CHERRY RED RECORDS was founded
by Iain McNay in 1978 during the first wave of punk. We are still thriving, with
an expansive catalogue that includes the original Cherry Red label, Anagram Records,
Punk Collectors Series, Rev-Ola Records, RPM Records, Psychobilly Collectors
Series and many many more. We hope you enjoy browsing the website and we welcome
any feedback.
By
Iain McNay
It all started in the most unlikely of places, Great Malvern in
Worcestershire. It was 1971, psychedelic music and flares were in;
Arsenal won the double, and I was sharing a house in South London,
with amongst others, Richard Jones. Richard came from Malvern, and
after much prompting, persuaded me to join forces with him and his
old school friend Will Atkinson to promote rock concerts at the large,
and somewhat under-utilised, Malvern Winter Gardens.
Somewhat nervously we awaited the day of our first promotion, the
3rd July 1971. Hawkwind + Skin Alley + Sidewinder disco, all for
only 12 old shillings. What a bargain! We celebrated as over 600
people turned up, and we were able to share a small profit between
the three of us. And so it went on, in fact for the next ten years,
every three weeks or so I would drive to Malvern and help to promote
a concert with my partners Will and Richard.
We decided to call our company Cherry Red Promotions. Where did
the name Cherry Red come from? We pondered for weeks over what to
call our new venture, and eventually it was Will who came up with
the name - it was the title of a track from the Groundhogs 'Split'
album - we liked the Groundhogs, we liked the name, so that was that.
Tony Macphee, it's all down to you!
In 1977 Punk music was happening, and the three of us loved it.
We promoted all the punk bands we could at Malvern; The Damned, The
Stranglers, The Jam, Generation X to name a few. And then there were
The Tights, Malvern's own answer to the punk explosion. It was Richard
again who persuaded me in the Malvern wine bar, on New Year's Eve
1977, that we should start a record label to release a Tights record.
On 2nd June 1978 The Tights first single was released. The following
week it was record of the week in the now defunct Record Mirror,
the week after that John Peel played it, and before we knew where
we were we had sold our initial pressing of 2,000 records. Meanwhile
I had secured proper distribution for the single as a friend, David
Thomas, had just started the first proper distribution service for
independent records; Spartan Records.
Now, however I had an important decision to make - I had to decide
whether to leave the relative security of my day job so that I could
devote all my time and energies to Cherry Red. While I made up my
mind The Tights went back into the studio with Malvern based produced
John Acock to record their second single, 'Howard Hughes'. After
I heard it, I decided, 'that was it', I would leave my job and try
my best to turn Cherry Red into a self sufficient independent record
label. I had the advantage of having had experience of working at
record companies. I had spent the previous year at Magnet records,
and the three preceding years at Bell/Arista records. I knew how
record companies worked, but could I do it myself?
The second Tights single ended up selling over 4,000 copies, but
the band broke up soon after. They were all young and somehow not
really prepared to commit themselves to gigging regularly. If I was
going to make the company work, I knew I had to find albums to release,
and quickly, because the profit from singles was minimal. I had meantime
met Morgan-Fisher, quite famous for his previous involvement in Love
Affair, The Third Ear Band and Mott The Hoople. He was to provide
Cherry Red with many album releases over the next few years. The
first though, 'The Sleeper Wakes' never really woke up and didn't
sell more than 700 copies.
The next single was from Detroit band Destroy All Monsters. I had
read about their single 'Bored' in Sounds, it was out on a small
American label. The band consisted of ex members of The Stooges and
The MC5, and singer Niagara looked great in a photograph. I hadn't
actually heard the record, but had a strong feeling that it must
be good. I wrote to Detroit, offering $500 to license the record,
and received the master tape in the post a few weeks later. Fortunately
I liked it, and so did many others as it sold over 7,000.
However, I still had to sell albums to make it all viable. I had
an idea. There were many compilation albums available consisting
of chart hits from the major companies, but no-one yet had compiled
one from the many independent records now being released. By this
time there was a whole range of small independent companies issuing
singles just like I was. Rough Trade, Mute, City, Industrial and
Factory, had all started up in business and there was a strong camaraderie
spirit between the labels.
We were beginning to support and build an alternative to the whole
music business structure. Independent distribution, promotion, marketing
and pressing services were starting to emerge. I called a few labels
suggesting the idea and within a few days had 14 tracks promised,
including of course, The Tights. The album featured the diverse sounds
of Thomas Leer, Throbbing Gristle, The UK Subs, Robert Rental, Cabaret
Voltaire and 9 others. The title 'Business Unusual' was thought up
by Genesis P-Orridge from Throbbing Gristle as he and I sat together
in a tea room in Oxford Street. Within a few weeks of release it
had sold 10,000 copies.
