Issuu 45 rpm by Premium Publishing

John Delaney

The ultimate reference guide to the wonderful world of British 45 rpm record company sleeves!

Getting a job at an artwork production/design company in London’s West End in the late ‘70s, John found himself near to the many second-hand record stores, and very quickly his record collection started to grow. Today, John owns about 5000 singles and 1000 more sleeves. His collection includes all different kinds of music – from rock’n’roll to 1960s beat, rock, pop, soul, reggae, glam to punk and a variety of styles to more recent bands. John Delaney spent about 35 years of his life collecting all the various Record Company Sleeves. This is what he found...

This book features over 900 sleeves dating from when the 7 inch record was introduced in the UK at the end of 1952, right through to the end of the 1980s, after being taken over by the picture sleeves. All these ageing pieces of paper, of which a number are getting increasingly difficult to find, are presented here – for each label in chronological order with the approximate dates of their life span. These sleeves belong to an array of over 350 different Record Companies, or labels (including those who only made cover versions and ex-juke box sleeves). Each label is represented with a brief history, including fascinating stories about their owners/founders and artists. No longer will you have to wonder if that old record you’ve just come across and its sleeve have been lifetime partners. Having the proper Record Company sleeve paired to an orginal record can increase the total value by a significant amount. This impeccable reference book includes a rarity guide (rated 1-5) for each and every original sleeve and even denotes which sleeves are currently available as reproductions.

BBC RECORDS

Set up in 1970, the British Broadcasting Corporation’s own label mainly used for releasing soundtracks, themes and records related to programmes shown on the BBC. The first single release came from the Early Music Consort with David Munrow and a piece called ‘Henry VIII Suite’ which got to No. 49 in April ’71. One TV related chart entry came in May ’73 with ‘Whatever Happened To You’ (the ‘Likely Lads’ theme) from the sit-com of the same name by Highly Likely, it was co-written by Manfred Mann’s Mike Hugg who was doing a lot of TV/radio advertising work around this time. In 1973 came the third of eight releases of Ron Grainer’s theme to the TV series ‘Doctor Who’ by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, whose work was aided by Delia Derbyshire, but it has never made the charts. Of the TV themes made by the BBC, releases came from popular series and programs including ‘The Spy Trap’, ‘Grandstand’, ‘Wings’, ‘Duchess of Duke Street’, ‘Hong Kong Beat’, ‘Blake’s 7’, ‘Grange Hill’, ‘Shoestring’, ‘Tomorrow’s World’, ‘Juliet Bravo’ and ‘The Chinese Detective’. Other TV related singles came from Roy Castle with the theme to his programme ‘Record Breaker’, actor Arthur Lowe, ‘Nationwide’s’ Richard Stilgoe, Norrie Paramor, Spike Milligan, Russ Conway and The Two Ronnies – Barker & Corbett.

A B

By 1976 BBC Records had a distribution

A B

1971 - 1973

deal with Pye.

2nd sleeve, first was a plain white sleeve with logo in orange on A side only.

# 055 HHHHH

Other hits came from Yannis Markopoulos with ‘Who Pays The Ferryman’ in late 1977. In early 1982 came the theme to ‘Swop Shop’ – ‘I Wanna Be A Winner’ from Brown Sauce which reached No. 16, the group was made up of the shows presenters Noel Edmonds, Keith Chegwin and Maggie Philbin. Keith Harris & Orville at the end of ’82 with ‘Orville’s Song’ reaching No. 4. Probably its best known hit was ‘Anyone Can Fall In Love’ which is basically the theme to top TV soap ‘Eastenders’ from one time Eastenders actress Anita ‘Angie’ Dobson in 1986. A disco version of the Eastenders theme came from Soapy called ‘Top Of The Box’. Other releases came from Kenneth Williams, Floella Benjamin, The ‘Not The Nine O’Clock News’ team, from the comedy; Paul Shane & The Yellowcoats with ‘Hi De Hi (Holiday Rock)’ and the Grange Hill Cast who made No.5 in May ’86 with ‘Just Say No’. A few months later another character from the TV soap Eastenders, Nick Berry had an unrelated No. 1 with ‘Every Loser Wins’. Also from the Eastender cast came Letitia Dean and Paul Medford who had a No. 12 hit with ‘Something Outa Nothing’.

Having previously been in the top 10 back in 1976 with ‘Summer Of My Life’ (on Pye) and recording the original ‘Eastenders’ theme, Simon May and his Orchestra with Marti Webb took the theme from another BBC programme ‘Howard’s Way’ to No. 21 in 1985. Other releases around the mid-late ’80s included Hazel O’Connor, Chas and Dave, Aled Jones, Eric Claptin & Michael Kamen, Enya and Carl Wayne (formerly of The Move). 1986 saw the BBC in the top 20 with a novelty children’s record from Claire and Friends with ‘It’s ‘Orrible Being In Love (When You’re 8½)’. In 1990 Mungo Jerry rerecorded their 1970 No. 1 hit ‘In the Summertime’ but this time it wasn’t to chart.

All sleeves are depicted in colour, front and back.

Since its launch the BBC label had

# 056 HHHII

1974 - 1980

seems dormant.

C D

# 203 HHHHI

de to 7" i u G ’s r o t A Collec eves e l S y n a p m R e c o rd C o

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# 057 HHIII

1981 - 1987

CO NTE MP

Threadbound, deluxe binding. Fully illustrated in colour. 600 pages.

only the occasional release but now

The UK 45 rpm sleeves

John Delaney was born in east London in 1961 and grew up in Tottenham. He started buying singles during the ‘Glam Rock’ era of the early 1970s. Being pulled to the ‘60s and having had Art as the main subject at school, the numerous 7" sleeves of the record companies created an interest and a quest to find out more.

