THIS MONTH...
- Latest deals ...TJM Records, Howard Jones, Rain, Top Sounds, Tigertailz and more...
- Latest syncs ...Netflix show's Eric, Heartbreak High and Gossip Girl...
- Cherry Red Radio ...listen to the new show now...
- Howard Jones ...Playback event and new live album...
- Football ...see photos from the annual sponsors' game...
- Jack Bruce ...Tileyard Studios playback event in July...
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FOREWORD
Sometimes I wonder what happened to the spirit of Rock N Roll, which for so many years was the bedrock of our industry. When I was a kid there was a huge change in popular music. It was the late 50s and American artists such as Bill Haley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Gene Vincent and of course Elvis came bursting through and popular music started to change radically. None of these artists obeyed the rules and the teenagers of the world loved them for it. A few years later it was the UK's turn and the ‘British Invasion’ of America started. The Beatles, The Stones and hundreds of others. The next big change was the era of ‘flower power,’ with drugs, and free love which produced great music made by people who didn’t care about rules or indeed the law in many cases. And then in the late '70s it was punk, which broke through with a total disregard for everything. Over the next years, we had post-punk, glam, soul, hip hop and its successors, reggae, new romantic, progressive rock, heavy metal and so many other unique genres which all helped change the rules and music in their own ways.
But in the last few years, it feels like new music has been increasingly dominated by producer-driven tracks constructed on an algorithmic and formulaic basis. Individuality and true artist expression has sadly decreased and popular music with some exceptions has just become plain boring. This has been accompanied by wokeism and cancel culture where all of us have to be more careful what we say and do. The creative world and indeed our personal worlds have become more restricted. We now have the emergence of AI which could be another nail in the coffin of great innovative music. No artists, just computer generated ‘music.’
That spirit I talked about at the beginning is disappearing rather fast. I hope something will happen to bring it back, music needs it. Being essentially an optimist, I am sure it will.
Iain McNay, June 2024
LATEST ACQUISITIONS
TJM Records, operated from Manchester by Tony Davidson, was known for its distinctive contributions to the punk and post-punk scenes. TJM was instrumental in launching and promoting various influential acts, including Slaughter and the Dogs, The Teardrops and Private Sector. Tony’s commitment to nurturing raw talent help established the label as a vibrant player in the late ‘70s independent music scene and we’re proud to represent the TJM catalogue at Cherry Red.
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TOP SOUNDS
For a few years now, Top Sounds has been unearthing hitherto unheard archive finds from cult UK bands of the mid-to-late 1960s. Specialising in unearthing forgotten gems, the label has crafted meticulously curated compilations centred around genres such as British R&B, freakbeat, mod and psychedelia, featuring artists like The Purple Barrier, The Kontax, The Action, The Shanes and The Kirkbys and shining a light on such mythical imprints as Oak Records. We’re now the proud custodians of the Top Sounds catalogue, in terms of licensing tracks for compilations and for synchronisation purposes.
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AMMO PRODUCTIONS
We have expanded our existing Angel Air / Store For Music deal with Ammo Productions; known for its extensive catalog of vintage music, adding a rich collection of late 60s and 70s pop recordings from the renowned producers and songwriters Chris Arnold, David Martin, and Geoff Morrow.
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CLIVE JOHN / MAN
We recently acquired rights to the 1975 album You Always Know Where You Stand With A Buzzard by keyboardist / vocalist / composer Clive John from Welsh band Man.
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RAIN / GYPSY WIZARDS BAND
We now represent the lost late '60s psychedelic pop album (plus associated extras) from post-Lomax Alliance Anglo-American trio Rain as well as music the band recorded as The Gypsy Wizards Band.
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HENRY BADOWSKI
We now represent Henry Badowski's 1981 synth-pop solo album, Life Is A Grand, which showcases the eclectic talent of the former Chelsea and ATV member.
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TIGERTAILZ
We now represent Tigertailz's repertoire, which includes their acclaimed album Young And Crazy, along with three box sets of rarities which include a comprehensive collection of the glam metal band's energetic work.
SYNC PLACEMENTS
The most recent sync deals include...
- The Mock Turtles' classic Can You Dig It? has been included in Netflix's new
new adaptation of Holly Smale’s young adult novel Geek Girl.
- 1970s sophisticated pop band Fox and their track S-S-S Single Bed has recently featured in the second season of Netflix reboot of teen comedy-drama Heartbreak High.
- Medium Medium's 1983 post-punk/funk indie hit Hungry, So Angry features in Netflix’s exciting new drama series Eric, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
- Former Shadows member Brian Bennett's 1978 track Ocean Glide (taken from the album Voyage (A Journey Into Discoid Funk) used in a new short, A Film About My Father by Jared Hirsch.
TRACK OF THE WEEK NEWSLETTER
CHERRY RED LICENSING
Cherry Red Records represents a vast catalogue of recordings covering almost every popular music genre from the last fifty years, holding worldwide rights over much of the material. We welcome all types of licensing enquiries from around the world.
Through our publishing arm, Cherry Red Songs, we also control over 30,000 copyrights making us a one stop shop for many of the tracks where we also control the master.
CHERRY RED CHARTS
Hawkwind's latest studio album went in at #51 in the Official Albums Chart on it's release in April. We've also enjoyed the following chart entries for recent releases on Cherry Red and it's associated labels recently.
