Crash/Cinq Album DiscographyWe know nothing about the ownership of this label. Crash was associated with Cinq Sounds, of Reno, Nevada, and the two labels may in fact have been run by the same people, since a Cinq record jacket we came across contained a Crash label record inside. Cinq also put out 8-track tapes. The Cinq issues used plain red covers with information on the back. Mastering sources for both Crash and Cinq records were probably other records.
There were no dates on these albums, but all strongly feature songs popular in late 1971 or before. For that reason, we have guessed at a release date of early 1972, probably January.
By all appearances, both Crash and Cinq were what the Billboard story at right terms "self-styled
'legal' duplicators," exploiting a loophole in copyright law. They went out of their way to state on the
back of the record jackets that "All copyright royalties paid... Notices of intent have been filed and
royalties paid where applicable." They note, "Crash Records is licensed to pay royalties through the
Rebel Corp., Asbury Park, NJ 07712." (The Rebel Corp. we might note, is not exactly the Harry Fox
agency.)
These were put out at a time when there was some debate as to whether "compulsory mechanical licenses" were legal. "Compulsory license" of a musical work is part of the copyright law that says once a song has been issued on record, anyone else can also put the song out (by some other artist) provided they pay royalties to the original song publisher. The dubious concept of "compulsory mechanical licenses" brought that one step further: if a duplicator paid the licensing fees (royalties), then they supposedly could legally put out any previously issued recordings on any records they wished — or so they said.
That debate didn't last long, because the antipiracy law in 1971 made this explicitly a copyright infringement (see story at right). This led to the little "P" in a circle — meaning "phonorecord" — that joined the little copyright symbol starting in 1971, meaning the copyright for the sound recording itself as opposed to printed matter such as the liner notes, design of the jacket, and words of the songs. In early 1972 when this law came into effect, the major record companies started aggressively prosecuting the purveyors of these products.
Bootlegging and pirating legitimate music started gaining steam in July, 1969, with the two-record set Great White Wonder, a collection of previously unreleased songs by Bob Dylan (counterfeiting singles had been going on for years). There was also a Beatles bootleg of outtakes and rehearsal takes of Abbey Road. By 1970, several more bootlegs were available, including more Dylan and a Rolling Stones concert (which London/Decca immediately countered by issuing Get Your Ya-Yas Out, a concert from the same time frame with much better sound. The Elton John Album Rock of the Westies was also a legit answer to the Elton John bootleg West of the Rockies. At least somebody at the record companies had a sense of humor). The sound quality on all these bootleg items was far from what was usually expected on legitimate releases. But bootleg labels quickly sprang up.
Bootlegging (issuing previously unreleased material), piracy (reissuing previously released material), and counterfeiting (making exact phony copies of albums and tapes) were becoming a huge problem by 1971. Some states didn't even have laws prohibiting these sort of operations yet. Distributors in many areas openly carried these items right alongside legitimate releases, and you could find racks with them in many grocery and variety stores, not to mention record stores. Pirated 8-track tapes were a hot item for awhile, especially at places like truck stops, because they were much cheaper than the legitimate albums. People were put off by the really bad quality of many of them, but the quality improved over time. Concert recordings, outtakes, and other music not legitimately released could easily be found on bootleg albums and tapes at the time, which was a boon for collectors and fans. There were magazines and books written devoted to the world of bootleg recordings.
Anyway, the fun didn't last long for Cinq/Crash. Warner Bros and A&M sued them (and several others) for a cool half million dollars in March, 1972 (as per a story in Billboard, dated March 25, 1972). And that, as they say, was that. Although some think the remaining stock was seized and destroyed, the letter below from Erik Ahonen in Finland indicates the remaining albums were sold in Europe:
"I recently came across some Crash albums I had forgotten. I bought them very cheap in 1976 at some department store in Tampere, Finland. I remember that there were hundreds of those LP's in the bargain bins. Even then I understood that they couldn't be fully legal, but at the time it was impossible to find any information about them. But now I found your article about Crash Records and the explanation about the copyright laws at the time. Thank you! - Erik Ahonen"
As far as we know, this label had no connection with the legitimate Crash Music label founded in 2001 in Phoenix, Arizona.
C-1016 - Beatles
Apart - Various Artists [1972] One of their "best sellers," this went to a second pressing
using a different generic cover (see right). Too Many People - Paul McCartney/Yer
Blues - Plastic Ono Band/Smile Away - Paul McCartney/Give Me Some Truth - John Lennon/Maybe I'm
Amazed - Paul McCartney/Imagine - John Lennon//Isn't It A Pity - George Harrison/Some People Never
Know - Wings/My Sweet Lord - George Harrison
CINQ-3 - Wild
Life - Wings [1972] Mumbo/Bib Bob/Love Is Strange/Wild Life//Some People Never Know/I
Am Your Singer/Tomorrow/Dear Friend
R-200 -
There's A Riot Goin' On - Sly & The Family Stone [1972] This had the same "Crash
Music Promotions" label as the other Crash single-artist reproductions, but in a Cinq cover. As on the
original Epic album, "There's A Riot Going On" is a blank track. Luv N' Haight/Just Like A
Baby/Poet/Family Affair/Africa Talks To You "The Asphalt Jungle"/There's A Riot Goin' On//Brave &
Strong/(You Caught Me) Smilin'/Time/Spaced Cowboy/Runnin' Away/Thank You For Talking To Me
Africa
R 307 -
Teaser and the Firecat - Cat Stevens [1972] This had the same "Crash Music
Promotions" label as the other Crash single-artist reproductions, but in a Cinq cover. The Wind/Ruby
Love/If I Laugh/Change/How Can I Tell You//Tuesday's Dead/Morning
Has Broken/Bitterblue/Moon Shadow/Peace Train