A Collector’s Guide to 7" Record Company Sleeves

About the author

Whether you are an avid record collector or someone who simply bought a number of records when younger, this book will serve as a useful guide in ascertaining what sleeve a particular record would have most likely come in when new.

C D

1979 - 1980

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John Delaney

PREMIUM PUBLISHING Warfvinges Väg 34 Box 30 184 SE-104 25 Stockholm Sweden Phone: +46 8 545 689 20 E-mail: info@premiumpublishing.com www.premiumpublishing.com The UK 45 rpm sleeves – A Collector’s Guide to 7" Record Company Sleeves ISBN: 978-91-89136-71-7 Producer: Wille Wendt Production manager: Liska Cersowsky Design & Layout: Liska Cersowsky Image scanning: John Delaney (unless other credited) Scanning supervision: Roger Holegård Some sleeves were kindly supplied to us in cooperation with www.45-sleeves.com Printed in EU by Bulls Graphics, Halmstad, Sweden Paper: MultiArt silk 115 gr First edition: © 2013 Premium Publishing – a div. of Internal AB All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any other form or by any means, electronic, digital, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.

The UK

45 rpm sleeves A Collectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide to 7" Record Company Sleeves

John Delaney

Contents INTRODUCTION.................................................11 HOW TO READ THIS BOOK..............................15 C•D CACTUS..............................................................80 CAMEO PARKWAY..............................................81 CAMP..................................................................82 CANNON.............................................................82 CAPITOL..............................................................84 CARNABY...........................................................93 CASABLANCA.....................................................93 CASINO CLASSICS.............................................96 CAT......................................................................96 CBS.....................................................................97 CHAMPAGNE....................................................108 CHAMPION.......................................................109 CHANNEL..........................................................110 CHARISMA........................................................110 CHARM.............................................................112 CHESS..............................................................112 CHIPS................................................................114 CHISWICK.........................................................115 CHRYSALIS.......................................................117 CITYBEAT..........................................................121 CODA................................................................121 COLPIX..............................................................122 COLUMBIA........................................................123 COMA................................................................140 CONTACT..........................................................140 CONTEMPO......................................................141 CREED TAYLOR INC / CTI................................143 CREOLE............................................................144 CRIMINAL..........................................................146 CROSSBOW......................................................146 DARK HORSE...................................................147 DAWN................................................................147 DEACON............................................................148 DECCA..............................................................149 DECEPTIVE.......................................................159 DECONSTRUCTION.........................................159 DEEP HEAT.......................................................160 DEF JAM...........................................................160 DELYSÉ/ENVOY................................................161 DEMON.............................................................162 DEP INTERNATIONAL.......................................163 DERAM..............................................................164 DESTINY............................................................167 DINDISC............................................................167 DIP.....................................................................168 DIRECTION.......................................................169 DJM...................................................................170

A•B ABC.....................................................................17 ACE.....................................................................19 ACID JAZZ...........................................................19 ACTIVE................................................................20 ALBION...............................................................21 ALL PLATINUM....................................................23 A&M.....................................................................24 AMMO.................................................................30 ANCHOR.............................................................30 ANTIC..................................................................32 APPLE.................................................................33 ARAWAK.............................................................36 ARIOLA................................................................37 ARISTA................................................................38 ASYLUM..............................................................40 ATCO...................................................................42 ATLANTIC............................................................42 AURORA..............................................................47 AVATAR................................................................47 AVCO...................................................................48 AVENUE...............................................................49 AVI.......................................................................50 BACK DOOR.......................................................51 BAF......................................................................51 BANG..................................................................52 BARCLAY............................................................53 BARN...................................................................54 BASF...................................................................55 BBC RECORDS...................................................56 B&C.....................................................................58 BEACON..............................................................58 BEDROCK...........................................................59 BEGGARS BANQUET.........................................60 BELL....................................................................61 BIG SHOT............................................................67 BLACK SWAN.....................................................67 BLAST FROM THE PAST....................................68 BLUE BEAT..........................................................68 BLUE BIRD..........................................................69 BLUE HORIZON..................................................70 BLUEPRINT.........................................................71 BRADLEY’S.........................................................72 BRUNSWICK.......................................................73 BTM.....................................................................76 BUDDAH.............................................................76 BUS STOP...........................................................78 BUZZ INTERNATIONAL.......................................79

DOLPHIN...........................................................173 DOT...................................................................174 DOUBLE D........................................................177 DRAGON...........................................................177 DURIUM............................................................178

GSF...................................................................237 GTO...................................................................237 GULL.................................................................241 HALAGALA........................................................242 HANDSHAKE.....................................................242 HARBOR...........................................................243 HARVEST..........................................................243 HDH...................................................................246 HI.......................................................................247 HICKORY...........................................................248 HIT PARADE......................................................249 HMV...................................................................250 HOT WAX..........................................................260 HURRICANE......................................................261

