RECORDS
Arista was the new name adopted by Bell Records in 1974 when Clive Davis took over as head of that company. For a time the Bell and Arista labels appeared side by side in Britain, but in the Autumn of 1976 the Bell label was discontinued and its artists were transferred to Arista; ex-Bell bands such as Showaddywaddy continued to score heavily in the Charts for their new company. In the late 1970s Arista joined BMG; it continued to flourish in the '80s with artists as diverse as Barry Manilow and the Alan Parsons Project. The early '90s were equally rewarding, but towards the end of that decade financial problems loomed; the company became part of the RCA Records Group at the end of the year 2000. Distribution was by EMI until mid-1977, at which point Phonodisc took over and introduced injection-moulded labels. The occasional paper label continued to appear, presumably on contract pressings - records which were pressed by a different company owing to pressure of demand. Phonodisc became Polygram in the summer of 1979. Catalogue numbers started at ARISTA-1; the prefix was shortened to ARIST in 1977, but the numbering stayed in step. The company's address in 1978 was 49, Upper Brook St, London, W1Y 2BT. Thanks to Robert Lyons For The Info.
A FULL DISCOGRAPHY OF THE ARISTA SERIES 1975-1987 CAN BE FOUND HERE