January 1979 saw my first visit to MIDEM, the annual music business
extravagance in Cannes. Along with a few other indie labels, I valiantly
tried to convince a decidedly uninterested international scene that
British independent music was about to explode internationally. Disco
music was at a height. Dreadful, boring, uneventful music came out
of booth after booth, as I walked around the convention centre. The
only oasis was the occasional inspirational sound of The UK SUBS
or another English punk band, and then I knew that Phil Scott from
City, or Caruso Fuller from The Label were around. I licensed 'Business
Unusual' to a couple of overseas companies though, and that was a
start.
The vision I always had for Cherry Red was one of diversity. There
was the Rough Trade sound, the Factory image, the distinctive music
of Mute. But I wanted Cherry Red to be as versatile as possible.
I knew that would never bring us 'hip credibility,' but I didn't
mind about that.
Next was another single and a Cherry Red supported UK tour by Destroy
all Monsters. Singer Niagara, who had looked so brilliant in photographs
looked completely lost on stage, and couldn't sing really. The NME
headline over the review of the first gig at Dingwalls just about
summed it up; 'Niagara Fails' it had jestfully exclaimed.
I'd seen the then controversial all girl group, The Runaways play
the previous year at The Roundhouse. They were great! When I heard
that Phonogram in England didn't want to release their new album,
I tracked down their manager in New York and offered him a small
advance for the record. One Friday evening a month later I arrived
at Chappels recording studio to meet singer Joan Jett and her manager
Toby Mamis. Joan was there recording some new tracks with Paul Cook
and Steve Jones from The Sex Pistols. I was a little nervous at first.
Were a band who were used to the financial benefits of a major record
company going to be happy with the minimal resources of Cherry Red?
I needn't have worried. Toby Mamis already knew the game I was playing
and was just pleased to get the album out. When The Runaways album
was released we were viewed in a different way. It was little like
being promoted from the Vauxhall Conference to the Third Division.
We were now in the league!
By this time I had became close friends with Morgan-Fisher. Locked
away in his somewhat minimal Cherry Red financed studio in a corner
of his small Notting Hill apartment he produced a 'compilation' album
containing performances by unknown bands he had 'found' on his travels.
Morgan did a series of interviews, including Radio 1, and convinced
everyone of the validity of the Hybrid Kids album. But they were
never more than a creation of his very fertile imagination. He also
had a publishing contract that he didn't like very much. Years previously
he had signed to DJM music and still owed them 42 songs. 'No problem'
we decided one night in his local wine bar after drinking several
bottles of Riesling. He would record, and I would release a 42 track
instrumental single. He promptly recorded 42 'songs' the next day
and, a month later, when the single was released, he was out of his
contract. He briefly had his own label, Pipe records, through Cherry
Red, which released the notable 'Miniatures' album - 50 tracks of
no more than one minute in length by 50 different artists.
Bill Gilliam was in partnership with Chris Gilbert. I had met Chris
in my dealings with the Hollywoods Brats, for whom Cherry Red had
released an album. (Incidentally we have just reissued the Brats
albums on CD - what a great album!) He explained that he managed
an American band called the Dead Kennedys and wanted to know if I
would be interested in releasing an album by the band. The Kennedy's
already had their classic 'California Uber Alles' single out on Fast
Product, and I knew the album would do really well. The only problem
was that they wanted $10,000 to record the album, a sum that I didn't
have. I mused over the situation for a few days and talked about
my frustration to Richard Bishop, the buyer at Caroline exports,
the Virgin records owned export company. Richard immediately offered
'Why don't Caroline lend you the money and you give us the export
exclusive for 3 months?' And it was that easy. I flew to San Francisco,
met the band, came back with the master tapes of 'Fresh Fruit For
Rotting Vegetables' and a few weeks later Cherry Red had an album
in the National Top 40. Now people were taking the label really seriously,
and best of all, I had some money in the Bank account to help expand
the company. Offers for overseas licensing were flooding in on the
back of the Dead Kennedys success, and Cherry Red was clearly ready
for a new stage.