E•F EAGLE...............................................................179 EBONY..............................................................179 EDGE.................................................................180 ELECTRATONE.................................................180 ELEKTRA...........................................................181 EMBASSY.........................................................184 EMBER..............................................................186 EMERALD..........................................................188 EMI....................................................................189 EMI secondary sleeves.....................................193 EMI AMERICA...................................................196 EMI INTERNATIONAL........................................197 EMI IRELAND....................................................197 ENSIGN.............................................................199 EPIC..................................................................203 EVOLUTION......................................................209 FAMOUS G&W..................................................210 FANTASY...........................................................210 FASHION...........................................................211 F-BEAT..............................................................212 FFRR.................................................................213 FICTION.............................................................214 FIFTH AVENUE..................................................215 FIRE...................................................................216 FLAG.................................................................216 FLY / CUBE.......................................................218 FLYING RECORD CO........................................220 FM.....................................................................220 FONTANA..........................................................221 4TH & BROADWAY...........................................226 FRESH AIR........................................................227 FURY.................................................................228

I•J ICE.....................................................................262 IDS.....................................................................262 IGNITION...........................................................263 ILLEGAL............................................................264 IMMEDIATE.......................................................265 IMPORTANT......................................................268 INFERNO...........................................................268 INFINITY............................................................269 INVICTUS..........................................................269 ISLAND..............................................................270 I-SPY.................................................................277 JAM...................................................................278 JANUS...............................................................279 JET....................................................................280 JIVE...................................................................282 K•L KAMA SUTRA....................................................284 KAMAFLAGE.....................................................285 KENT.................................................................285 KING..................................................................286 KIRSHNER.........................................................286 KONK................................................................287 LAMBORGHINI..................................................288 LEGACY............................................................288 LIBERTY............................................................289 LISMOR.............................................................292 LONDON...........................................................293

G•H GALA.................................................................229 GALE.................................................................229 GALLERY...........................................................230 GEM..................................................................230 GIPSY................................................................231 GM.....................................................................232 GO.....................................................................233 GO-FEET...........................................................233 GRAPEVINE.......................................................234 GREENSLEEVES...............................................235 GROOVE...........................................................235 GROSVENOR....................................................236

M•N MAGIC MOON...................................................301 MAGNET...........................................................301 MAJOR MINOR.................................................303 MAM..................................................................305 MANGO.............................................................307 MANTICORE.....................................................308 MAPLE ANNIE...................................................309

MARMALADE....................................................309 MATUMBI..........................................................310 MCA..................................................................311 MDM..................................................................316 MERCURY.........................................................316 METROPOLIS....................................................321 MGM..................................................................321 MIDDLE EARTH.................................................326 MIDLAND..........................................................326 MINIT.................................................................327 MOJO................................................................328 MONUMENT.....................................................328 MOONCREST....................................................330 MOROCCO........................................................331 MOTHER...........................................................331 MOUNTAIN........................................................332 MOWEST...........................................................333 MUSIC FACTORY..............................................333 NASHVILLE.......................................................334 NEIGHBORHOOD.............................................334 NEMS................................................................336 NEPENTHIA.......................................................337 NIXA..................................................................338

PLUM................................................................393 POLO.................................................................393 POLYDOR..........................................................394 POPTONES.......................................................402 PORTRAIT.........................................................403 POSTCARD.......................................................403 POWER EXCHANGE.........................................405 PRIVATE STOCK...............................................405 PROBE..............................................................407 PURPLE.............................................................409 PVK....................................................................410 PYE....................................................................411 PYE INTERNATIONAL.......................................420 PYE JAZZ..........................................................423 PYE ZODIAC.....................................................424 PYRAMID..........................................................425

Q•R QUALITON.........................................................426 RADAR..............................................................426 RAFT..................................................................427 RAK...................................................................428 RAMPAGE.........................................................431 RAPTURE..........................................................432 RARE EARTH....................................................432 RAYRIK..............................................................433 RCA...................................................................434 REACT...............................................................447 RED BIRD..........................................................448 RED SHADOW..................................................449 REGAL ZONOPHONE.......................................450 REPRISE............................................................452 RESPOND.........................................................456 RETREAT...........................................................457 REVIVAL............................................................458 REVOLUTION....................................................458 RHINO...............................................................459 RHYTHM KING..................................................459 RIALTO..............................................................460 RIDDLE..............................................................462 RIGHT ON!........................................................462 RIM....................................................................463 RING O’.............................................................464 RITZ...................................................................464 RK......................................................................465 ROCKET............................................................466 ROLLING STONES............................................468 RONCO.............................................................469 ROSIE................................................................470 ROULETTE........................................................470 ROUTE..............................................................471 RSO...................................................................472

O•P ODEON..............................................................339 OLD GOLD........................................................339 OPAL.................................................................344 ORANGE...........................................................344 ORBITONE........................................................345 ORIOLE.............................................................346 PAGE INTERNATIONAL.....................................349 PAGE ONE.........................................................349 PALADIN............................................................351 PALETTE............................................................351 PAMA.................................................................352 PARAMOUNT....................................................353 PARLOPHONE..................................................354 PAST MASTERS................................................368 PENNY FARTHING............................................368 PENTAGON.......................................................370 PEOPLE UNITE.................................................371 PHIL SPECTOR INT...........................................372 PHILADELPHIA INT...........................................372 PHILIPS.............................................................376 PHILIPS ‘WEST AFRICAN’................................382 PHOENIX...........................................................383 PHONOGRAM...................................................384 PICCADILLY......................................................387 PINNACLE.........................................................389 PINNER.............................................................390 PLANET.............................................................391 PLAZA...............................................................391

