Old School Indies Fite: Island vs Virgin

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed

Was going to do a poll based on Island Records 50 greatest albums in this months Mojo, but the act of typing 50 entries on a Friday afternoon is too strenuous. So Marley/Roxy/U2/Fairports etc vs Krautrock/Pistols/Beefheart/Human League etc

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Island 11
Virgin 8


featuring Strawberry and the Shortcakes (Billy Dods), Friday, 24 April 2009 14:40 (seventeen years ago)

Feel free to rip on Chris Blackwell or Richard Branson if you wish.

featuring Strawberry and the Shortcakes (Billy Dods), Friday, 24 April 2009 14:41 (seventeen years ago)

The Orb vs Daft Punk :(

Hard House SugBanton (blueski), Friday, 24 April 2009 14:42 (seventeen years ago)

NSFW possible reason to vote Branson/Virgin

Hard House SugBanton (blueski), Friday, 24 April 2009 14:43 (seventeen years ago)

I love all the variations of the Island LP label art. A few weeks ago I was feelin' folk-rocky and pulled out records by Amazing Blondel, Fairport Convention and Prelude. They all happened to be on Island, and all were different:

http://www.collectable-records.ru/labels/E_M/Island/index.htm

Such A Hilbily (Dan Peterson), Friday, 24 April 2009 16:33 (seventeen years ago)

^That is nice. I've always loved the old Virgin label, tho
http://bleepfiend.co.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/fausttapes.label.jpg

Trip Maker, Friday, 24 April 2009 16:41 (seventeen years ago)

Does the Frontline stuff count as Virgin or is it own thing?

Alex in SF, Friday, 24 April 2009 16:52 (seventeen years ago)

OMG new fetish: inner label art.

Earl of Gothington Manor (Bimble), Friday, 24 April 2009 16:55 (seventeen years ago)

Virgin a really interesting label with lots of zigs and zags but Island's got Bob Marley & the Wailers and that's really the end of the fight for me right there.

Just one thing I was thinking about as I was getting on the copter (J0hn D.), Friday, 24 April 2009 16:59 (seventeen years ago)

if we're going strictly by label art the Virgin artwork slayz

shit was shocking as fuck back then (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 24 April 2009 17:01 (seventeen years ago)

Yeah, I've loved that Virgin label since Tubular Bells. Island had so many different ones, tho. Quality vs. quantity.

Such A Hilbily (Dan Peterson), Friday, 24 April 2009 17:06 (seventeen years ago)

tough one for me as i loved a lot of the stuff Island gave funding for (Axciom/Gee Street), but then theres the whole Tangerine Dream/Human League/GBOA/That Petrol Emotion/Age of Chance/Win thing with Virgin.

i'm going to have to think this one over.

mark e, Friday, 24 April 2009 17:13 (seventeen years ago)

I'm pretty sure it's gotta be Virgin, but I'll consider it longer as well.

Alex in SF, Friday, 24 April 2009 17:21 (seventeen years ago)

Island had X-Clan & a fair handful of other awesome hip hop acts

Just one thing I was thinking about as I was getting on the copter (J0hn D.), Friday, 24 April 2009 17:33 (seventeen years ago)

if u guys are tom waits fans most of his stuff was on island right?

mark cl, Friday, 24 April 2009 18:02 (seventeen years ago)

John Cale, too

Just one thing I was thinking about as I was getting on the copter (J0hn D.), Friday, 24 April 2009 18:04 (seventeen years ago)

But Virgin had Wyatt, Gong, Coyne, Henry Cow, early Simple Minds, Frontline (although Island generally had better reggae even aside from Marley and the hit and miss ratio was high). Island's a great label too though obv.

Alex in SF, Friday, 24 April 2009 18:14 (seventeen years ago)

Island can fuck off for dumping Julian Cope just because he ragged on U2 a little.

the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Friday, 24 April 2009 18:15 (seventeen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Wednesday, 29 April 2009 23:01 (seventeen years ago)

virgin, eventually - though note to Alex in sf, early simple minds were on Arista surely?

Before 77/78 Island has much wider spread, the mojo 50 shows this a lot - (even though its a rubbish list, whats with the only one album from each artist though - no mid 70s King Crimson? And where's Systems of Romance? Idiots)

Anyway, by the time virgin gets magazine and xtc they've won.

Sandy Blair, Thursday, 30 April 2009 04:02 (seventeen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Thursday, 30 April 2009 23:01 (seventeen years ago)

Wrong winner although both were great.

And Charisma > both.

Geir Hongro, Friday, 1 May 2009 07:37 (seventeen years ago)

But I would say Virgin's best era was when they had become too big to really be an indie anymore, like the early 80s. Had a lot of great time-typical stuff then.

Geir Hongro, Friday, 1 May 2009 07:38 (seventeen years ago)

In the cd era, it was nice that Island's had that colorful rectangle at the top of the spine, but as it became another faceless division of a major, the notification became unimportant.

james k polk, Friday, 1 May 2009 07:44 (seventeen years ago)

I like the graphic identity of their remasters these days though. Very tastefully done.

Geir Hongro, Friday, 1 May 2009 07:45 (seventeen years ago)

Think I'd go with Island - I always like how those white/rainbow CD spines stand out in my collection, just highlights what a great, wide selection of stuff they put out (I'm including the Mango/Antilles stuff in this by the way - picked up some amazing albums cheap from that reissue series a while back).

Gavin in Leeds, Friday, 1 May 2009 09:09 (seventeen years ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.