length LP
  • DAD = double LP
  • MAD = mini-LP

Special editions of releases had an extra "D" added to the prefix:

  • CAD D = special edition of a full-length LP
  • DAD D = special edition of a double LP

Some other "AD" variations have been used less frequently over the years, including (but not limited to):

  • EAD = electronic download
  • GAD = reissue (usually mid-priced)
  • HAD = remastered or significantly altered reissue (usually with some combination of bonus tracks, re-mastering, or new artwork)
  • JAD and MAD = "mini album" that is longer than an EP but shorter than an LP
  • SAD = Super Audio CD release (as in the Dead Can Dance 2008 remastered reissues)
  • TAD = temporary/limited release

4AD only released one LP on DAT format, Cocteau Twins' Blue Bell Knoll, which was designated CADT 807.

Numerical designation

The second part of the catalog number is a number that represents the year of release (via the number of years since 1980, following the '1980 Forward' theme), and the order of release in the particular year. For example, This Mortal Coil's LP It'll End in Tears is CAD 411. The "CAD" represents that the release is an LP, the "4" in 411 represents 1984, and 11 marks the 11th release of that year. This is the vinyl LP release; cassette versions have "C" added to the prefix (CADC 411 in this example); CD versions have "CD" added at the end (CAD 411CD).

A side effect of this scheme is that it made it seem like 4AD had hundreds of releases early on. Again using CAD411 as an example, a causal observer might assume this was the 411th release in the label's catalog, when 4AD actually had less than 100 total releases in their catalog at the time. In the 1990s, 4AD changed the first part of the number from "100s" to "1000s," temporarily making the number not correspond with the number of years since 1980. Releases in 1990 used "00" directly after the prefix (e.g., the Pixies' Bossanova, CAD0010, released in the fall of 1990); 1991 used "10" directly after the prefix (e.g., This Mortal Coil's Blood, DAD 1005, released early in 1991), 1992 used "20," and so on for the rest of the 1990s.

Wanting to return to numbering with the years since 1980, 4AD had to provide a workaround for releases in the year 2000. Since the "20" numerical designation had been used in 1992, all releases in 2000 used "2K" (e.g., Mojave 3's Excuses for Travellers, CAD 2K05, released in early 2000). Between 2001 and 2009, the catalog numbering scheme returned to the original format, with the first two digits of the number representing the years since 1980 (e.g., Blonde Redhead's 23, CAD 2717, released in 2007 – the 27th year since 1980). Things have not been too consistent since, and there have been several gaps. 2010 releases feature the numerical designation 3X, as "30" had already been used in 1993.[18] This process appears to have come to an end with the few xAD37nn releases of the early months of 2017. The catalogue numbers of all releases since April 2017 (beginning with The Far Field by Future Islands, 4AD0001CD/4AD0001LP) have begun with 4AD00nn and ended with letters indicating the release format. No indication of release year is given.

4AD Sessions

The 4AD Sessions are an ongoing series of video recordings with various acts from the label's roster. Following on from the Deerhunter session at the Studio Plateaux on Platts Eyott island in 2008, the recordings see 4AD artists performing back-catalogue covers and alternative versions of their own material. They are housed on the label's website.[19]

References

  1. ^ Aston, Martin (26 September 2013). Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD. HarperCollins. p. 33. ISBN 9780007522019.
  2. ^ Aston, Martin (26 September 2013). Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD. HarperCollins. p. 10. ISBN 9780007522019.
  3. ^ Aston, Martin (10 October 2013). "4AD: the 'pure' label behind Pixies and Cocteau Twins". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  4. ^ Jeffries, David (6 November 2013). "AllMusic Loves 4AD Records". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  5. ^ Lynskey, Dorian (12 September 2013). "Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD by Martin Aston – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 115/6. ISBN 0-85112-579-4.
  7. ^ "4AD: the 'pure' label behind Pixies and Cocteau Twins". The Guardian. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  8. ^ "4AD-L Frequently Asked Questions: Other Questions". evo.org.
  9. ^ "Label of love: 4AD". The Guardian. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  10. ^ King, Richard (2012). How Soon is Now?: The Madmen and Mavericks who made Independent Music 1975–2005. Faber & Faber.
  11. ^ "6 Music – 1980 Forward – 25 Years of 4AD". BBC. 21 November 2005. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  12. ^ Swash, Rosie (30 April 2008). "A farewell to Beggars Banquet's indie charm". Music Blog. The Guardian. Guardian News & Media. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  13. ^ Solarski, Matthew (29 April 2008). . Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  14. ^ Muggs, Joe (7 August 2012). "4AD boss Simon Halliday on living with the label's past, and his vision for its future". FACT. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  16. ^ Scolforo, Carli (10 March 2021). "4AD Celebrates 40 Years With Bills & Aches & Blues". Paste. from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  17. ^ Aston, Martin (26 September 2013). Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD. HarperCollins. p. 104. ISBN 9780007522019.
  18. ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (28 August 2010). "4AD, the record label that gave birth to indie cool, celebrates 30th anniversary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  19. ^ "4AD Sessions". 4AD. Retrieved 14 January 2017.