I was still working from my flat in Wimbledon at this stage, but
it was clear I needed help now. For the previous three years I had
done everything myself. I took on two people to help me, Mike Alway
with the creative side of the record company, and Theo Chalmers with
the publishing. I'd always had a strong feeling to take the music
publishing side seriously. I didn't know much about it, except that
publishers seemed to make a lot of money through doing very little.
I thought to myself, 'If I can make money on the publishing, I can
sign lots more bands to the record label.' So far I'd signed all
the available publishing on acts that I had signed for the record
label, and I knew it was time to develop it further. Theo's brief
was to go out and sign the publishing of interesting bands, even
if we didn't have the recording. The first band he signed was Blancmange,
who later went on to have 8 Top 40 records. We quickly built up a
large catalogue covering the whole spectrum of independent music.
If a band had only one song, we would still publish it and meticulously
account to them their royalties. Matt Johnson (The The), Ben Watt,
Tracey Thorn and The Go-Betweens were all signed on long term publishing
contracts at this early stage.
It was at this point that the Cherry Red label really started to
take off. The choice of Mike Alway as A and R man was a wise one.
Within 18 months he had signed Eyeless in Gaza, Felt, The Monochrome
Set, The Marine Girls, Tracey Thorn, Ben Watt, Thomas Leer and The
Passage. It was a magical period. Virtually every release we put
out entered the Independent charts. When we put out the 'Pillows
and Prayers' compilation album, (unheard of value with 17 tracks
for 99p) in December 1982 it went on to sell 120,000 copies. But
one day the following Summer, when I returned from an extended American
trip, Mike's Alway's resignation was on my desk. The lure of Warners
Bros backing, and dreams of fame and fortune, had been too great.
He was to leave Cherry Red and intended to take with him all the
important acts. Blanco y Negro was born, and Cherry Red was losing
its star players. It was a massive blow, both business wise and personally,
as Mike and I had become good friends.
But life went on. We launched Anagram Records as a home for many
of the bands that we published that didn't really fit on the Cherry
Red label. One Way System, Alien Sex Fiend, The Vibrators, The Angelic
Upstarts and Vice Squad and many others helped make Anagram a success.
A compilation of hits from seventies glam rock band The Sweet found
its way into the pop charts, as did the 'Punk and Disorderly' compilation
albums.
Adrian Sherwood was ahead of his time, and he intrigued me. His
ON-U Sound label was delivering some of the most original music I
had ever heard. Adrian didn't have much money, and wanted to make
as many records as he could. We financed seven albums over the next
two years which have all found renewed life as CD reissues. Felt
and Eyeless in Gaza meantime both decided to stay with Cherry Red
and John Hollingsworth succeeded Mike Alway at the helm of the A
@ R department. John's two most significant signings were Yugoslavian
political and musical extremists Laibach, and Red Box. I had to read
Laibach's political manifesto in candle light in their squat in Belsize
Park before they would sign the contract. Red Box just walked into
the office with the finished master of 'Chenko', and nearly had a
hit with us, before going on to top ten success with Warner Bros.
Late one extremely wet and cold Monday evening I was driving home
from having dinner with our German licensee, when I suddenly found
I had two flat tyres. I called the AA rescue service and sat somewhat
dejectedly as I waited for them to come. I switched on the John Peel
show and the first record I heard was the haunting song by Jane,
'It's a fine day.' I loved the record, and even more,loved the song.
Next morning I rang Peel's producer to find out more about the record.
I tracked down Edward Barton the owner, bought the rights to the
record and the song, and three weeks later 'It's a fine day' was
out on Cherry Red and sitting in the lower reaches of the National
charts. It wasn't until nearly 10 years later that the true significance
of my flat tyres became apparent. In January 1992 I was having dinner
at MIDEM in Cannes again when Pete Waterman from PWL came over to
me enthusiastically pronouncing, "Iain, we're going to have
a No 1 hit with your song.' I didn't even know which song he was
referring to until he explained that he was putting out a new version
of 'Fine Day' by a group called OPUS 3. It didn't actually get to
No 1 but was a big hit all over the Continent and has now become
one of Complete Music's biggest copyrights. [Cherry Red Music changed
it's name to Complete Music in 1984]
In 1985, two years after leaving for bigger oceans, Mike Alway's
ship came upon stormy seas and he and Warner Bros parted company.
Together we formed El Records under the Cherry Red umbrella. El achieved
widespread critical acclaim. Everybody loved the sleeves, the image,
and many people seemed to like the records. But alas very few bought
them, and after three years El records died a natural death. However
its spirit lives on in Japan with many successful bands there, especially
Flippers Guitar, acknowledging the influence that El had on them.
