The MainMan logo appears on reissues of Hunky Dory and ZIggy Stardust (which were without it on release - instead having the Gem logo only**).

It also appears on late 1976 editions of Changesonebowie - here in Australia it was added in November 1976.

During this period (and prior) I use to scour import stores and saw plenty of UK issues of the two GEM albums and don't recall ever seeing the MainMan logo till at least the mid 70's.


I suspect that Hunky and Ziggy UK covers with the added MainMan logo date from a similar period (very late) 1976 and beyond, and not before.

Thoughts?


** Yes, the very first UK Hunky Dory had no Gem logo, but that was by it's incorrect removal, rather than not being there at all. (It's there, just artworked out).

edit:

The MainMan logo also appeared on (same era - 1976 ish) copies of the RCA UK reissues Space Oddity & The Man Who Sold the World.

UK issues with artworked out Gem logo is interesting. There isn't an example of this cover under the vinyl albums discography - does anyone have a copy?

It's there. First listing in the UK RCA group.

IdbD Ref#14296

Cheers, but I was thinking more on the Ziggy album minus the Gem

Sorry, that's my mistake - I've fixed the wording so it's clear it was only Hunky Dory without the logo.

Had me searching through my Ziggy collection - with resulting disappointment

Don't be - Ziggy was always a gem.

I recently went through my UK copies of Hunky Dory and decided to dispose of one of them (you can't keep every re-issue...).
I realised that it was a copy that actually supports your assumption:
The cover is the matt Gem logo version without a MainMan logo. However, the labels (matt, no "Stereo") have "MainMan/Chrysalis/Bowie" credits.

In the discussion of the sax version of John, I'm Only Dancing it became clear that such credits are most likely from 1976 or later.

So, provided that the cover/label combination is original, this shows that in 1976 copies without the MainMan logo on the cover were still distributed.

_____________________
Jens

1976 is the year that the split from MainMan occurred.

Original UK Station to Station labels bore a MainMan credit in the Bowie composed songs, later ones didn't.

Australian Changesonebowie (sourced from US original) added MainMan logo on rear cover in Nov 1976 - this would have been a directive from RCA NY.

Without seeing the legal agreement that occurred in 1976, it's not difficult to surmise that going forward there was no MainMain publishing credit for new DB compositions / recordings - only for what was pre 1976.

Also, part of that agreement most likely included a clause that the MainMan logo would be added to all LPs first released by Gem but subsumed in MainMan (Hunky, & Ziggy), as well as the two Philips/Mercury reissues from late 1972.

With that in mind, it's not too difficult to sequence the UK editions of LP, combining lacquer cuts, publishing credits and cover logos and price codes.

Though that can be left till another day

I thought the split was initiated in early 1975 causing a delay to the release of Young Americans. See attached

Excellent research from "mythnormadman".

Yes, I recall Young Americans being delayed - perhaps 1976 or late 1975 was when the dust settled and the 'outcome' came into place.?




I agree.

Here is a document from July 1975 referencing the split agreement. He was busy splitting from Lippman in 1976.

"mythnormadman", always the most accurate research.

Though the spilt from MainMan clearly commenced in 1975, elements of it dragged on for years - the final buyout in the 1990's one would have expected would have been the end.

As we know De Fries later on sold, through legit channels, some of the studio albums without permission, and until stopped.


Going back to the topic - MainMan logo on RCA reissues (and that should probably read "repressings"), there is yet to be uncovered paperwork that directed RCA to remove and include MainMan references and logo, and the action can seen to have been taken in late 1975 and through 1976.

The instances that are within our knowledge are:

1976 MainMan publishing credit removed from UK Station to Station (after being included on first UK editions)

1976 - November - Added MainMan logo on Australian Changesonebowie LP. Original edition (June 1976) was without logo. (BTW RCA Australia supplied US copies to stores prior to local edition).


There may be other instances where an official change occurred that can be dated to assist the knowledge.


I've previously proposed that publishing dates associated with MainMan are

MainMan/ Chrysalis 1974/5- for 1974/5new compositions and reissues of previous Titanic/Chrysalis titles, though this ceases to be the case for new composition at Golden Years in November (which saw the addition of Bewlay Bros) to the credit.

and 1976 onwards (for compositions that were previously either Titanic/Chyrsalis or MainMain/Chrysalis) - MainMan/Chrysalis/Bowie.


There were changes and confusion afoot late 1975 with the release of Golden Years in November 1975 - (UK) RCA's first cut lacquers of retail copies can be found with just Bewlay Bros publishing for Golden Years and MainMan/Chrysalis for Can You Hear Me though the demo had Bewlay Bros / EMI Music/Chrysalis/MainMan for Golden Years and MainMain/Chrysalis for the flip.

https://www.discogs.com/release/9376558-Bowie-Golden-Years (retail)

https://www.45cat.com/record/rca2640 (demo)

https://www.bowie-singles.com/UKRCA/Golden_Years.html

This was soon changed (clarified?) with the EMI publishing credit dropped on Golden Years and MainMain/Chrysalis becoming MainMain/Chrysalis/Bowie on the older title.

This confusion (or contradictory advice?) continued with the first UK edition of Station to Station.

When UK RCA recut and and then repressed many singles in 1976 (to coincide with Changesone?) the older titles which had been T/C or M/C were now all M/C/Bowie.

Somewhere there is (was?) paperwork that explained all this - my point is that in 1976 clarification occurred and not only were the publishing credits stabilized, a decision was taken by UK RCA that there was a legitimate instruction to add that MainMan logo to those earlier 4 albums.


Does anyone here have access to additional official correspondence?