External links

  • Official website
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March 06, 2023
year, bauhaus, british, record, label, owned, beggars, group, founded, london, under, name, axis, after, hendrix, album, watts, russell, peter, kent, 1980, imprint, beggars, banquet, records, name, changed, after, release, label, first, four, singles, later, t. For the year see AD 4 For the Bauhaus EP see 4AD EP 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group It was founded in London under the name Axis after the Hendrix album 1 by Ivo Watts Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records 2 3 The name was changed to 4AD after the release of the label s first four singles Later that year Watts Russell and Kent purchased the label from Beggars Banquet to become an independent record label and Kent sold his share to Watts Russell a year later 4ADParent companyBeggars GroupFounded1980 43 years ago 1980 FounderIvo Watts RussellPeter KentDistributor s Beggars GroupGenreAlternative rock post punk dream pop electronicCountry of originUnited KingdomLocationLondonOfficial websitewww wbr 4ad wbr comThe label gained prominence in the 1980s for releasing albums from alternative rock post punk gothic rock and dream pop artists such as Bauhaus Cocteau Twins Modern English Dead Can Dance Clan of Xymox Pixies Throwing Muses and Watts Russell s own musical project This Mortal Coil In 1987 the label scored an international hit with the dance music single Pump Up the Volume by the one off project M A R R S 4AD continued to have success in the 1990s and 2000s with releases from The Breeders Lush Belly Red House Painters Camera Obscura TV on the Radio St Vincent and Bon Iver As of January 2022 update the label s current roster includes acts such as Dry Cleaning The National Daughter Deerhunter Big Thief Aldous Harding U S Girls Erika de Casier and Future Islands 4 In 1999 Watts Russell sold 4AD back to the Beggars Group The label s history was detailed by Martin Aston in the book Facing The Other Way released in 2013 5 Contents 1 History 2 Distribution 3 Artists 3 1 Current 3 2 Former 4 Releases 5 Catalog numbering scheme 5 1 Prefix 5 2 Numerical designation 6 4AD Sessions 7 References 8 External linksHistory EditIvo Watts Russell and Peter Kent employees of the Beggars Banquet record store and label founded Axis Records in late 1979 as a property of Beggars Banquet that was run by the two of them 6 After the first four Axis singles in early 1980 6 it became apparent that the name Axis was already being used by another music company 7 and the name was changed to 4AD an abbreviation of the word forward 8 Other names which they had considered included 1980AD 4WD and 1984 9 An initial idea for the label was that it would be a testing ground for Beggars Banquet successful acts would graduate up to Beggars Banquet after a year at 4AD The only band to follow this path would be Bauhaus who were signed to Beggars Banquet in late 1980 before Watts Russell and Kent purchased the label outright 6 The two were the sole owners for about a year Kent sold his share to Watts Russell at the end of 1981 and started a new Beggars Banquet subsidiary Situation Two Records 6 Watts Russell would maintain ownership of the label and act as its president until the late 1990s Watts Russell invited the graphic designer Vaughan Oliver and the photographer Nigel Grierson to create sleeve art for the label and as a result 4AD acquired a visually distinctive identity Its artists such as Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance developed cult followings in the mid 1980s 6 but 4AD continued to evolve and after signing Throwing Muses and Pixies the label increasingly concentrated on underground American rock music In 1983 4AD had a minor hit in America with the Modern English single I Melt With You In 1987 4AD had a UK number one hit with the collaged Pump up the Volume by M A R R S 6 licensed to 4th amp B Way Island Records in the US In the 1990s 4AD established an office in Los Angeles and had success with bands such as The Breeders Belly Red House Painters Unrest and His Name Is Alive as well as solo material by Frank Black and Kristin Hersh 6 The label s deal with Warner Bros Records in the United States in 1992 would start the beginning of a new phase in 4AD history New signings that year included American underground acts Kendra Smith Tarnation Air Miami and The Amps The following year Watts Russell started a sub label Guernica who would release records by Unrest That Dog and Bettie Serveert 10 In 1999 Watts Russell sold his share in 4AD back to the Beggars Group as it had by then become but the label continued to release music and add new artists to its roster 11 Simon Halliday took control of the label at the end of 2007 