In 1987 I decided to leave my own business, and for 4 years I didn't
come into the office. I travelled from Country to Country on an extended
adventure exploring the World and myself. I would make the occasional
phone call to the office to see how things were going and eventually
returned to London in May 1991.
When I returned, both the music and the structure of the music industry
was rapidly changing. It seemed that the huge multi-national corporations
had decided that the way to now break new acts in the UK was through
the 'indie' network. The Independent charts, which I had helped initiate
way back in 1980, had become invaded by records released by labels
that were either financed by, or even worse, owned by the multi-national
corporations. The word 'indie' had become a marketing word that was
banded around and had absolutely nothing to do with either the original
intention of the chart, or even the meaning of the word.
The attitude of the acts was also fast changing. No longer were
they willing to build their career over time, over two or three albums;
success, both creative and financial was wanted fast.
We did sign a couple of new bands; Prolapse and Tse Tse Fly. We
did all the 'right' things. We achieved the rock show evening plays,
the good reviews in the music papers and the credible gigs. But we
didn't any more have the right resources that were now needed to
sustain a bands career. It took money, a lot of money to help make
a band successful.
I wondered for a time what to do with the company, which direction
to take it in. There were certain acts that we had previously worked
with who still sold a fair amount of records around the World, who
understood the way we worked. So we still put out records by Alien
Sex Fiend, The Monochrome Set, Momus and others. But I could see
a huge gap in the independent market. There were a few labels specialising
in re-issues but no-one was really concentrating on the music of
the late '70 and early to mid 1980's. And that was the area I knew
best of all.
So, we rapidly began to find another niche for ourselves. We methodically
began to acquire the rights to as many of the important independent
labels of the late '70's and early '80's as we could. Flicknife,
No Future, Rondelet, Midnight, Temple and In Tape were some of the
many labels we acquired rights to.
So, we rapidly began to find another niche for ourselves. We methodically
began to acquire the rights to as many of the important independent
labels of the late 1970s and early 1980s as we could. Flicknife,
No Future, Rondelet, Midnight, Temple and In Tape were some of those
labels. We started a new series called 'The Punk Collectors Series'
in 1993 which was an immediate success. More recently we have launched
a 'Psychobilly Collectors Series,' a 'British Steel' metal collectors
series, and a 'Goth Collectors Series.' All have been very popular.
Probably, the project closest to our hearts in the office, being
an office full of avid football, fans is 'The Football Collectors
Series.' We started this in 1995 and are now up to 50 releases. We
have collections of songs of most of the Premier League clubs, over
half the 1st Division clubs, as well as some of the bigger Scottish
clubs. Add to this, the songs of the National squads of England,
Scotland, Jamaica and Ireland and you really do have a diverse selections
of football songs. We have inevitably slowed down with our football
releases of late. We would still love to complete the set of all
92 league clubs but we have to balance the work involved with possible
sales which excludes many clubs for the time being.
1999 saw us take over the day to day running of the much respected
RPM label. The last three years has seen the label's output grow
considerably under the guidance of Mark Stratford and we now aim
to increase the RPM catalogue by 30 or so releases per year. The
amount of time Mark puts into the research of every release is considerable
and the feedback we get on the quality of the releases, especially
the packaging is excellent.
We have started several new labels the last couple of years or so.
The 7Ts imprint is now up to 15 releases. This has been covering
the area of many forgotten artists of the 1970s such as Showaddywaddy,
The Glitter Band, Hello and Barry Blue. We have again gone to a lot
of trouble with the packaging and all the other details to try and
make the releases as definitive as possible.
Nick Currie's Analog Baroque label has definitely been keeping its
finger on the pulse. Apart from his own excellent output as Momus,
Nick has also given us two Stereo Total albums which have done very
well, both critically and sales wise. Exposure of the second album
was very much helped by the band’s support slots on The Strokes
European tour.
Gina Harp has now had three releases on her Arrivederci Baby! imprint.
The second, the extraordinary Japanese girl duo, Seagull Screaming
Kiss Her Kiss Her, scored well with the media, and look destined
for great things in the future.
The main label addition for the Cherry Red family of labels in 2002
was the re-launch of Joe Foster's Rev-Ola label. I am sure that many
of you will remember Joe from his days as a member of the TV Personalities.
He went on to become a co-founder of the Creation label with Alan
McGhee where he originally launched Rev-Ola as their catalogue division.