S•T SAGA.................................................................475 SALSOUL..........................................................475 SATRIL...............................................................476 SCOPE..............................................................476 SCOTIA..............................................................478 SCRATCH..........................................................478 SIDEWALK.........................................................479 SIGNPOST........................................................479 SIRE...................................................................480 SLUT SMALLS..................................................483 SMP...................................................................483 SN-B..................................................................484 SONET...............................................................485 SOUL CITY........................................................486 SOVEREIGN......................................................487 STATE................................................................488 STATESIDE........................................................491 STAX..................................................................495 STEPPIN’ OUT..................................................498 STIFF.................................................................498 STRIKE..............................................................501 SUE...................................................................502 SUMMIT............................................................503 SUN...................................................................504 SUPREME.........................................................505 SWAN SONG.....................................................505 TAM TAM...........................................................506 TAMLA MOTOWN.............................................507 TANGERINE.......................................................517 TIFFANY............................................................517 TK......................................................................518 TOM CAT...........................................................519 TOP RANK.........................................................520 TOP 6................................................................523 TOTAL CONTROL.............................................525 TOTAL EXPERIENCE.........................................526 TRANSATLANTIC..............................................526 TREND...............................................................527 T.REX.................................................................527 TRIUMPH..........................................................528 TROJAN............................................................530 20TH CENTURY................................................533 TWO CAT...........................................................535 TWO TONE........................................................535

URBAN..............................................................546 UTOPIA..............................................................547 VANGUARD.......................................................547 VELVET..............................................................549 VENTURE..........................................................550 VERTIGO...........................................................550 VERVE...............................................................553 VIRGIN...............................................................555 VOCALION........................................................557 VOGUE..............................................................557 VULCAN............................................................558 W•X WARNER BROS................................................560 WESTBOUND....................................................568 WEST END........................................................568 WIZARD.............................................................569 WWA..................................................................570 Y•Z YORK.................................................................571 YOUNG BLOOD................................................572 ZILCH................................................................574 EX-JUKEBOX 45 RPM ADAPTORS ........................................575 OLDIES UNLIMITED..........................................576 POP-EX.............................................................578 STAR DISCS......................................................578 STAR HITS.........................................................579 SUPER HITS......................................................580 TOPLINE HIT RECORDS...................................582 SHOP OWNS SHOPS OWN.....................................................583 BEANOS............................................................585 RECORD & TAPE EXCHANGE..........................585 FILMED LINED CARD REPLACEMENT SLEEVES FILM LINED CARDS..........................................586

STOP PRESS FRONTIER.........................................................588 TOP TEN............................................................588 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................592

U•V UK......................................................................537 UNI....................................................................539 UNITED ARTISTS..............................................541 UPC...................................................................545

BIBLIOGRAPHY...............................................593 RECOMMENDED WEBSITES..........................593

The future of vinyl Thomas Edison invented the Cylinder Phonograph in 1877, followed ten years later by Emile Berliner developing the first flat disc recordings which replaced the Cylinder disc. Columbia invented the vinyl LP in 1948 and RCA introduced the 7" 45 rpm single a year later. Who would have thought that despite the continual advancements in technology since and the rise of ‘YouTube’ and ‘Downloading’ as a medium, that today vinyl is still the preferred choice of many a record buyer and music enthusiast. Many conversations I’ve had in recent years have me being told with some certainty that vinyl is no longer made and hasn’t been for years. Up until a few years ago it was reported that record pressing plants were struggling to cope as the demand was out-stripping the ability to supply, and yes, I know, there are not as many pressing plants around now than say, thirty years ago. Also singles aren’t being produced in such high quantities as before, but... A fair number of vinyl records, including picture discs and coloured vinyl are currently being manufactured, though from 2010 the output has declined slightly from the high volume peak achieved in the mid-late 2000’s. The sale of singles have continued to rise in the last few years, but as people slowly desert the CD format, this has come via Downloads.

Help us find missing sleeves There are a certain number of sleeves that I know of which I have not been able to locate. I could hold up the book for, say, another ten years, but it will be no guarantee of finding them. A vast number of record labels came in a plain white sleeve and are too numerous to mention here. A number of small record labels which came in the main company sleeve also don’t get included for the same reason. A few foreign sleeves did find their way into UK record shops but they have not been included. Further, labels releasing records apart the common music styles, e.g. children’s music or sacred music have been excluded. I would like to create the best possible guide/history book on the subject, so, if you have any record sleeve that is not featured in this guide then I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at my mail: john.delaney@premiumpublishing.com. Your contribution could be featured in an updated edition in the future.

Criteria for sleeves to be included We have paid attention to five criteria for sleeves to be featured in this book:



A sleeve must be made in the UK to be included.



A sleeve must be unique for its label.



The sleeve must be made for a 7" record.



Labels which only issued plain or coloured sleeves without any print on them, are not included.



However, if a label is already listed with a printed-on sleeve, also its coloured sleeves without print are depicted.

Important ! In this book we focus on the UK market and British charts. Whenever we refer to the US market or US charts, this is mentioned in the text.

How to read this book Take a look at the graphic below for better understanding:

Sleeve front

The black ‘R’-symbol indicates that the sleeve is available as a ‘repro’. The red ‘R’-symbol tells you that we actually depicted the repro sleeve in this book due to lack of the original.

Sleeve back

R R

Sleeve number for easy reference between collectors.