Immediate successes were Bon Iver s critically lauded debut For Emma Forever Ago CAD 2809 and Dear Science by Brooklyn s TV on the Radio CAD 2821 In 2008 the Beggars Group re aligned itself so that several labels including Beggars Banquet itself were folded up on to the 4AD label 12 13 Bands including The National were moved to 4AD as a part of this merger In 2009 the label released amongst others St Vincent s second record Actor CAD 2919 and Camera Obscura s My Maudlin Career The following year 4AD saw the release of The National s High Violet and acclaimed albums from Ariel Pink s Haunted Graffiti Blonde Redhead and Deerhunter In the next three years 4AD oversaw new releases from Scott Walker Bon Iver Iron amp Wine and Tune Yards whilst also expanded its roster with a number of beats and electronic acts 14 in the shape of acts including Purity Ring and Grimes with the latter releasing one of the best received albums of 2012 Additional signings to the label include bEEdEEgEE of Gang Gang Dance Lo Fang and British producer SOHN At the start of 2014 the label also announced the additions of Future Islands and Merchandise followed by D D Dumbo In 2015 the label released critically lauded albums by Deerhunter and Grimes amongst others The following year the label and The National landed their first UK No 1 record with Sleep Well Beast 15 Latest signings to the roster include Aldous Harding and British band Dry Cleaning In April 2021 the label released Bills amp Aches amp Blues a compilation album featuring bands from 4AD covering songs the label had released over its 40 years 16 Distribution EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 4AD news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message While 4AD did not handle any distribution outside the United Kingdom for many years it had many willing distributors in many countries Virgin Records for France Nippon Columbia distributed much of the label in Japan while PolyGram subsidiary Vertigo Records released many of the label s records in Canada The USA had always been a tough market for 4AD even though its records sold well there as imports Only a few of the label s acts had deals to license their recordings in the US among various labels In 1992 Watts Russell signed a five year distribution deal with Warner Bros Records so that nearly all 4AD releases would be released in the United States When the deal ended he offered to sell the label back to Beggars Banquet Dead Can Dance s output however stayed with Warner Bros until the sale back to Beggars Group The deal with Beggars Banquet was completed by early 1999 and since then it has owned 4AD and its distribution worldwide This led to many negotiations for the label s back catalogue like getting back American distribution rights for Pixies Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins Artists EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 4AD news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message This section is in list format but may read better as prose You can help by converting this section if appropriate Editing help is available January 2021 Current Edit Adrianne Lenker Aldous Harding Anjimile Atlas Sound Bartees Strange Becky and the Birds Big Thief Bing amp Ruth The Breeders Daughter Deerhunter Dry Cleaning Erika de Casier Ex Re Future Islands HAWA Helado Negro Holly Herndon Jenny Hval Lucinda Chua Maria Somerville The Golden Dregs The National SOHN Tkay Maidza Tune Yards U S Girls Velvet Negroni Former Edit Air Miami disbanded The Amps disbanded Anni Rossi active A R Kane disbanded Ariel Pink active Tom Baril photographer published by 4AD Bauhaus reformed Bearz still active as a David Gunstone project c 2019 Beirut active Belly active 2018 Heidi Berry inactive currently a teacher Bettie Serveert active The Big Pink active The Birthday Party disbanded Frank Black active Blonde Redhead active Bon Iver active Broken Records active Michael Brook active The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir active Camera Obscura active Celebration active Clan of Xymox active Gene Clark deceased Cocteau Twins disbanded Colourbox dissolved Cuba a k a Air Cuba disbanded Cupol one off collaboration C V O disbanded D D Dumbo active Dance Chapter disbanded Dead Can Dance active Department of Eagles active Diana Gordon active Dif Juz disbanded Tanya Donelly active Efterklang EL VY Electricity in Our Homes active The Fast Set disbanded Frazier Chorus dissolved Future Islands active Future of the Left active Lisa Germano active Lisa Gerrard active Lisa Gerrard amp Pieter Bourke B C Gilbert amp G Lewis The Glee Club disbanded Rachel Goswell Gang Gang Dance active Gianna Kondor active Grimes active GusGus active Rene Halkett amp David J Neil Halstead active The Happy Family