Creation was eventually bought out by Sony and Joe moved on with
Alan to start Poptones. However Rev-Ola became dormant at this time
and late last year Joe approached us about reviving a much loved
and admired label. We are already up to about 20 releases as we cover
the diverse worlds of artists such as Ivor Cutler, Randy Meisner
and Sandy Salisbury.
Another project we are particularly enthusiastic about is the Sidewinder
Sounds label. This label is for new bands and artists, mainly non-British,
that we feel deserve exposure in the UK. Our first releases, 'Masters
Of The Hemisphere' and 'Busy Signals' have received complimentary
press exposure and we look forward to developing this label further.
Our relatively new book division continues to expand with a further
six more books planned for 2003. Our policy is still very much about
fans writing in depth books for other fans, and we were happy to
see at the beginning of 2002 that David Parker received the Record
Collector magazine's 'Book Of The Year' award for his detailed work
on Syd Barrett's recordings. We now have a long term agreement with
Garry Sharpe-Young to publish his 'Rockdetector A to Z series', six
are already out with more to come. This past year has also seen books
published about Apple Records, Ozzy Osbourne and The Rolling Stones.
We have also continued to grow on the DVD front. Two Marc Almond
releases have been very well received, as have DVDs featuring William
S. Burroughs and The Chameleons. Many more are lined up for 2003
and beyond.
The Cherry Red Story 1991 to 2007
Iain McNay returned to Cherry Red in 1991 with the intention to re-align the
company in what was a much-changed music industry. A significant first step came
with the acquisition of material from many of the significant independent labels
of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Flicknife, Red Rhino, No Future, Rondelet,
Midnight, Temple and In Tape among them. "Then I was approached by Mark
Brennan who'd we'd known through Link Music," says McNay. "He
came up with the idea of us doing the Collectors Series the first being
the Punk Collectors Series which he'd run on our behalf."
That was to prove the turning point with Cherry Red, giving them a much more
focused identity for releases. Next came the Psychobilly Collectors Series, a
British Steel (metal) Series, and a Goth Collectors Series. Cherry Red was becoming
an umbrella for a collection of labels covering different niches.
The Football Collectors Series started in 1995, the brainchild of an office
full of avid football fans. There had been many releases by clubs, players or
supporters when their team got to the Cup Final, but no-one had come up with
the idea of putting all these tracks on a CD. The series started with Arsenal
and Tottenham, then Newcastle, Liverpool and Everton, and found the combination
of obvious and obscure tracks appealed to the fans of the respective clubs.
When record shops didn't understand what to do with them, Cherry Red
began selling directly by mail-order to the fans, getting local press and radio
involved and, after a decade, the Football Collectors series has topped
55 releases. "It is still something very close to our hearts in the office," says
McNay, "because we are genuine fans."
More than this, the Cherry Red office football team managed by production
manager Jon Roberts have continued to dominate the Music Business 5-a-side Winter
League. Indeed, 2006 saw Cherry Red crowned champions for the first time in living
history. Buoyed by the previous season's cup success, confidence was high and
only one defeat in sixteen league fixtures saw the mighty Reds claim the title
by ten clear points. Strength in depth has been the key to our recent success,
long may it continue!' said the exultant supremo. One of the reasons for
the teams growing success may well be that prospective employees are interrogated
about their footballing skills at their interview.
1999 saw Cherry Red bring the much respected RPM label into the fold. This
specialist collectors label concentrating on the music of the 1960s and 1970s
was looking for a partner to look after marketing, promotion, distribution and
production, leaving founder Mark Stratford to concentrate on the A&R. "This
was a good fit for us," comments McNay, "as we had the infrastructure
he needed, and he was giving us another unique catalogue as well as his ability
to find interesting releases in areas we weren't covering."
The RPM Records catalogue continues to focus on the 1960s and early 1970s
period, and in particular previously unreleased or 'lost' albums whose artists
and recordings are ripe for rediscovery. The year of 2006 saw RPM diversify into
the DVD field with TV show compilations from Andy Williams and Glen Campbell
the first fruits. Another highlight was the release of four back catalogue albums
by the legendary Jackie DeShannon, who came over in May to play her first ever
London gig and appear at the Mojo awards. Also new in RPM's world are the
Repressed and Ork labels, the former concentrating on electro and the second
hard rock.
