Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the sixties for its record label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI (with Harvest Records) and Decca Records (with Deram Records).
Some of the first artists to sign included Ian Matthews, Dire Straits, Mike Absalom, Dr. Z, Catapilla, Cressida, Colosseum, Black Sabbath, Jade Warrior, Switzerland's Flame Dream (with Los Angeles guitarist Dale Hauskins), Nirvana, Kraftwerk, Ben, Keith Tippett Group, Tudor Lodge and Magna Carta. After Philips Records was renamed to Phonogram Records, majors like Status Quo,Thin Lizzy and Tears for Fears (in Canada and briefly in Europe) joined Vertigo too. Now part of the Universal Music Group, Vertigo is a division of Mercury Records and distributes, Razorlight, Metallica (outside the US, Canada, and Japan) and Dire Straits (except the US). More recent signings include The Rapture, The Killers (UK/Éire), One Night Only and the Noisettes.
