Between 1971 and 1976 publishing credits changed for DB written songs from the 1971-1976 period

The publishing credits on UK RCA releases can be sequenced and dated using this method.


Original releases from 1971 and 1972 were Titanic ./ Chrysalis. Songs that were originally Titanic / Chrysalis changed to MainMan/Chrysalis for 1974 and 1975 and changed to MainMan/.Chrysalis/Bowie from 1976 onwards.

Original releases from 1973 were MainMan, these changed to MainMan/Chrysalis in 1974 and MainMan./Chrysalis/Bowie in 1976 and onwards.

Original releases in 1974 were MainMan/Chrysalis and were changed to MainMan/Chrysalis/Bowie in 1976 on onwards.

Late 1975 saw the introduction of Bewlay Bros as publishing credit - earlier original releases that year (Young Americans and Right) used MainMan/Chrysalis and (seemed to ) remain so.


There's probably some fine tuning that can be done around the way they're written (and if they have Ltd as well).

What does this signify ? - a lot of sources, including our own, have incorrect dates. (Usually too early).

Thanks for this very interesting info, Colin. I have used your method to check our listed releases of the UK releases of the Ziggy album.

The following posts comply with your method:
IdbD Ref#17046: Titanic/Chrysalis, released 1972
IdbD Ref#17047: Titanic/Chrysalis, released 1972
IdbD Ref#17052: MainMan/Chrysalis/Bowie, released 1981
IdbD Ref#17053: MainMan/Chrysalis/Bowie, released 1980
IdbD Ref#26754: MainMan/Chrysalis/Bowie, released 1980

The following posts apparently don't comply:
IdbD Ref#17048: MainMan/Chrysalis, listed as released 1972, should be 1974/5?
IdbD Ref#17049: MainMan/Chrysalis, listed as released 1972, should be 1974/5? *
IdbD Ref#31512: MainMan/Chrysalis, listed as released 1972, should be 1974/5?

The following don't have an accurate release year:
IdbD Ref#17050 has MainMan/Chrysalis credits, indicating 1974/5 using your mehod *
IdbD Ref#17051 has MainMan/Chrysalis credits, indicating 1974/5 using your mehod, but black labels were not introduced that early, as far as I know *#
IdbD Ref#17568 has MainMan/Chrysalis credits, indicating 1974/5 using your mehod *

* This release also has a MainMan logo, which indicates it was released later than 1972 (cf. your post IdbD Ref#32713)

# Could it be that RCA simply re-printed the earlier orange labels, without changing the publishing credits (nor anything else on the labels), when the black labels were introduced around 1980 (possibly 1979)? In that case the method does not work for black labels.

Thanks for responding - the topic is really just getting started.

I've searched all images I could find of UK Ziggy LP, and it seems that none of the full-price versions moved from M/C to M/C/B publishing, whereas the budget 1980 and later all read M/C/B.

Likely an error I think - but more research before "likely" and "I think" can be removed. The fact that the similarly (originally) published Hunky Dory (Titanic/Chrysalis) went through the two iterations (MC and MCB) suggest the lack of MCB on full price Ziggy was in error, and oversight.



The method I've ascribed, means that the earliest date can be ascertained, but not necessarily afterwards. So M/C first appeared in 1974 is a safe statement, and pre-Diamond Dogs LPs with M/C publishing MUST be 1974 or later.


A combination of publishing, lacquer cuts and sleeve modifications will form most of the picture of the sequence, save for the old lacquer used or old labels used.

A work in progress and I'll do more myself too.