Artists
Album Info
Release Date: 2016Label: Somerset
CD LINER:REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES
(P) AND (C) Countdown Media
http://www.101strings.com
SOMERSET RECORDS
Somerset was launched by David L. Miller as part of Miller International Company in 1957 and was the successor to the former Essex label. Essex became locally popular for distributing the first Bill Haley recordings but went bankrupt after Bill Haley signed with Decca.
The new label appeared as Somerset Records and Somerset Stereo Fidelity Records using the former name for releases in mono and the latter for the stereo versions.
Both labels used the some catalog numbers and artwork and usually did not display the logo on the front cover. Miller's concept was to sell large amounts of budget-priced albums that promised consumers great value at bargain prices. He started to release the first albums in 1957 followed by an astonishing 24 titles in 1958.
The label was capitalizing on the demand of high fidelity, the new stereo sound, new recording techniques and the growing popularity of the new 33 LP format. Miller claimed to have released the first stereo budget albums under Somerset. The label followed the popularity of the light music style during the early 1950s by orchestras such as Mantovani, Percy Faith or George Melachrino.
To avoid paying high licensing fees and royalties Miller focused primarily on public-domain songs and cover recordings of hit songs of the time. Even more importantly, he hired non-union musicians and orchestras from Europe under the brand name of 101 Strings, most prominently the "Orchester des Nordwestdeutschen Rundfunks", Hamburg. Miller also worked with a small staff of composers, notably Monty Kelly, Robert Lowden, and Joseph Kuhn. In 1962 he created his own publishing company Chesdel Music. Miller included the original compositions on his Somerset albums to provide additional publishing revenues.
To gain full control also on the production process the records were pressed by Miller's own plants and released through his own distribution channels, including department-, grocery- and drugstores, which enabled Somerset to offer their products at lowest prices. Despite his cost-saving policy, Miller constantly expanded his label's roster and even hired great musicians like Alvino Rey as part of the Surfmen, trumpet player Pete Candoli, or the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
In Germany Miller founded the Europa Records label to distribute his Somerset albums under the same successful formula he used in America. In the following years Somerset would continue to release more than 200 easy listening albums under the 101 Strings banner.
In 1963 Miller sold Somerset and his holdings to Al Sherman, who changed the name of the label to Alshire, and continued to release 101 Strings albums on an even larger scale. Miller remained credited as a producer on the albums and stayed with the company for a short time but then left for Germany to found Miller International Schallplatten GmbH.
Many of the Alshire releases have also been re-issued and re-mastered for digital release by Countdown Media — you will find them on 101strings.com.