Island Records discography

The history and the discography of the Island Records label can conveniently be divided into three phases:

Blackwell released 28 singles and three LPs in this period.

The very first records have been issued on 7" sides in Jamaica on a label called R&B

CB stands for Chris Blackwell; 22 for the age of Blackwell at the time; it is the first number of the LP catalogue.

After the company's start in London in 1962 Island Records diversified already in 1963 into various labels: Black Swan, Island, Sue and Jump Up.

The first Island "white and red" label was used mainly for Jamaican productions released in the United Kingdom. Catalogue numbers started at WI-001. Many of these records had been released previously in Jamaica and other territories on small local labels. For a variety of reasons details of the artists and songs printed on the labels do not always match what is actually to be found in the grooves of the record! The main Island label was soon joined by another three labels: Sue for black American music with catalogue numbers starting at WI-300, Black Swan for more Jamaican music starting with WI-400, and Jump Up, for Calypso and Trinidadian music, starting with 500, but using another prefix (JU). The Aladdin label was started in about 1965 and used numbers starting with 600, using the WI prefix.

Island singles were released with prefix WI and numbers starting with 001. The Island label itself was white with red lettering and logotypes - for the first 100 releases it had a round "Flaming sun" logo on a white label, then and for reprints of the early issues a red strip across the centre of the label like a "bow tie". The labels have the Rutland Gate Mews address on all first pressings up until about number 14; this was followed by the London England address which goes up to at least # 47, then came Cambridge Road.

(N.B. This discography has been expanded and corrected using the published discography in "Record Collector" magazine 201, published May 1996. Details can also be checked online, which contains many label scans. As far as possible, the listings below reflect what is actually written on the record label. Known variations or labelling errors are given in brackets after the entry.)

Here are some missing numbers: (from Pete Smith, Planet Records)

178 FOUR ACES – RIVERBANK COBBERLEY

179 FOUR ACES – SWING LOW

182 UPCOMING WILLOWS – JONES TOWN SPECIAL

185 ERIC MORRIS – MANY LONG YEARS SUDDENLY

193 DERRICK & NAOMI – I WANT A LOVER

195 DON DRUMMOND – TREASURE ISLAND RIOTS – YOU DON’T KNOW

197 RIOTS – I’M IN LOVE

198 LAUREL AITKEN – BOOGIE IN MY BONES LITTLE SHEILA

201 JOE WHITE & CHUCK – LOW MINDED PEOPLE

202 DESMOND DEKKER – THIS WOMAN

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