disbanded Tim Hecker active Kristin Hersh active His Name Is Alive active The Hope Blister disbanded Rowland S Howard deceased amp Lydia Lunch In Camera disbanded Inc active Indians active Insides active Iron amp Wine active It Hugs Back active Johann Johannsson deceased Matt Johnson The The founder released a solo album in 1981 that was reissued in 1993 through 4AD as a The The album Joker active Soren Juul active Lakuna one off project Mark Lanegan Band Last Dance disbanded The Late Cord one off collaboration The Lemon Twigs active Liima active Liquorice one off collaboration Lo Fang active LNZNDRF one off collaboration Lydia Lunch active Lush disbanded reformed 2015 2016 MARRS disbanded Magnetophone active Mass disbanded Merchandise active Methyl Ethel active Vinny Miller active Minotaur Shock active Modern English active Mojave 3 disbanded John Moreland active The Mountain Goats active My Captains disbanded Colin Newman active Pieter Nooten amp Michael Brook The Paladins on hiatus Pale Saints disbanded The Past 7 Days disbanded Brendan Perry active Piano Magic disbanded Pixies active Pixx active Emma Pollock active Psychotik Tanks disbanded Purity Ring active Ra Ra Riot one off split single with Stornoway Red Atkins deceased Red House Painters disbanded Rema Rema disbanded Richenel deceased Scheer disbanded Serena Maneesh active Shox disbanded Kendra Smith active c 2017 2018 Sort Sol active SpaceGhostPurrp active Spasmodic Caress disbanded Spencer Spirea X disbanded Spoonfed Hybrid disbanded Starry Smooth Hound the original alias of Vinny Miller Stereolab active Stornoway disbanded St Vincent active Swallow disbanded Sybarite active Tarnation disbanded currently Paula Frazer and Tarnation that dog active The The active Thievery Corporation active This Mortal Coil concluded Throwing Muses active Tindersticks active Torres active Tones on Tail disbanded TV on the Radio active Twin Shadow active 23 Envelope 4AD s design regulars in the 1980s and 1990s became v23 Ultra Vivid Scene disbanded Underground Lovers active Unrest disbanded Vaughan Oliver amp v23 deceased Scott Walker deceased M Ward active Wolf amp Cub active The Wolfgang Press disbanded Xmal Deutschland disbanded Zomby active Releases EditFor 4AD releases see Category 4AD albums Catalog numbering scheme EditThis section possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message This section contains information of unclear or questionable importance or relevance to the article s subject matter Please help improve this section by clarifying or removing indiscriminate details If importance cannot be established the section is likely to be moved to another article pseudo redirected or removed Find sources 4AD news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message In 2013 the music historian Martin Aston wrote in Facing the Other Way The Story of 4AD 17 The attention to cataloguing aided the collectability of 4AD the prefixes extended to DAD GAD and HAD It was all part of the bespoke detail that set independent labels apart from the majors It created an identifiable culture that had grown big enough to support its own distribution system and trade magazine For the most part 4AD s official UK releases follow a standard scheme for designating catalog numbers Although there have been some variations over the years some general rules can be devised to easily determine the format LP CD etc and year of release by looking at a 4AD catalog number Prefix Edit The first part of a catalog number is a prefix that contains a variation of AD based on the 4AD name Some standards are AD single BAD EP CAD full length LP DAD double LP MAD mini LPSpecial editions of releases had an extra D added to the prefix CAD D special edition of a full length LP DAD D special edition of a double LPSome other AD variations have been used less frequently over the years including but not limited to EAD electronic download GAD reissue usually mid priced HAD remastered or significantly altered reissue usually with some combination of bonus tracks re mastering or new artwork JAD and MAD mini album that is longer than an EP but shorter than an LP SAD Super Audio CD release as in the Dead Can Dance 2008 remastered reissues TAD temporary limited release4AD only released one LP on DAT format Cocteau Twins Blue Bell Knoll which was designated CADT 807 Numerical designation Edit The second part of the catalog number is a number that represents the year of release via the number of years since 1980 following the 1980 Forward theme and the order of release in the particular year For example This Mortal Coil s LP It ll End in Tears is CAD 411 The CAD represents that the release is an LP the 4 in 411 represents 1984 and 11 marks the 11th release of that year This is the vinyl LP release