Crimson Records was a short-lived subsidiary of Lost Nite Records in Philadelphia. They put out two albums. The first album released on Crimson was about as silly an excuse for an album as they get. Lost Nite had been famous for putting out albums with deejays simulating their radio shows by playing oldies. This time, the idea was to release a Jerry Blavat album where the buyer would have to guess the songs on the album! A huge sticker glued on the back of the record jacket listed 25 titles, with no artists, and challenged, "Guess Which 15 of these 25 songs are in this album." The songs weren't listed on the label either, so the idea was that the buyer would be curious enough to buy the album to find out. Well, it seemed a good idea at the time, anyway. Not exactly a chart topper in sales, most copies of the album basically sat in the warehouse until they were remaindered. Wonder why nobody else tried that particular sales approach?

The second was a rock album by the Soul Survivors, a rock/soul group who really tore it up on stage. When I saw them in the late 1960s as an opening act for the Beach Boys, they were a high energy act that had singers running all around the stage and into the crowd. The group had actually been two trios at one point, one a vocal group and one an instrumental combo, but they met (literally) in a car accident on a freeway going to their respective gigs. The vocal group was made up of Kenny Jeremiah and brothers Richard and Charles Ingui. The instrumental combo was Edward Leonetti (guitar), Paul Ventunni (keyboards), and Joey Fongioni (drums). They eventually decided to join forces, and "Soul Survivors" seemed to be a natural as a name.

The Soul Survivors had a huge hit with their first single, "Expressway to Your Heart" [Crimson 1010], which reached #4 nationally in the fall of 1967. Their followup, "Explosion (In My Soul)" [Crimson 1012] also made the top-40 at #33, but the next try, "Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible)" [Crimson 1016] only reached #68. At that point, the group signed with the Atco label, where they had another side on the "Bubbling Under" charts before the group disbanded.

Crimson released about 18 singles altogether, and like Lost Nite, some of them were reissues of oldies by bands like Lee Andrews and the Hearts and the Moonglows. Other artists with singles on the Crimson label included the Camelots, the Sherwoods, the Parktowns, the Masters, the Brothers Two, Damon Fox, and the Common Pleas.

		Crimson issued two albums, with two different labels. The first, shown at far left, was red with black print, with "Crimson" in cursive script at the top left. At near left is the huge sticker glued on the back cover of the record jacket. This album came with a Lost Nite inner sleeve.
		The second album used a label that was multicolored with "Crimson" in white letters at the top (far left). At near left is the promotional copy label for LP-502, which was white with black print and no graphics.

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with Crimson Records or Lost Nite Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and Follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 2007 by Mike Callahan.

CRIMSON ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY

Cover	Number - Title - Artist - [Release Date] (Chart) Contents
	Crimson LP-500 Series:
	LP-501 - Jerry Blavat Presents Guess What? - Various Artists [12/66] Issued in mono only. Titles and artists are not given on either the jacket or the label. Blavat does, however, announce the artists during the record, but you have to choose the title from a list of 25 possibilities listed on a huge red sticker glued on the back of the jacket. Record is set up to sound like a simulated radio show. Disc is not banded and songs often crossfade. Blavat's voice is often heard over the records, and not just at the beginning or end of songs, either. Jerry Blavat Theme/I'm So Happy - Dukanes/I'll Be Forever Loving You - Jordan & Fascinations/Never Let You Go - 5 Discs/Shadows - Five Satins/Flower Of Love - Crests/The Closer You Are - Magnificent Four/Honey Honey - Louie Lymon//My Girl Friend - Cadillacs/Rocket Ride - Johnny Greco/Your Daddy's Little Girl - Travelers/I Know, I Know - Pookie Hudson/Take Me As I Am - Duprees/For All We Know - Starlites/Please Be My Love Tonight - Cheries/Why Do You Do Me Like You Do - Cleftones
	LP-502 - When The Whistle Blows Anything Goes - Soul Survivors [1967] (11-67, #123) Issued in mono and stereo. Do You Feel It (S)/Please, Please, Please (S)/Too Many Fish In The Sea... Shake (S)/Dathon's Theme (S)/Taboo-India (S)//Expressway (To Your Heart) (E)/Respect (S)/A Change Is Gonna Come (E)/Hey Gyp (S)/The Rydle (S)

Thanks to Ernie Mabrey.



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