Spark (British Record Label)
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Spark was a British record label that was formed in 1967. It was active throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Some of the artists that had releases on the label included
The Artwoods The Artwoods (also sometimes known by Decca Records as the Art Woods) were a British rhythm and blues band who formed in 1963 and were professionally active between 1964 and 1967. They were a popular live attraction, rivalling groups such as t ...
, Killing Floor, Gene Latter, Sheila McKinlay, Mighty Dodos,
Keith Michell Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...
, Sparrow, and Venus and the Razorblades.


Background

Founded by Bob Kingston in 1967, Spark was a division of Southern Music. Their records were pressed and distributed by
Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...
. Selecta was also a distributor for the label. It was overseen by Bob Kingston and Freddie Power. Making their debut on the market in 1968, the executives were tight lipped on their first releases. They were to be revealed at the international music industry at MIDEM in Cannes later in January 1968.


History

It was reported by ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' in the June 1, 1968 issue that Southern Music, the parent co. of Spark Records had now moved into the stage musical field. They were publishing the music score of
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
and
Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Jesus C ...
which was ''"The Likes of Us'', which was to premiere in Dublin later in 1968. Former vocalist with the
Ted Heath Orchestra Ted may refer to: Names A shortened form of the following: * Edmund * Edward * Thaddeus * Theodore (given name) Art, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Ted, a character in the post-apocalyptic short story ''I Have No Mouth, a ...
and publisher, Bob Britton was the professional manager for Southern. Spark was seeking and developing new talent. It was also noted that Freddie Poser who ran his own enterprise, Poser Music company and had been with Mills Music for some years had recently taken the position of manager for the label. Barry Kingston who was the managing director's son was in charge of the Meridian department which would produce independent records for the Spark label as well as major labels.


Releases

The single for A New Generation, " Smokey Blues Away" bw" She's a Soldier Boy" was released on Spark SRL 1007 in 1968. It was reviewed by Peter Jones in the May 18 issue of ''
Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...
''. Calling it an unusual release, Jones said that a lot of folk were rootin' for it but said it will need dee-jay support and careful listening to get the maximum impact. Saying he liked the song a lot, he gave it seven stars. Released in the United States on Imperial 66317, it was also later reviewed by ''
Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' in the September 7 issue with the reviewer saying it was "destined for heavy Top 40 play with sales to follow". Spending five weeks in the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 38 that year. In April 1971, the Mighty Dodos had a single, "Honey (I Need Your Love)" bw "You Don't Love Me" released on Spark SRL 1051. Composed by Byrne and Davis, this soul copy single was produced by Barry Kingston. The composers were actually Conan Byrne aka Con Byrne and Warren Davis of the
Warren Davis Monday Band Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * Warr ...
. Also in 1971,
Les Charles Brothers Glen Gerald Charles (born February 18, 1943) and Les Charles (born March 25, 1948) are American screenwriters and television producers, best known for working on ''Taxi'' and co-creating ''Cheers''. Early lives and careers The Cha ...
(later known as
Billy Ocean Leslie Sebastian Charles (born 21 January 1950), known professionally as Billy Ocean, is a Trinidadian-born British singer and songwriter. Between 1976 and 1988, he had a series of hit songs in the UK and internationally. After releasing sev ...
) had the single "Nashville Rain" bw "Never Is Such a Long Time" released on Spark SRL 1050. The marching band, Band of the Black Watch, recorded an album, ''Scotch on the Rocks'' which was released on Spark in 1975. It made it into the ''Record World'' England Top 25 album chart.''Record World'', April 17, 1976
Page 51 ENGLAND'S TOP 25, Albums, 24
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References

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External links

* Discog
Spark
British record labels Record labels established in 1967