# 001

HHHII August 1968 - December 1970

Gloss finish

Info about during what time period the sleeve was used, the sleeve’s design details and usage. The size of the above sleeve is 182 mm wide and the center hole is 64 mm at its widest point. (55 mm on some 1950s sleeves)

Rarity Guide Our rarity guide indicates how common/rare the sleeves are now:

HIIII common sleeve HHIII fairly common sleeve HHHII not common sleeve HHHHI rare sleeve HHHHH extremely rare sleeve

Contact the author john.delaney@premiumpublishing.com

The rarity guide indicates how common/rare the sleeve is. See below.

EMBASSY Set up by the high street store Woolworths to release cover versions of hits of the day and sell them at half the standard price to encourage sales over the original. Many a youngster got a copy of their favourite record rather than the original as parents bought the cheaper option, not wondering what all the fuss was about – ‘You’ve got the song! Isn’t that what YOU wanted...?’

E F

Embassy’s first release, on a 78 rpm 10" disc (WB 101), was ‘Three Coins In A Fountain’/‘If I Could Write A Song’ by Larry Cross in November 1954. Though reasonably competent singers and musicians were used, all receiving a one-off payment for their work, most of the artists that recorded for Embassy were not well known. A number of fairly well known names of the day recorded for the label under assumed names. This was due to contractual reasons and also, being associated with a cut price cover versions label was something some might not have wanted to be known for! Embassy’s releases were recorded and pressed by the Oriole label sharing the same studios, and some of Orioles artists are thought to have got involved. Orioles turn around was very quick, sometimes recorded on a Thursday, records were in the shops by Monday! This meant they were able to compete with a current hit and it helped in case the original quickly dropped out of the charts. Due to Orioles contract work – pressing records for other labels, their own records and those of Embassy – the label suffered availability problems and it is thought that a few could have made the charts. Apart from singles which ended in January ’65, there was also an EP series titled ‘The Big Four’ which continued well into 1965. Embassy was originally wound down during 1965 after CBS acquired Oriole, but later CBS used it as a re-issues and a budget label. Some of the names who recorded for Embassy included Bob Dale, Beryl Templeman, Rita Williams, Eve Lombard, Four-In-A-Chord, David Ross, the Tunettes, Linda Joyce/Maureen Evans, Les Carle, Terry Brandon, Rikki Henderson, Don Duke, Shorty Mitchell (Geoff Love), Redd Wayne/Mike Redway, Johnny Worth, Les Cable, Matt Bryant (Ian Matthew), Joan Baxter, Bud Ashton and groups like the Typhoons, the Starlings, the Beatmen and the Jaybirds, all featuring Ray Reardon. Having the last release in January 1965 was Paul Rich covering Del Shannon’s ‘Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow The Sun)’ on side ‘A’. Burt Shane doing Val Doonican’s ‘The Special Years’ was on side ‘B’ (WB 678). After years of being ignored and almost given away, some of these cover version records have recently been looked at in greater detail and started gaining a value that is normally reserved for the originals.

184

R # 279 HHHHI 1957 - 1959

R # 280 HHHII Late 1950s - Early 1960s

R # 281 HHHII Early - Mid 1960s

185

E F

SN-B Set up in late 1967 by Simon Napier-Bell, whose initials gave the label its name. Simon Napier-Bell had become the new manager of rock/r’n’b group the Yardbirds who in 1966 appeared in Michelangelo Antonioni’s cult ’60s film ‘Blow-Up’. Also in the film was actor David Hemmings who had set up a talent/film production agency called the Helmdale Company at which Napier-Bell also worked and so they decided to launch a record label getting a distribution deal with CBS. Producing a number of the releases was former Ember signed artist Ray Singer. He wrote for and was briefly a member of the UK band Nirvana who had a hit on the Island label in 1968. He went on to produce and write for a number of well known acts and is still working at his north London studios. He launched the ‘Singer’ label in 2005. The first release came on the 24th May 1968 from four sisters from Liberia called Flamma Sherman featuring the soulful voices of Louiza, Corina, Vicki and Georgie Flamma Sherman. Their ‘No Need To Explain’, like their next ‘Love Is In The Air’ and ‘Move Me’ and all SN-B releases, they failed to chart. A week later came its second single from Andy Ellison, who had been fronting rock band John’s Children featuring Marc Bolan, also managed by Napier-Bell, with his cover of the Beatles tune ‘You Can’t Do That’. David Hemmings also recorded a single but its release was cancelled. One of the labels notable releases came from the Irish progressive folk/rock group Mellow Candle formed by three schoolgirls from Dublin. In mid ’68 they headed for London and recorded ‘Feeling High’ and ‘Tea With The Sun’, produced by Ray Singer and backed by ex-Vernons Girls – the Breakaways. The single was released on 16th August and is is now worth around £60. Other acts on SN-B included Nicola Davis, Chris Duffy, Rory Fellows, Francoise Pascal and Sue Wilshaw. Having three singles out during ’69 was Clive Sands who was in fact the youngest of the Sarstedt brothers – Robin. Older brother Peter had a No. 1 this year with ‘Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)’ (UA), produced by Ray Singer. Robin made the top 5 in ’76 with ‘My Resistance Is Low’ (Decca). After releasing less than thirty singles, SN-B closed by the end of 1969. Napier-Bell and Singer set up the Rocking Horse production company. In 1977 they would manage punk band London (MCA) producing a few of their tracks. Then in 1978 they produced the group Japan (Ariola Hansa. In 1982 Napier-Bell became the manager of pop duo Wham!. David Hemmings died in 2003.

