Editing Atco Records (section)

===1950s–1960s: Beginnings===
ATCO Records was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic Records' founders, [[Herb Abramson]], who had returned to the company from military service.<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992 |edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|pages=121/2}}</ref> The label was also intended as a home for acts that did not fit the format of the main Atlantic brand, which was releasing [[blues]], [[jazz]], [[rhythm and blues]] and [[soul music|soul]]. The planned name for the label was Atlas.  But it was changed to ATCO when it was discovered there was already an Atlas Records.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yMEAAAAMBAJ&dq=atlas+%2B+atco+%2B+billboard+%2B+1955+%2B+atlantic+calls+subsi+atco&pg=PA22 | title=Billboard | date=13 August 1955 }}</ref> The ATCO name is an abbreviation of '''AT'''lantic '''CO'''rporation. ATCO also provided distribution for other labels, including [[RSO Records|RSO]], [[Volt Records|Volt]], [[Island Records|Island]], [[Modern Records (1980)|Modern]], [[Ruthless Records|Ruthless]], [[Hansa Records|Hansa]], and [[Rolling Stones Records|Rolling Stones]]. For most of its history, ATCO was known for [[pop music|pop]] and [[rock and roll|rock]] music, but during its early years, it produced some [[jazz]] albums. These included [[Harry Arnold (musician)|Harry Arnold]], [[Betty Carter]], [[King Curtis]], [[Herb Geller]], [[Roland Hanna]], and [[Helen Merrill]].<ref name="New Grove">{{cite book|last=Gardner|first=Mark|title=The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, vol. 1|year=2002|publisher=Grove's Dictionaries Inc.|location=New York|isbn=1561592846|edition=2nd|editor=Barry Kernfeld|page=88}}</ref>

ATCO's rock era began with [[Bobby Darin]] and [[The Coasters]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/> In the early 1960s, Atlantic began to license material from international sources, leading to instrumental hit singles from [[Jorgen Ingmann]], [[Acker Bilk]] and [[Bent Fabric]]. Starting in the mid-1960s, ATCO moved into rock-and-roll with [[Sonny and Cher]], [[Buffalo Springfield]], [[Vanilla Fudge]], [[Iron Butterfly]] and [[Cream (band)|Cream]] (the latter under license from British label [[Polydor Records|Polydor]]).<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

In 1964, ATCO released a single in the US by [[the Beatles]], "[[Ain't She Sweet]]" (flip side "[[Nobody's Child (Hank Snow song)|Nobody's Child]]", with lead singer [[Tony Sheridan]]), which had been recorded in [[Hamburg, Germany|Hamburg]] in 1961. With lead vocals by [[John Lennon]], "Ain't She Sweet" reached No. 19 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart]] in August 1964. It featured new drums overdubbed by [[Session musician|session drummer]] [[Bernard Purdie]].
<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/nobodys-child/ |title=Nobody's Child |website=Beatles Bible beatlesbible.com |date=29 February 2016 }}</ref>
ATCO also released an album entitled ''[[Ain't She Sweet (album)|Ain't She Sweet]]'' which featured the other two tracks by Sheridan and The Beatles from the Hamburg session and filled out by eight other songs covered by [[The Swallows]].

In 1966, ATCO released "[[Substitute (The Who song)|Substitute]]" by [[the Who]]. The song was issued through an arrangement with UK [[Polydor Records]] because of the dispute The Who was having with their producer, [[Shel Talmy]], and their contract with US [[Decca Records]] and UK [[Brunswick Records]]. This would be the only Who recording to appear on ATCO, although [[Pete Townshend]] and [[John Entwistle]] would eventually sign to ATCO as solo artists,<ref name="LarkinGE" /> and [[Roger Daltrey]] later signed a US solo deal with Atlantic. This release differs from the UK release with a different structure/edit (the break comes in after the first verse vs. second), a substitute lyric ("I try walking forward but my feet walk back" in place of "I look all white but my dad was black").