The Pentagram label was a small label based in the greater Los Angeles area in the early 1970s.
(There were several other, later, unrelated labels of the same name.) Pentagram issued a total of
thirteen singles and seven albums.
Pentagram was founded by Al Schmitt, a talented producer and recording engineer of considerable
success. Schmitt grew up in New York City, but relocated to Los Angeles in the late 1950s. After
working at several studios starting in his teenage years, Schmitt landed at RCA as a staff engineer,
where he engineered records by Henry Mancini, Sam Cooke, the Astronauts, Al Hirt, Rosemary
Clooney, Cal Tjader, and others. In 1966, he struck out on his own as an independent producer,
producing albums by Neil Young, Jefferson Airplane, Jackson Browne, and others. After his short stint
running Pentagram in 1970-71, he went on to win awards for other albums known for superb, clean,
clear sound, such as Breezin' by George Benson, Aja and FM by Steely Dan, and
the remarkable Toto IV by Toto. Schmitt produced or co-produced the records on Pentagram,
and the Pentagram records have this same first-rate clear, clean sound.
The most successful act on Pentagram was the rock quartet Redeye, who placed their second single,
"Games" [Pentagram 204], on the national top-30 in early 1971. This was followed by "Red Eye Blues"
[Pentagram 206], which only managed to make #78 in April that year. Two additional singles failed to
chart. The group included Douglas "Red" Mark, formerly a member of the Sunshine Company, on
vocals and lead guitar, Dave Hodgkins on vocals and acoustic rhythm guitar, Bill Kirkham on bass and
vocals, and Bob Bereman on drums and percussion. For the first album, studio drummer Jim Gordon
did the drumming.
In addition to the artists listed with albums below, the label issued singles by Dogum B. & the Tricks, the
Source, and Bob Candee.
The Pentagram label was black with silver print, with a red star logo around the center hole and the outline of a palm-up hand holding up the star (pentagram). To the right of the hand is a series of blue lines representing clouds. The label name was written in caps to the left of the star. Around the bottom edge it read, "DISTRIBUTED BY VIVA-BRAVO RECORDS, HOLLYWOOD, CALIF." This was part of the Warner Bros. empire. Promotional copies used white labels with black print, with the same design. |
Cover |
Number - Title - Artist - [Release Date] (Chart) Contents |
PE 10001 - Here in the Land of Victory - Rex Holman [1970] Here In The Land Of
Victory/Pink Lemonade/Rowin /Today Is Almost Here/Listen To The Footsteps/Red Is The Apple//Sit
And Flatter Me/Copper Kettles/Come On Down/Debbie/The Chosen One/I Can t Read My Name
| |
PE 10002 - Down on the Corner - Liberation Street Band [1970] Down On the
Corner/Hey Jude/Octopus' Garden/Empty White Houses/Aquarius-Let the Sun Shine In/Honky Tonk
Woman/Sunshine Of the Morning/Good Day Sunshine/La Bamba/If You Got To Make a Fool Of
Somebody
| |
PE 10003 - Redeye - Redeye [1970] (12-70, #113) Games/Empty White
Houses/Mississippi Stateline/Green Grass/Down Home Run//Dadaeleus' Unfinished Dream/Oregon
Bound/Your Train Is Leaving/199 Thoughts Too Late/Collections Of Yesterday And Now
| |
PE 10004 - Iowa By the Sea - Turnquist Remedy [1970] Group included Michael Woods,
Scott Harder, John Maggi, and Murphy Scarnecchia. Just A Number/Last Cigarette/Anytime Soon/Flying
Dudkey Waltz/We Don't Even Know/All Gone Blues Act II/Cowboy Song/Reno, Nevada
| |
PE 10005 - Saved - Big Mama Thornton [1971] Oh, Happy Day/Down By The
Riverside/Glory, Glory Hallelujah/He's Got The Whole World In His Hands//Lord Save Me/Swing Low,
Sweet Chariot/One More River/Go Down Moses
| |
PE 10006 - One Man's Poison - Redeye [1971] I'm Goin' Blind/Red Eye Blues/The
Seeker/It'll Get Better/The Making Of A Hero//You Don't Need It/Walter Why Knott/Someone/Beginning
To End/Cold In The Night
| |
PE 10007 - Red, Wilder, Blue - Red, Wilder, Blue [1971] Light In The Night/Pamela/I
Believe In You/Darkness, Darkness//Sea Trip/Orange County Jail/Carolee/Whatcha Gonna Do/Kay
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