INDEPENDENT ALBUM CHARTS
- Hawkwind - Stories From Space & Time (#5)
- Cock Sparrer - Hand On Heart (#7)
- Yes - Talk (#14)
- Toyah - Warrior Rock (#12)
INDIE BREAKERS CHART
- Cock Sparrer - Hand On Heart (#1)
- Anthony Phillips - The Golden Hour (#12)
- Son Of Man - Gaslight (#16)
- Emerson, Lake & Powell - The Complete Collection (#6)
- Van Der Graaf Generator - Vital (#12)
OFFICIAL FOLK CHARTS
- Les Cousins - The Soundtrack Of Soho's Legendary Folk & Blues Club (#6)
Taken from the most recent BPI Monthly Market Report (May), Cherry Red are #23 in Independents Market Share for Album Equivalent Sales for 2024, and #21 for the period of Jan-May 2024.
Have a look at the Cherry Red Top 51, featuring the best-sellers from January - March 2024.
CHERRY RED RADIO
Our monthly show is available to hear now. Cherry Red Radio is also now an online Radio Station, broadcasting 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
You can now get Cherry Red Radio on your Alexa Smart Speaker! Enable Cherry Red Radio through the app and then ask Alexa to "Play Cherry Red Radio..."
Hear the show monthly on the following stations:
Boogaloo Radio - Mondays 2pm - 4pm
Almost Blue - Fridays 10pm-midnight
Target Radio Thursdays 7-9pm
Slack City - Saturdays 10am-midday
Bay FM - Sundays 10pm-Midnight
Smile Radio - Fridays 8-10pm
Mad Wasp Radio - Friday 9pm
Delicious Agony - Friday 9am
Radio Six International - Saturday 12noon
Wolfman Radio - Saturday 10am
121 Radio - Wednesdays 11pm
Louder Than War Radio - First Friday of month 10pm
Prospect Radio - Wednesdays 6pm
NEW ALBUMS
We are delighted to be releasing Howard Jones' new live album - Live At The O2 on CD, recycled colour vinyl, streaming and download.
On 24th March 2024, approximately 40 years since they first shared a stage, Howard Jones performed live at The O2 Arena in London as the Special Guest of his great friends OMD.
Featuring live versions of many of Howard’s big hit singles including ‘New Song’, ‘What Is Love?’, ‘Hide & Seek’, ‘Pearl In The Shell’, ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’, ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ plus Howard’s cover version of Kajagoogoo’s ‘Too Shy’ accompanied by his friend and former Kajagoogoo band member Nick Beggs.
HOWARD JONES PLAYBACK EVENT
On Friday 31st May, Howard Jones, Stephen W Tayler and Cherry Red hosted a listening session at Tileyard Studios in London to celebrate the release of Human's Lib and Dream Into Action 5.1 and ATMOS Surround Mixes. Stephen talked guests through his 5.1 mixes, Bob Clearmountain joined on video from Los Angeles to talk through the ATMOS mixes and Howard hosted a Q&A session to finish. Watch a short video of the event below.
ABOVE: A brief look at the special playback event for the new editions of Human's Lib and Dream Into Action
TOP RIGHT: Stephen W Tayler and Howard Jones.
RIGHT: Howard with some of the Cherry Red team (L-R) Matt Ingham, Matt Bristow and Martina.
BELOW: A fan's signed commemorative poster framed and ready to hang.
OUT TO LUNCH
ABOVE: The Sex Pistols' Paul Cook and The Back Four's Ian Stewart visit Adam and Matt at the office.
ABOVE: Tony Stevens from Foghat with John.
BELOW: The Cherry Red team hard at work at this year's Independent Label Market in Coal Drops Yard, King's Cross.
BLOG
CHERRY RED AND ALAN MCGEE...
One of the early visitors to our office in Kensington Gardens Square was a young, very enthusiastic Alan McGee. Our latest blog post has been written by Iain McNay about Cherry Red's relationship with the music industry legend over the years...
FOOTBALL
We recently held our annual Cherry Red sponsors game at the home of AFC Wimbledon, The Cherry Red Records Stadium.
See more photos here.
JACK BRUCE SURROUND SOUND PLAYBACK EVENT
To celebrate the upcoming release of the expanded boxed set of the seminal album Songs for a Tailor, which includes a stunning new 5.1 Surround Sound mix by Stephen W Tayler, we are delighted to be part of an exclusive preview event at Tileyard London on Monday 8th July.
Delve into the immersive world of the 5.1 mixes of this classic work, 55 years since its original release and enjoy a screening of the 1970 documentary film Jack Bruce: Rope Ladder to the Moon.
The event will be hosted by Paul Jones and will feature a charity auction of rare Jack Bruce memorabilia and a guitar kindly donated by Gibson, in aid of EACH (East Anglia's Children’s Hospices), Jack’s favourite charity.
CHERRY PICKED: A HISTORY OF CHERRY RED RECORDS IN 46 TRACKS
The unmistakable sound of independence for 46 years. Delve into the vault to hear 46 tracks that tell a small part of the Cherry Red story...
OUT NOW!
A few trailers videos from some of our most recent releases. You can see our full list of new releases from the past few months here.
No Songs Tomorrow - Darkwave, Ethereal Rock And Coldwave 1981-1990
Gina G: Fresh, 2CD/DVD and Purple Vinyl
Lindisfarne: Brand New Day - The Mercury Years 1978-1979
The Rascals: It’s Wonderful: The Complete Atlantic Studio Recordings
Edgar Broughton Band: Gone Blue - The BBC Sessions
Toyah: Warrior Rock - Toyah On Tour, 3CD / 2LP Vinyl
IN THE PRESS
FOLLOW US ON SPOTIFY!
LAWRENCE, WILL HODGKINSON & BOBBY GILLESPIE
In celebration of Will Hodgkinson's new book Street-Level Superstar, A Year With Lawrence - released in September on Nine Eight Books, you can catch Lawrence and Will in conversation with Bobby Gillespie this September at Rough Trade East.
