An American label, specialising in Soul music, Avco Embassy was started in the early '60s by producer / songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore and film producer Joseph Levine; the name was shortened in 1972. The company adopted readily to the growing Disco market, and hit the British charts repeatedly with the Stylistics during the 1970s; other hitmakers included Limmie & The Family Cookin' and Van McCoy. Peretti and Creatore left in the mid '70s and formed their own 'H&L' label (q.v.), only to retire at the end of the decade. In Britain, distribution of Avco records was by Phonodisc, marketing by Phonogram. Singles initially had an Avco Embassy label (1, 5), which lost the 'Embassy' in 1972 (2, 6), at around 6105-009, Donnie Elbert's 'I Can't Help Myself', which exists in both forms. Catalogue numbers were in a 6105-000 series, which was eventually taken over by H&L. An initial attractive paper label was replaced by a dull injection-moulded one (3, 4) in 1973; a sad fate which befell all the Phonogram labels. The company sleeve also went, replaced by a standard Phonogram one (7). Thanks to Robert Bowes for the scan of the blue label.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.