S T

# 805 HHHHI 1968 - 1969

484

SONET Renowned Swedish label set up in Stockholm 1955 by two men who had spent some years working in the music business. Promoter Anders Dyrup and Karl Emil Knudsen, who ran his own label in Copenhagen, called Storyville. A few years later they were joined by Gunnar Bergström, Sven Lindholm and Dag Häggqvist. At first Sonet specialised in blues and jazz, hence the trumpet in the logo. Sonet wasn’t launched in the UK until October 1968. At first it got a distribution deal with CBS until 1970, then EMI until ’72 then Pye. Its first single came via the re-issue ‘Hey Baby’ from Bruce Channel . Its next was from Little Joe Cook with ‘Don’t You Have Feelings’. Other releases, not to chart, came from the Swedish group Slam Creepers, Brett Marvin & the Thunderbolts, Terry Dactyl & the Dinosaurs and Jona Lewie aka John Lewis, whose ‘Sea Side Shuffle’ from 1971 got re-issued by the UK label in ’72 and made No. 2. Lewie stayed on Sonet until 1977 when he signed to Stiff and later re-discovered the charts. Swedish beat/pop group Ola & the Janglers, Shepherds Bush Comets, American Gypsy, Francis Goya, Hank The Knife And The Jets, Stardust, Hurriganes and Richard Clayderman where also represented by Sonet. While in the top 20 with a re-issue of their most famous song ‘Rock Around The Clock’, Bill Haley & the Comets had some new material out. This included a version of Kris Kristofferson’s song ‘Me And Bobby McGee’. In early 1978 it had new wave/power pop group the Stukas who got some airplay with their track ‘Sport’ but it wasn’t to chart. Other releases at this time included some hard rocking rhythm & blues like ‘I Can’t Stop Lovin’’ from George Thorogood & the Destroyers who managed one brief album chart entry in ’78. Stalling outside the top 30 in 1981 was Barbara Jones with ‘Just When I Needed You Most’. Sonet will be mainly remembered for three big hits of the ’70s. The first came from Swedish singer Sylvia with the unforgettable ‘Y Viva Espana’ which went top 5 in the summer of ’74, a follow-up just made the top 40. The other main hit came in 1976 from Dutch group Pussycat who spent all of October at No. 1 with ‘Mississippi’, their next ‘Smile’ made the top 30 early in ’77. Not quite making the top 20 was Swedish musician Hank C. Burnette with his ‘Spinning Rock Boogie’ at the end of ’76. Later in 1977 Sonet was high in the charts again with another Dutch singer going under the name of Danny Mirror who with ‘I Remember Elvis Presley’ took his tribute to the recently departed ‘King of Rock’n’Roll’ to No. 4. Sonet appears to have continued in the UK to around the mid 1980s. In the early 1990s Sonet was acquired by Polygram, then in the late ’90s it became part of Universal Music Sweden.

S T

# 806 HHHHI 1970s

Gloss card.

485

WARNER BROS. ... of Burbank, California. Warner Bros. was founded in the early 1920s by the four brothers Albert, Harold, Jack and Sam as a film studio in Hollywood. Warner’s was one of the first to try out ‘talking pictures’, a brave step at the time but it paid off with Al Jolson’s ‘The Jazz Singer’ being a box office hit. The silent film era was at an end, and while the film industry acknowledged the success of the Warner Bros., it wasn’t until the late 1950s that they thought of getting fully involved in the music entertainment industry. In 1958 Warner Bros. Records got a UK distribution deal with Decca. The first WB single came from the already successful Everly Brothers who got their second No. 1 with ‘Cathy’s Clown’ which stayed at the top for nine weeks from the end of April 1960. Don and Phil’s vocal harmonies and rock‘n’roll sound continued into the early ’60s, having two more No. 1’s among nearly twenty hits. But soon they were doing more contemporary sounds as heard on 1965’s slightly heavy up-beat No. 2 hit ‘The Price Of Love’. They later veered towards a country sound. The Everly’s stayed on WB until 1970 though the hits dried up by 1968. In 1960 American actress Connie Stevens had one of Warner’s earliest hits with ‘Sixteen Reasons’ reaching No. 2. Bob Luman took ‘Let’s Think About Living’ to No. 6. In early ’62 Dorothy Provine made the top 20 with ‘Don’t Bring Lulu’. In April ’63 the Cascades took their only UK hit ‘Rhythm Of The Rain’ to No. 5. Later in the year comedian Allan Sherman took his only hit ‘Hello Muddah! Hello Fadduh! (A Letter From Camp)’ into the top 20. Another comic record came from Jerry Samuels going as Napoleon XIV. His one hit ‘They’re Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!’ went top 5 in September ’66. Coming from New York City’s Greenwich Village art/poets/folk/political scene were Peter, Paul and Mary. Their first single ‘Lemon Tree’ in May ’62 flopped as did ‘If I Had A Hammer’ three months later. A cover of a Bob Dylan song gave them a top 20 hit in ’63 and another in ’64. But in 1969 a cover of the John Denver song ‘Leaving On A Jet Plane’ took the trio to No. 2 in early 1970 shortly before they split. In the early to mid 1960s, WB’s releases featured many American names not always too familiar to the UK record buying public. Some more known names that weren’t charting included Bill Haley & his Comets, Freddie Cannon, Leroy Van Dyke, Johnny Nash, Vic Damone and Jimmy Durante. In the late 1960s the still performing folk rock vocal group the Association, who had a number of hits in the US, only managed one top 30 entry. Other one-off hits came from Mason Williams with his guitar instrumental ‘Classical Gas’ going top 10 in ’68. Popular French singer Sacha Distel had only one UK chart entry during his long career, though the song ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’ from the film ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ did re-enter the charts five times in 1970 peaking at No. 10. In October ’68 Californian acid rock band the Grateful Dead released their first UK single ‘Born Cross-Eyed’ but only their LP’s were to chart. Not to see the charts while signed to WB were Dion, Long John Baldry, Seals & Croft, Ike & Tina Turner, Major Lance, Ashford & Simpson, Osibisa and reggae singer Pluto. Also here in the early 1970s were Wayne Fontana, Greenslade and the Pretty Things.