When Mark Brennan came up with the idea of the 7Ts (1970s) Collectors label,
it was a subject close to Iain McNay's heart. "I'd worked at Bell
Records in the 1970s when it was a mainly singles label and had great success
with artists such as Showaddywaddy, Glitter Band, Hello and Barry Blue. Although
at the time they were considered teenybop acts, they were now collectable." Cherry
Red started to license the rights to these and put them out with deluxe packaging
to make the releases as definitive as possible. The response from the collectors' market
was unanimously favourable.
Brennan is continuing to mine the rich seam of early-1970s glam-pop with releases
from 10CC their two classic UK Records albums plus an As and Bs compilation, the
Glitter Band's second album and Mud Better Than Working' and
a post-RAK singles collection scheduled for 2007. We're continuing
to establish the brand at retail,' he commented. The 1970s was the
era when records sold in numbers, so if we can get one in ten to buy it again
we'll have done well. The secret as ever is in the presentation.'
Cherry Red continues into the current millennium with Adam Velasco at the
helm. The current Managing Director joined in 1992 "as office junior, packing
orders and making cups of tea. Now the one a month release schedule is 30, we're
a lot more prolific and obviously instead of vinyl it's CD, DVD and books we're
a true multi-media company."
The Cherry Red label itself remains as active as ever. The complete Felt and
Runaways catalogues have emerged on CD, while the Mobiles and Mood Six are recent
addiitons. "We are always on the lookout for albums we feel fit on the label," says
Velasco. Cherry Red's link with the Dandelion label, co-founded in 1969
by Clive Selwood and the late John Peel, resulted in the label's first CD
box set, Life Too Has Surface Noise'. More were planned for 2007,
the first featuring Kevin Coyne.
2002 brought a significant addition to the Cherry Red family in the re-launch
of Joe Foster's Rev-Ola label. The former TV Personalities member had co-founded
the Creation label, where Rev-Ola was their catalogue division. "When Creation
was bought out by Sony," McNay explains, "Rev-Ola was discontinued
and Joe was keen to restart this label. As with RPM, we had the basis of an interesting
catalogue to re-acquire the rights to and Joe had lots of ideas for new releases.
That gave us another area which hadn't been covered before a lot of
American material."
Says Foster: "I've thoroughly enjoyed working with Cherry Red. The opportunity
to relaunch Rev-Ola as part of a general expansion, and not only reissue some
fabulous albums but present a few new artists, has been very exciting. Also,
being part of the ongoing story of The Last Of The Indie Labels' (and
one of the first) appeals somewhat to the romantic Jacobite in me!" Foster
has now started a second label called Bandstand which covers rock'n'roll
and blues music from the '50s from artists like Lucky Millinder and Little Walter.
When Analog Baroque mainman Nick Currie got involved with Cherry Red, the
fit wasn't immediately obvious. "The idea of artists with their own
labels was always something to be careful of," says Iain McNay. "But
Nick understood the way we worked and was okay bringing them in on an economical
budget, so the deal has been very smooth. He bought us Stereo Total, a half German-half
French act, and had two very successful albums with them as well as other interesting
releases." The Momus album Ocky Milk' released in 2006 was another
landmark from the man Mojo recently dubbed "England's greatest living
artist."
The Arrivederci Baby! imprint is the brainchild of Gina Harp, who originally
came to Cherry Red with the idea of starting a new label licensing in overseas
acts from America and Japan. The success of a first release by Juliana Hatfield
encouraged them to continue with girl group Seagulls Screaming Kiss Him Kiss
Him and, most recently, Puffy AmiYumi, another Japanese band which has a successful
show on the Cartoon Network channel.
The Lemon Recordings label was formed in 2003 to release hard to find and/or
unreleased albums by classic rock acts from the 1970s to the present. Lemon releases
combine original artwork with comprehensive sleevenotes and, with artists
ranging from Graham Parker via Robert Palmer's Vinegar Joe to Peter Frampton,
the variety of talent on display is indubitable. The catalogue is already up
to 85 releases with many more planned. Recent additions have included legendary
Australian guitar band the Church, NWOBHM giants Witchfynde and sometime John
Lennon backing band Elephant's Memory.
While it's well established compared with the newcomers, the groundbreaking,
highly stylised el records label remains an important member of the Cherry Red
stable. Mike Alway, the man who discovered The The and Everything But The Girl
during his spell in A&R in 1980-83, continues in his aim "to transcend
popular music to affect design and fashion and the cultural attitudes of a generation." The
label has enjoyed resurgence in the mid-2000s, with a number of interesting releases
in different genres.