cassette versions have C added to the prefix CADC 411 in this example CD versions have CD added at the end CAD 411CD A side effect of this scheme is that it made it seem like 4AD had hundreds of releases early on Again using CAD411 as an example a causal observer might assume this was the 411th release in the label s catalog when 4AD actually had less than 100 total releases in their catalog at the time In the 1990s 4AD changed the first part of the number from 100s to 1000s temporarily making the number not correspond with the number of years since 1980 Releases in 1990 used 00 directly after the prefix e g the Pixies Bossanova CAD0010 released in the fall of 1990 1991 used 10 directly after the prefix e g This Mortal Coil s Blood DAD 1005 released early in 1991 1992 used 20 and so on for the rest of the 1990s Wanting to return to numbering with the years since 1980 4AD had to provide a workaround for releases in the year 2000 Since the 20 numerical designation had been used in 1992 all releases in 2000 used 2K e g Mojave 3 s Excuses for Travellers CAD 2K05 released in early 2000 Between 2001 and 2009 the catalog numbering scheme returned to the original format with the first two digits of the number representing the years since 1980 e g Blonde Redhead s 23 CAD 2717 released in 2007 the 27th year since 1980 Things have not been too consistent since and there have been several gaps 2010 releases feature the numerical designation 3X as 30 had already been used in 1993 18 This process appears to have come to an end with the few xAD37nn releases of the early months of 2017 The catalogue numbers of all releases since April 2017 beginning with The Far Field by Future Islands 4AD0001CD 4AD0001LP have begun with 4AD00nn and ended with letters indicating the release format No indication of release year is given 4AD Sessions EditThe 4AD Sessions are an ongoing series of video recordings with various acts from the label s roster Following on from the Deerhunter session at the Studio Plateaux on Platts Eyott island in 2008 the recordings see 4AD artists performing back catalogue covers and alternative versions of their own material They are housed on the label s website 19 References Edit Aston Martin 26 September 2013 Facing the Other Way The Story of 4AD HarperCollins p 33 ISBN 9780007522019 Aston Martin 26 September 2013 Facing the Other Way The Story of 4AD HarperCollins p 10 ISBN 9780007522019 Aston Martin 10 October 2013 4AD the pure label behind Pixies and Cocteau Twins The Guardian Retrieved 14 January 2017 Jeffries David 6 November 2013 AllMusic Loves 4AD Records AllMusic Retrieved 14 January 2017 Lynskey Dorian 12 September 2013 Facing the Other Way The Story of 4AD by Martin Aston review The Guardian Retrieved 14 January 2017 a b c d e f g Colin Larkin ed 1992 The Guinness Who s Who of Indie and New Wave Music First ed Guinness Publishing pp 115 6 ISBN 0 85112 579 4 4AD the pure label behind Pixies and Cocteau Twins The Guardian 10 October 2013 Retrieved 15 January 2021 4AD L Frequently Asked Questions Other Questions evo org Label of love 4AD The Guardian 17 March 2010 Retrieved 15 January 2021 King Richard 2012 How Soon is Now The Madmen and Mavericks who made Independent Music 1975 2005 Faber amp Faber 6 Music 1980 Forward 25 Years of 4AD BBC 21 November 2005 Retrieved 14 January 2017 Swash Rosie 30 April 2008 A farewell to Beggars Banquet s indie charm Music Blog The Guardian Guardian News amp Media Retrieved 14 January 2017 Solarski Matthew 29 April 2008 Label Shuffle 4AD Absorbs Too Pure Beggars Banquet Pitchfork Pitchfork Media Archived from the original on 19 December 2008 Retrieved 14 January 2017 Muggs Joe 7 August 2012 4AD boss Simon Halliday on living with the label s past and his vision for its future FACT Retrieved 14 January 2017 Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company www officialcharts com Retrieved 29 July 2021 Scolforo Carli 10 March 2021 4AD Celebrates 40 Years With Bills amp Aches amp Blues Paste Archived from the original on 11 March 2021 Retrieved 29 July 2021 Aston Martin 26 September 2013 Facing the Other Way The Story of 4AD HarperCollins p 104 ISBN 9780007522019 Thorpe Vanessa 28 August 2010 4AD the record label that gave birth to indie cool celebrates 30th anniversary The Guardian Retrieved 14 January 2017 4AD Sessions 4AD Retrieved 14 January 2017 External links EditOfficial websiteListen to this article 16 minutes source source This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 7 November 2017 2017 11 07 and does not reflect subsequent edits Audio help More spoken articles Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 4AD amp oldid 1135154860, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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