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From the beginning of the 1970s WB soon became a label to look out for, especially after it signed Rod Stewart & the Faces and Alice Cooper. The Faces first WB single in February ’70 was ‘Flying’, although a solo Rod Stewart was soon to chart on the Mercury label. With Rod, the Face’s first hit ‘Stay With Me’ went top 10 in early ’72. Changing his name from Vincent Furnier, Alice Cooper’s first UK release ‘Eighteen’ came on the Straight label in April ’71. His first single on Warner Bros., ‘Under My Wheels’, followed in November and also went unnoticed. But, his follow-up won him legions of fans with school kids and rock fans alike in the summer of ’72 with ‘School’s Out’ which put him at No. 1. These two names were being good sellers for WB in the early-mid ’70s. Adding to this momentum came an exemplary hit in ’71 from Curved Air with their only chart entry ‘Back Street Luv’ which reached No. 4. The same could be said of America’s ‘Horse With No Name’ reaching

560

No. 3 early in 1972 though they would see the charts again. In 1969 the singer/songwriter James Taylor came to WB, although better sales came through his albums, from his three singles to chart he did get to No. 4 in ’71 with ‘You’ve Got A Friend’. Someone else doing well in the album charts but never having any luck with his singles around this time was Van Morrison. Releasing their first single in May ’71 was Earth Wind & Fire. ‘Help Somebody’ was some years ahead of their hits which came on CBS. Initially a red paper label, it came in orange after it had gone to Pye in mid 1965. It then went green in 1971 after it got bought by the Kinney corporation. In late 1973 WB changed the label design again from the green to the watercolour type painting which lasted until 1978/79 when a beige background colour label was introduced. It was replaced by the silver moulded type label during the mid ’80s. The Doobie Brothers who after their ‘Long Train Running’ flopped in June ’73, followed it with some top 30 hits, but its re-issue in 1993 took them into the top 10. After leaving the Harvest label, Wizzard and the Electric Orchestra spent 1974 on WB. Where as the ELO’s ‘Ma-Ma-Ma Belle’ peaked outside the top 20, Wizzard’s Glenn Miller/Bill Haley inspired ‘Are You Ready To Rock’ was a favourite at many a Christmas and New Years Eve party and it made the top 10. In 1975 they both went to the Jet label. In March ’74 film score composer Lalo Schifrin released the theme to Kung Fu legend Bruce Lee’s ‘Enter The Dragon’. Liverpool comic/poets group the Scaffold returned to the charts after five years with ‘Liverpool Lou’ in June ’74. After his massive No. 1 in ’75 with ‘Sailing’, Rod Stewart signed to his own label Riva, which was still part of WB. He continued to use it until 1983 when he moved back to the Warners Bros. label. Another 1960s musician was Alan Price who scored his first hit for three years in 1974 when he took his ‘Jarrow Song’ into the top 10. A No. 1 for 1960s veterans the Four Seasons came early in 1976 with ‘December ’63 (Oh What A Night)’. During their re-visit to the charts around this time, their follow up ‘Silver Star’ happened to be the last record the Top of the Pops dancers Pan’s People performed to on the show on April 29th. Another 1960s veteran who was enjoying a small bout of success was Billy Kinsley who had been in the Merseybeats then the Merseys. Now fronting Liverpool Express, he was knocking on the top 10 in July after two months on release with ‘You Are My Love’. Their ‘Every Man Must Have A Dream’ made No. 17 early in 1977. In 1976 from the US Fame label came soul/disco singer Candi Staton. On the Capitol label in the UK since 1969, Candi Staton had one single in 1970, which was a version of Tammy Wynette’s 1968 US hit ‘Stand By Your Man’. But Staton’s first UK hit ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ was one of the sounds of the long hot summer of ’76 which she followed a year later with ‘Nights On Broadway’. In 1976 from Liverpool came popular art school rock band Deaf School. None of their singles, until they split in ’78, found the charts, though they’ve done occasional gigs in the late 2000s. After the split former singer Bette Bright joined with the Illuminations (on Radar) and later married Madness singer Suggs. Guitarist Clive Langer became a successful producer working with amongst others... Madness. WB didn’t get fully involved with punk but had probably the opposite in the form of Fleetwood Mac who came back late in ’76 after nearly a six year chart absence. They were doing extremely well with their ‘Rumours’ LP, the follow up album ‘Tusk’ and their singles. Staying with WB, Fleetwood Mac would continue making the charts on and off until 1990. In 1976 WB signed the Pennsylvanian jazz/soul guitarist George Benson whose first LP came on CBS in 1966. After one minor hit on his producer Creed Taylor’s label in 1975, he scored his first hit for WB in mid 1977 with ‘Nature Boy’ reaching No. 26. By the turn of the ’80s Benson was hot property and regularly buzzing around the top 10 with tracks like ‘Give Me The Night’ and ‘In Your Eyes’ which both made No. 7. He stayed with WB until the late ’80s though at times he found it difficult to make the top 40, apart from ‘Shiver’ in late ’86 making No. 19. Rather late than never in 1979 WB thought that they may do well with one punk group on their books and signed the Angelic Upstarts from South Shields in Northumbria who were gaining popularity

