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Trademark of Quality

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Trade Mark Of Quality (abbreviated TMOQ or TMQ) was a bootleg record label based in Los Angeles, California during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The label was responsible for many underground records of Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Devo, Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Frank Zappa, The Rolling Stones, The Who and many other popular rock artists of the era. The major record labels were shocked and dismayed that any anonymous person could obtain or make a bootleg recording of one of their artists and press up records and release them for sale.

Trade Mark of Quality was established in 1970 by "Dub" Taylor and Ken Douglas (now an avid sailor and author.) They were quality-conscious perfectionists who pressed all their albums on coloured, virgin vinyl, and perhaps the first bootleggers to start producing real, printed picture covers, and later colour picture covers (printed - not inserts under the shrink-wrap as seen on "head shop" bootlegs). Dub & Ken had released several albums under different names before settling on "Trade Mark Of Quality" in 1970, the first being the (in)famous "Great White Wonder" by Bob Dylan. According to Ken, "Dub" recorded several of TMOQ's releases himself, including the classic Rolling Stones' "Live'r Than You'll Ever Be" and Led Zeppelin's "Live On Blueberry Hill". TMOQ frequently released their albums with cover art by William Stout.

A little label history: 1st generation releases are known as TMOQ or "farm pig" and were released by Dub & Ken. Actually the first pressings had big number 1/2/3/4 labels and later pressings had different variations of the "farm pig" label. An unknown number of titles also had "Made In Holland" printed on the labels and this was (according to the book "Great White Wonders" ), done because of the liberal laws in Holland. These copies were then exported to Europe. All TMOQ albums initially had blank generic jackets with rubber stamped title, TMOQ stickers in silver, gold and various other colours with records pressed on black or coloured vinyl when available. Most, but not all albums, had a back insert. 2nd generation releases came after Dub & Ken split up partnership and they began a "friendly competition" as Ken released titles on his own TMOQ also known as the "Smoking Pig" label before establishing The Amazing Kornyfone Record Label (TAKRL) with a new partner. An arrangement with the pressing plant allowed him use of Dub's TMOQ stampers to press his own copies of Dub's records along with his own new releases. His releases were a mix of CV and black vinyl pressings and had front inserts (usually same as the old TMOQ back inserts but now with the TMOQ logo). Between 1973-74 a lot of titles were released without catalogue numbers and can only be identified by the matrix numbers. In 1973 Dub & Ken meet an art student named William Stout who expressed an interest in designing their album covers, his first being the Rolling Stones "Winter Tour 1973" double album. Stout subsequently designed all the TMOQ cartoon covers in his unique style. The most famous is probably The Rolling Stones "Welcome to New York" in 1973 which was also the label's first printed deluxe cover. His last ones were in 1976 when TMOQ released 6 albums in their deluxe series. The most lovely ones are probably Jeff Beck's "Beckfast" album with a cartoon version of the "Kellog*s Corn Flakes" pack and Paul McCartney&Wings "Great Dane" double album with a cartoon version of the HMV dog.

Releases

File:Great White Wonder album.png
Bob Dylan's Great White Wonder, Ken and Dub's first release and the first rock bootleg ever.

TMOQ single LPs:

TMOQ Single LPs:

TMOQ Double LPs :

TMOQ Double LPs Budget series:

TMOQ 7" Single Series :

TMOQ Single LP Deluxe series :

TMOQ Double LP Deluxe series :

  • 62001 – The Who – Who's Zoo
  • 62002 – The Who – Tales Of The Who

TMOQ Triple LP Deluxe series :

  • 63001 – Bob Dylan – Saint Valentine's Day Massacre

TMOQ Single LP Deluxe series :

TMOQ Double LP Deluxe series :

TMOQ Double LPs :

References

Clinton Heylin (1996). Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-14289-7.

Hot Wacks Press (1996). Hot Wacks Book XV : The last Wacks. Canada: The Hot Wacks Press. ISBN 0-969-80803-8.

John C. Winn (2011). Beatlegmania: Volume Four. New York : Multiplus Books. ISBN 978-0-9728362-6-5.

See also