Riviera

Riviera-LM was founded in 1951 by French record producer Eddie Barclay. The label produced new singers and bands. Riviera-LM production facilities in Milan produced Italian editions of foreign artists, including Nino Ferrer and Peter Holm. Riviera was distributed in Spain and Portugal. In September 1964 Barclay and Phillipe Loury, then president of Erato Records, founded Compagnie européenne du disque (CED) to distribute records. Riviera and Erato were the first two labels used by the system. Riviera later became Riviera-LM, run by Leo Missir. Riviera was distributed in Spain and Portugal. Riviera gained distribution rights for Chess, Atlantic and Stax. It compiled many recordings of these labels by initiating a system of direct imports from the US for distribution in France.

On November 16, 1978, PolyGram acquired a 40% interest in Disques Barclay and Societe Generale also acquired 40%, leaving Barclay with 20% of the company. Barclay remained president and retained operating independence in terms of artistic, commercial and distribution activity.

In 1979, hit by the music industry crisis, Barclay sold his company, which included the Riviera label, to Philips-owned conglomerate PolyGram. His labels survived as a unit of PolyGram and then Universal Music Group.

The best-known singers who worked with the subsidiary of Barclay Records were Nino Ferrer, Guy Marchand, and Daniel Balavoine, including albums that came out under the Barclay / Riviera labels from 1978 to 1984. Others were Raymond Lefèvre, Jean Musy (fr), Nicoletta and Michel Orso.

The Riviera of this article should not be confused with Riviera Records, an American label founded by Eddie Heller, who also founded Rainbow Records.

• Catalog No. — Year — Artist — Titles • RIV 501 — 1966 — Ricardo — "Per ognuno c'è qualcuno"/"Un amour" • RIV 503 — 1965 — Evy — "Giochi proibiti"/"Ma che magnifico ricordo" • RIV 504 — 1966 — Nino Ferrer — "E' colpa tua"/"Me ne andrò" • RIV 508 — 1966 — Ricardo — "La carta vincente"/"Un po' di pioggia giù" • RIV 509 — 1966 — Guy Marchand — "L'appassionata"/"Vi vedo perplessa" • RIV 511 — 1966 — Nino Ferrer — "Mirza"/"La mia vita per te" • RIV 513 — 1966 — Ricardo — "Solo più che mai"/"Benvenuto mio amore" • RIV 514 — 1966 — Patricia Carli — "Il male che fai"/"Un giorno a te ritornerà" • RIV 516 — 1966 — Aimè Barelli — "Le Stop Op"/"Le Bal Des Petits Lits Blancs" • RIV 521 — 1967 — Michel Mallory (fr) — "Accipicchia l'Angelicchia"/"Una casa" • RIV 5020 — 1967 — Nino Ferrer — "La pelle nera"/"Se mi vuoi sempre bene" • RIV 5023 — 1967 — Nino Ferrer — "Le telephone"/"Mao et moa" • RIV 5024 — 1967 — Nino Ferrer — "Al telefono"/"La mia vita per te" • RIV/NP 77004 — 1968 — Nino Ferrer — "Il re d'Inghilterra"/"Una bambina bionda" • RIV/NP 77006 — 1968 — Nino Ferrer — "Non ti capisco più"/"Marilù" • RIV/NP 77009 — 1969 — Michel Orso — "Se te ne vai"/"E mai, e mai" • RIV/NP 77015 — 1969 — Nino Ferrer — "Donna Rosa"/"Monsieur Machin" • RIV/NP 77019 — 1969 — Peter Holm — "Cosa fai senza me"/"Come te" • RIV/NP 77020 — 1969 — Nino Ferrer — "Mamadou Memé"/"Il baccalà" • RIV/NP 77026 — 1969 — Michel Polnareff — "Tout, tout pour ma cherie"/"Tous le bateaux tous les oiseaux" • RIV/NP 77027 — 1969 — Nino Ferrer — "Agata"/"Les petites filles de bonne famille" • RIV/NP 77027 — 1969 — Nino Ferrer — "Agata"/"La Rua Madureira" • RIV/NP 77033 — 1970 — Peter Holm — "Miss Jane"/"Cerca un posto" • RIV/NP 77034 — 1970 — Nino Ferrer — "Chiamatemi Don Giovanni"/"Je vends dse robes" • RIV/NP 77036 — 1970 — Nino Ferrer — "Re di cuori"/"Un giorno come un altro" • RIV/NP 77037 — 1970 — Nino Ferrer — "Viva la campagna"/"La Rua Madureira" • RIV/NP 77043 — 1970 — Nino Ferrer — "Io, tu e il mare"/"Les Yeux de Laurence" • RIV/NP 77050 — 1971 — Nino Ferrer — "Amsterdam"/"Gertrude" • RIV/NP 77062 — 1972 — The Popcorn Makers — "Popcorn"/"Toad In The Hole" • RIV/NP 77063 — 1973 — Rocky Roberts — "Mathusalem"/"Looking Back"