A deal has been inked with Italy's renowned Bella Casa soundtrack label
which has given access to two of the biggest Italian soundtrack catalogues. The
first fruits of the liaison, Morricone In The Brain' and The
Fantastic Voyage Of Goblin', appeared in early 2007.
Alway has also started another jazz label, Fivefour, one of two now on Cherry
Red's roster, which opened its doors with re-releases from Ahmad Jamal and
Anita O'Day. The other label, Giant Steps Recordings, is run by legendary
NME journalist Roy Carr with help from John Pearson and is concentrating on jazz
from the '40s and '50s. It aims to release around 15 albums a year and has kicked
off with such legends as Dizzy Gillespie, Ronnie Scott and the Gerry Mulligan
Quintet.
"We aim to produce the kind of albums that so many discerning music fans
would like to own but often encounter great difficulty in locating," says
Carr, while engineer Andrew Thompson uses "modern technologyto noticeably
improve the original sound without losing any detail."
Also new is CherryPoP, an imprint to reissue pop from the '80s. First releases
here are CDs by LaToya Jackson, Sheena Easton and Haysi Fantayzee. "This
is another aspect of music we've never really looked into,' explains
Adam Velasco, but we think there's a space in the market." Iain
McNay sees the label's catalogue and reputation building over time in a
similar way to the 7Ts label. In a very different musical mould, 2006 saw the
legendary Mortarhate label, which includes the whole Conflict back catalogue,
join the fold.
Though new to this catalogue, Delay 68, run by Doug Shipton, has been running
for nearly two years. It started strongly with 'Folk Is Not A Four Letter Word',
a volume two of which was compiled in 2006 by Andy Votel of Twisted Nerve/B Music
fame. Another landmark that year was Prog Is Not A Four Letter Word'.
A two-pronged attack is completed by Delay 68's sister label Finders
Keepers. This describes itself as "an accidental world music label with
a punk aesthetic and DJ friendly ethosdelivering schizoid cultural channel-hopping
compilations andhen's-teeth re-releases to the comfort of your psych-starved
living room." This again involves Votel and Shipton, this time with Dom
Thomas. Finders Keepers issues on vinyl as well as digitally and has much more
in store, including the possibility of books and DVDs.
Dave Timperley's reputation in the business as a northern soul aficionado,
recently burnished at Ace Records, shines bright enough for him to be introducing
a new label to the Cherry Red stable. The XXXX imprint kicked off in early 2007
with material by 60s legends the Tempest (never before on CD) and, in contrast,
Jackie Lee's Pye years. "We enjoy the process of developing niches," says
McNay, while Timperley envisages a release schedule of two titles a month. "We
will complement the catalogue labels Rev-Ola and RPM with material licensed from
the majors," he says.
Cherry Red are gradually re-issuing Edward Ball's unique back catalogue
on CD. "Having been fortunate enough to make records for Rough Trade and
Creation in the last 30 years," he says, "and now Domino Records, it
has been important to find a host label who responds well to the digital download
buyer of today but also cares for the 'physical' aspect of re-issues, as I do
intensely.
"I'm privileged to say that ArTpOp! has got off to a dream start through
Cherry Red with a brace of early-'80s Times albums, This Is London' and I
Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape'. Both feature extra/previously unreleased
tracks, extensive liner notes and rare/unseen pics a policy we'll continue
on all future releases."
Radio and television promotion of Cherry Red products has been expertly handled
for the past 18 months by industry veteran Ron McCreight. His successes to date
include Toyah, promotion of whose CDs and DVD included an appearance on Never
Mind The Buzzcocks, the reissue of the Dead Kennedys' Fresh Fruit' which
was a mainstay of 6 Music's Anniversary of Punk and the soul of Oscar Toney
Jr for Shout/RPM which attracted the attention of Mark Lamarr and Jonathan Ross.
"Cherry Red releases fit many different broadcasting niches," says
McCreight. "Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone has featured material from
Django Reinhardt to Turquoise, while Sean Rowley on GLR is a great supporter.
It was great to have Jackie DeShannon present an Ivor when she was over here.
And from a personal point of view, I've promoted material by Paul Jones
and the Scaffold, both of whom I was involved with 40 years ago. We've already
seen the exposure Cherry Red gets in the media reflected in sales.'
