Command Records (originally Command Performance Records) was a record label founded by Enoch Light in 1959 and later associated with ABC-Paramount Records.

The company focused on producing records targeted at audiophiles. When ABC Records issued quadraphonic records in the 1970s, they were issued on the Command label.

While the recording industry had made magnetic tape the standard for recording music for release on vinyl, Command’s albums were recorded optically onto 35mm film. Optical sound recording and playback had been developed in the 1920s and was still in use for playing the soundtrack for motion pictures in movie theaters, but Light was using the entire width of the film strip to create multitrack recordings, as opposed to the more limited two or three tracks offered by most recording studios at the time. This enabled Light to record more instruments individually and adjust their audio input levels, as well as their stereo position.

Discography

1963 – The Year’s Most Popular Themes, RS 854 SD

1966–Magnificent Movie Themes (Bobby Bryne), RS 894 SD

Age of Electronicus, The (Dick Hyman), RS 946 SD

Best in Pops (Lee Evans), RS 878 SD

Big Band Bossa Nova – The New Beat From Brazil, RS 844 SD

Big Band’s Back in Town, The (Doc Severinsen), RS 837 SD

Big Noise From Winnetka (Bob Haggart), RS 849 SD

Big, Bold and Brassy, RS 818 SD

Bongos Bongos Bongos, RS 809 SD

Bongos/Flutes/Guitars, RS 812 SD

Brass Impact (Warren Kime), RS 910 SD

Brazilian Impressions (Dick Hyman), RS 911 SD

Broadway – Basie’s Way (Count Basie), RS 905 SD

Carnival – In Far Away Places (Charles Magnante), RS 907 SD

Carol Channing Entertains, RS 880 SD

Carousel, RS 843 SD

Cheerful Earful, A (Lew Davies), RS 861 SD

Cinemagic Sounds (Richard Hayman), 941S

Command Performances (Doc Severinsen), RS 904 SD

Command Performances (Enoch Light), RS 868 SD

Command Performances (The Ray Charles Singers), RS 876 SD

Command Performances (Tony Mottola), RS 885 SD

Command Performances Vol. 2 (Enoch Light), RS 915 SD

Concerto Electro (Dick Hyman), RS 951 SD

Contrasts…The Provocative Musical Genius of Toots Thielemans, RS 906 SD

Dance Gal, Gimme the Banjo (The Robert de Cormier Folk Singers), RS 865 SD

Delicado – Soft, Subtle, Sophisticated Sounds (Lew Davies), RS 846 SD

Dick Hyman Trio, The, RS 832 SD

Dimension *3*, RS 867 SD

Discotheque Vol. 2, RS 882 SD

Discotheque, RS 873 SD

Dixie Rebels Vol. 2, The, RS 825 SD

Dixie Rebels, The, RS 801 SD

Do You Wanna Dance? (Glenn Miller Orch, Buddy DeFranco), 940S

Doc Severinsen and “Friends”…Swinging & Singing, RS 909 SD

Electrodynamics (Dick Hyman at the Lowrey Organ), RS 856 SD

Enoch Light at Carnegie Hall Plays Irving Berlin, RS 840 SD

Explosive Brass Impact (Warren Kime), RS 919 SD

Fabulous (Dick Hyman at the Lowrey Organ), RS 862 SD

Far Away Places Vol. 2, RS 850 SD

Far Away Places, RS 822 SD

Fiesta! South of the Border (Charles Magnante), RS 869 SD

Genuine Electric Latin Love Machine (Richard Hayman), RS 947 SD

Great Themes From Hit Films, RS 835 SD

Great Themes From Hit Films, RS 871 SD

Guitar U.S.A. (Tony Mottola), RS 908 SD

Guitar…Paris (Tony Mottola), RS 877 SD

Happening! (Dick Hyman & Harpsichord), RS 899 SD

Heritage (The Robert de Cormier Folk Singers), RS 884 SD

High – Wide & Wonderful (Doc Severinsen), RS 883 SD

Keyboard Kaleidoscope (Dick Hyman), RS 875 SD