561

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after an independent single release. They opened their chart account by stating their case with ‘I’m An Upstart’. Released in green vinyl, it came in a clear plastic sleeve to maximise its effect, and stalled just outside the top 30. The follow up went two places better but other singles over the next three years didn’t fare quite as well. Lead singer Mensi still fronts the Angelic Upstarts but their association with WB ended by 1981. After leaving the employ of James Brown’s backing band in the early ’70s, bass player William ‘Bootsy’ Collins joined George Clinton’s Funkadelic/Parliament groups, he later formed his group called Bootsy’s Rubber Band. In May ’78 they released ‘Bootzilla’ which got to No. 1 in some US charts but in the UK his only hit reached No. 43. But it hasn’t deterred the highly regarded glam/funk bass player/producer from working on various projects into the present. In 1977 WB signed the unique artist/musician Prince who released his first single ‘Soft And Wet’ in mid ’78 in the US only. It’d be a little over a year before his first UK single ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’. Prince enjoyed a large and variable amount of hits from 1980. Reaching the top 20 in ’79 was Ricky Lee Jones with ‘Chuck E’s In Love’. Starting her solo hits in 1980 was Randy Crawford who almost made No. 1 with ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’. Having a few hits around the turn of the ’80s was Christopher Cross. In ’82 he made the top 10 with the lead track from the film ‘Arthur’s Theme (The Best You Can Do)’. From the mid ’80s WB did well for the next ten years with Norwegian popstars A-Ha. In 1987 it got the ever successful Bee Gees whose first single for WB ‘You Win Again’ became their first No. 1 for eight years. In 1967 Warner Bros. was bought by Seven Arts and become Warner-Seven Arts. Two years later the Kinney Corporation of New York bought W-S Arts. In the early ’70s with big labels Elektra and Atlantic as part of its company Kinney National Corporation, it re-named itself as Warner Communications. It later became WEA, acknowledging the importance of the other two companies – Elektra and Atlantic. In 1978 the WEA label was introduced and had single hits from Cats UK with ‘Luton Airport’, Fern Kinney’s 1980 No. 1 ‘Together We Are Beautiful’, Modern Romance’s ‘Everybody Salsa’ and ‘Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey’, Change’s ‘Searching’ and those by Dollar and Howard Jones. Warner’s continued to do well in the charts thanks to REM, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Linkin’ Park and via its subsidiaries Madonna and Alanis Morissette. In 2004 ABBA’s Agnetha Fältskog, in 2005 Craig David, the Subways, Daniel Powter, Gnarls Barkley, the Flaming Lips and since 2006 Muse. More recently, the Enemy, Panic! At The Disco, Kathrine Jenkins, Faith Hill, Foals and reaching No. 1 in 2010 Gnarls Barkley member Cee Lo Green.

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# 928 HHHHH 1960

Manufactured by Decca.

562

R # 929 HHHHI 1961 - June 1965

R # 930 HHHII June 1965 - 1968

Now part of Pye group of companies.

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# 931 HHHII 1968 - 1970

563

# 932 HHIII 1970 - 1971

Khaki green. Now having a manufacturing & distribution deal with CBS after leaving Pye.

1972 - 1974

Olive green, wavy cut top.

1975 - 1976

Straight cut top, with rear in-step.

R # 933 HIIII

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# 934 HIIII

564

R # 935 HHIII 1976 - 1977

Black & white Warner Bros. logo.

# 936 HHIII 1977 - 1978

Coloured Warner Bros. logo.

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# 937 HHIII 1979 - 1980

Used for Warner Bros., Elektra and Atlantic.

565

# 938 HHIII 1980 - 1981

Used for Warner Bros., Elektra and Atlantic.

1980 - 1981

Slight curve higher at front.

1981 - 1982

Slight curve lower at front, lighter brown.

# 939 HIIII

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# 940 HIIII

566

# 941 HIIII 1982 - 1988

Also used for WEA and Sire.

# 942 HHHHI Late 1980s

Gloss card.

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# 943 HHHII Early 1970s

Re-issue series.

567

John Delaney

The ultimate reference guide to the wonderful world of British 45 rpm record company sleeves!

BBC RECORDS

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By 1976 BBC Records had a distribution

A B

1971 - 1973

deal with Pye.

2nd sleeve, first was a plain white sleeve with logo in orange on A side only.

# 055 HHHHH

All sleeves are depicted in colour, front and back.

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# 056 HHHII

1974 - 1980

seems dormant.

C D

# 203 HHHHI

to 7" e d i u G ’s r A Collecto leeves S y n a p m R e c o rd C o

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s e v e e l s m p 45 r

A Collectors Guide to UK 45 rpm Record Company Sleeves A Collectors Guide to UK 45 rpm Record Company Sleeves

K U e Th

# 057 HHIII

1981 - 1987

CO NTE MP

Threadbound, deluxe binding. Fully illustrated in colour. 600 pages.

only the occasional release but now

The UK 45 rpm sleeves

A Collector’s Guide to 7" Record Company Sleeves

About the author

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1979 - 1980

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Pye distribute

Dowsett, England

# 205 HHHII

January 1973

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# 204 HHHHI

139 y Sleeves

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John Delaney