Cherry Red's book division, which opened in 1997 with Indie Hits 1980-1989,
continues to go from strength to strength. Having covered such subjects as Syd
Barrett, Apple Records, Mott the Hoople, Jeff Beck and the Rolling Stones in
super-detailed fashion, Cherry Red has ventured into definitive books on the
anarcho punk scene by Ian Glasper (No More Heroes and The Day The Country Died)
and the punk-new wave period of 1976-1980 (No More Heroes, by Alex Ogg). All
three books will be benchmarks for coverage of their respective scenes and are
written by acknowledged authorities.
Cherry Red's involvement with the DVD format stems from when they co-founded
Visionary with John Bentham in the early 1990s. This new company acquired the
Jettisounds catalogue of concert film footage which Bentham and his wife, Karen,
had built up over the previous decade and a half, and the value of this catalogue
multiplied when DVD became a viable format, and more catalogues, such as the
Barn End video archive, have been acquired.
There are now over 150 titles in the catalogue. The Cherry Red Health DVD
label was launched in late 2006 with Beat Fatigue With Yoga, a visual companion
to Fiona Agombar's book of the same name also published by Cherry Red. Similarly
Ian Glasper's two anarcho-punk books have been complemented by DVD releases.
Cherry Red is keen to develop more music-related documentaries in coming months
and actively welcomes proposals.
Some 50-55 DVD titles, an average of one a week, are scheduled for 2007 release,
including first such offerings from Big Audio Dynamite, Disorder and Skeletal
Family. There will also be a 3DVD box set of Punk And Disorderly, teaming two
existing titles with special bonus and interview footage. 2007 will also see
DVDs marketed in double-disc audio-visual packages, pairing a DVD with a complementary
CD.
Cherry Red is very receptive to new ideas, and will use any method to make
sure people can get hold of their records. Their website, updated daily, is a
very important part of the business and its download shop now has over 17,000
songs, from Felt to Frank Sidebottom, to choose from. Cherry Red downloads are
also available through all recognised sites such as Napster, iTunes, eMusic,
Wippit and Rhapsody.
Matt Bristow, the label's Business Affairs/Licensing Director, is active
in making deals to put the catalogue up around the world. We'll be adding
rare download only releases to the site that are not available on CD,' he
says. Bristow anticipates Cherry Red's 150-strong DVD catalogue will also
soon be available through a number of sites (and the label website) as single
tracks or full downloads.
After an hiatus year, 2007 will see Cherry Red ringtones available through
new outlets, and by the end of the 2006-07 season it is hoped to offer at least
one for every club in the League.
The sale of Cherry Red affiliated music publishing company Complete Music
in July 2006 saw some 7,000 of the smaller songs assigned to the label's
new publishing arm, Cherry Red Songs. "This unique catalogue is ready to
grow again," says McNay, the songs retained ranging from Alien Sex Fiend
through the Meteors and Momus to Felt. It should be noted that Matt Bristow has
been signing songs to the company for the last three and a half years, with upwards
of 850 to add to the Complete windfall. "And we are actively looking to
sign further repertoire," he stresses.
As other record companies cut back and retrench, Cherry Red continues to increase
both their staff and output levels. Adam Velasco: "In an industry that's
experiencing changing times, Cherry Red is very much committed to putting out
as many interesting records as possible. With all the emerging new media we are
always looking forward, aiming to grow the company and keep the fun going."
For Iain McNay, "These are interesting times, exploring different ways
of delivering music. Many people predict the CD will disappear but that's
not the case with Cherry Red. If we maintain our quality in temrs of our music
and packaging there will be a collectors market for what we do.
"We have increased our releases year on year and will do so again in
2007 when there will be 350 releases one for every day of the week. Not
bad for a smallish operation based in downtown Acton! There's no depression
here at Cherry Red."
2007 also saw Cherry Red working with Mark and Vicky Powell to launch the
Esoteric Label. Initial releases included albums by Rare Bird, Egg, Gong
leader Daevid Allen, Paladin, Marsupilami, Big Sleep, Jonesy and Man. The
end of the year saw the launch of cherryred.tv a new internet TV channel
featuring some of the many hundreds of hours of unique footage of concerts and
interviews that Cherry Red own or control. Check it out! 2008 dawns with the
company aiming to beat the 2007 record release total by a distance.
So this is our story, so far. Thank you for reading it. We are more
positive than ever that we can maintain an interesting flow of great
releases on all fronts for some time to come. We do, as ever, continue
to rely on your suggestions and feedback to point us in the right
direction. Please do get in touch if you have some good ideas for
releases that you think would fit into one of our niche areas. We
are always grateful when people make the effort to do this. Good
luck to you all!
Iain McNay and Michael Heatley, January 2008
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