Lee Evans in Concert, RS 858 SD

Let’s Dance the Bossa Nova, RS 851 SD

Live! The Doc Severinsen Sextet, RS 901 SD

Magnificent Movie Themes, RS 887 SD

Man From O.R.G.A.N., The (Dick Hyman), RS 891 SD

Merry Christmas (Hyman, Byrne, various artists), RS 920 SD

Million Dollar Sound of the World’s Most Precious Violins Vol. 2, The, RS 804 SD

Million Dollar Sound of the World’s Most Precious Violins, The, RS 802 SD

Mirrors (Dick Hyman), RS 924 SD

Moog: The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman, RS 938 SD

Mr. Big (Tony Mottola), RS 807 SD

My Musical Coloring Book, RS 848 SD

New Concept of Great Cole Porter Songs, A, RS 879 SD

Off Beat Percussion (Don Lamond), RS 842 SD

One of Those Songs (The Ray Charles Singers), RS 898 SD

Paper Back Ballet, RS 805 SD

Paradise Islands – Songs of Hawaii (The Ray Charles Singers), RS 845 SD

Persuasive Percussion 1966, RS 895 SD

Persuasive Percussion Vol. 2, RS 808 SD

Persuasive Percussion Vol. 3, RS 817 SD

Persuasive Percussion Vol. 4, RS 830 SD

Persuasive Percussion, RS 800 SD

Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green Vol. 2, The, RS 838 SD

Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green, The, RS 815 SD

Pertinent Percussion Cha Chas, RS 814 SD

Popular Music of Leonard Bernstein, The, RS 855 SD

Provocative Percussion Vol. 2, RS 810 SD

Provocative Percussion Vol. 3, RS 821 SD

Provocative Percussion Vol. 4, RS 834 SD

Provocative Percussion, RS 806 SD

Provocative Piano (Dick Hyman), RS 811 SD

Provocative Piano Vol. 2 (Dick Hyman), RS 824 SD

Ray Charles Singers…Something Wonderful, The, RS 827 SD

Reeds and Percussion, RS 820 SD

Roman Accordion (Charles Magnante), RS 852 SD

Roman Guitar (Tony Mottola), RS 816 SD

Roman Guitar Vol. 2 (Tony Mottola), RS 836 SD

Romantic Guitar (Tony Mottola), RS 847 SD

Rome 35/MM – Roman “Pops” Promenade, RS 863 SD

Rome Revisited (The Ray Charles Singers), RS 839 SD

Sentimental Guitar (Tony Mottola), RS 864 SD

Showtime! (Ashley Miller, theatre organ), RS 891 SD

Something Special for Young Lovers (The Ray Charles Singers), RS 866 SD

Songs I Like (Dick Van Dyke with the Ray Charles Singers), RS 860 SD

Sound in the 8th Dimension (Bobby Byrne), RS 928 SD

Spanish Guitar (Tony Mottola), RS 841 SD

Special Something…12 Big Beautiful Songs, A (The Ray Charles Singers), RS 914 SD

Stereo 35/MM Vol. 2, RS 831 SD

Stereo 35/MM, RS 826 SD

Strange Interlude – Persuasive Rhythm & Percussion (Lew Davies), RS 829 SD

String Band Strum Along (Tony Mottola), RS 828 SD

Take Me Along! (The Ray Charles Singers), RS 926 SD

Tempestuous Trumpet (Doc Severinsen), RS 819 SD

Tony Mottola Plays Country & Western Folk Songs, RS 823 SD

Toots! (Toots Thielemans), RS 930 SD

Torch Songs for Trumpet (Doc Severinsen), RS 859 SD

Two Pianos & Twenty Voices (Lew Davies), RS 813 SD

Urbie Green and His 6-tet, RS 857 SD

Vibrations, RS 833 SD

The Command Percussion series

researched and compiled by Jeff Phillips and Mark Koldys

Persuasive Percussion, RS 800

Provocative Percussion, RS 806

Persuasive Percussion Vol. 2, RS 808

Provocative Percussion Vol. 2, RS 810

Pertinent Percussion Cha Chas, RS 814 SD

Persuasive Percussion Vol. 3, RS 817

Provocative Percussion Vol. 3, RS 821

Persuasive Percussion Vol. 4, RS 830

Provocative Percussion Vol. 4, RS 834

Off-Beat Percussion, RS 842 SD

Persuasive Percussion 1966, RS 895 SD