The Village Thing was an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

in the United Kingdom which published

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

, blues and acoustic music between 1970 and 1973, under the tag of "The Alternative Folk Label".

History

The company, based at The Barton, Inglestone Common,

Badminton, Gloucestershire Badminton is a village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. The only settlement in the parish is Badminton village, sometimes called Great Badminton to distinguish it from the hamlet of Little Badminton, about one mile to the ...

, rose from the thriving

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

contemporary folk scene based around the Clifton area and centred on the

Bristol Troubadour Club The Bristol Troubadour Club was a short lived but influential club in the thriving contemporary folk music scene in Bristol in the late 1960s and early 1970s, It was located in Clifton village, the student quarter above the city centre. The clu ...

. Specialising in local acts, it took the music to a wider audience and was highly influential in the development of British folk and blues based music in the 1970s and after. Records were pressed in relatively small numbers and a

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

following has resulted in them becoming highly collectable. Typical pressings were about 2,000 copies, but their best seller, "The Folker" by

Fred Wedlock Peter Frederick Wedlock (23 May 1942 – 4 March 2010) was an English folk singer best known for his UK hit single "The Oldest Swinger in Town", which was covered by German comedian Karl Dall as "Der älteste Popper der Stadt". He performed ...

sold some 20,000. Village Thing was founded by Gef Lucena,

Ian A. Anderson Ian A. Anderson (born 26 July 1947) is an English magazine editor, folk musician and broadcaster. Early career and The Village Thing Anderson first performed in his home town of Weston-super-Mare as a member of the Backwater Jook Band and c ...

and John Turner. Lucena was already running a local indie label, Saydisc, which had already gained a reputation for publishing low-run pressings by local folk/comedy artists including

; Saydisc was the "parent" company and continues to trade today. Anderson had become well known for his part in the "White Blues Boom" of the late 1960s and had recorded for

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone * Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi ...

both solo and with Mike Cooper. turn, The

Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra The Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra (or PHLO) were an eccentric band of British musicians, who joined together in early 1968 to play a fusion of comedy, jazz, and folk music, in a unique style which has been compared with The Temperance Seven and t ...

. Village Thing records were distributed by

Transatlantic Records Transatlantic Records was a British independent record label. The company was established in 1961, primarily as an importer of American folk, blues and jazz records by many of the artists who influenced the burgeoning British folk and blues boom ...

. The company logo was design ed by

Rodney Matthews Rodney Matthews (born 6 July 1945) is a British illustrator and conceptual designer of fantasy and science-fiction. Career Trained at the West of England College of Art, Matthews worked in advertising for Plastic Dog Graphics before turning ...

, as were some of the album covers; Matthews later became very well known for his

fantasy art Fantastic art is a broad and loosely defined art genre. It is not restricted to a specific school of artists, geographical location or historical period. It can be characterised by subject matter—which portrays non-realistic, mystical, mythi ...

and produced album covers for major artists including

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...

, Magnum and

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his prolific solo career. AllMusic describes Wakema ...

Availability

Some of The Village Thing albums have been reissued as CDs on labels including Scenesof (US);

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, The Weekend Beatnik, Saydisc and Sunbeam (UK); Riverman (Korea); and Vinyl Japan.

Discography

Albums (12 inch vinyl)

*VTS 1 ''Phlop!''

*VTS 2 ''The Sun Also Rises'',

The Sun Also Rises ''The Sun Also Rises'' is the first novel by the American writer Ernest Hemingway, following his experimental novel-in-fragments '' In Our Time (short story collection)'' (1925). It portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Par ...

*VTS 3 ''Royal York Crescent'', Ian A. Anderson *VTS 4 ''The Legendary Me'',

Wizz Jones Raymond Ronald "Wizz" Jones (25 April 1939 – 27 April 2025) was an English acoustic guitarist, and singer-songwriter. He performed from the late 1950s and recorded from 1965 until 2025. He possessed what was described as "unparalleled virtuo ...

*VTS 5 ''An Acoustic Confusion'',

Steve Tilston Steve Tilston (born 26 March 1950) is an English folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. Early life Steve Tilston was born in Liverpool and brought up in Leicestershire. A graphic designer before taking up music in 1971, Tilston lived in Bristol ...

*VTS 6 ''The Words in Between'', Dave Evans *VTS 7 ''The Folker'',

*VTS 8 ''Piggery Jokery'', Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra *VTS 9 ''A Vulture Is Not A Bird You Can Trust'', Ian A. Anderson *VTS 10 ''Mudge And Clutterbuck'', Mudge And Clutterbuck (unreleased) *VTS 11 ''Magic Landscape'', Hunt and Turner *VTS 12 ''Hokum'', Tight Like That *VTS 13 ''Tucker Zimmerman'',

Tucker Zimmerman Brian Tucker Zimmerman (born February 14, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Early life At age four, Zimmerman began violin lessons, on a violin made by his grandfather. When he was seven, Zimmerman moved with his family to Healdsburg, a r ...

*VTS 14 ''Elephantasia'', Dave Evans *VTSAM 15 ''Us'' (Various artist) *VTSAM 16 ''Matchbox Days'' (Various artists) *VTS 17 ''Feelin' Fine'',

Derroll Adams Derroll Adams (November 27, 1925 – February 6, 2000) was an American folk musician. Biography He was born Derroll Lewis Thompson in Portland, Oregon, United States. At 16, he served in the Army, but was discharged when his true age of 16 was ...

*VTS 18 ''Singer Sleeps on As Blaze Rages'', Ian A. Anderson *VTS 19 ''Jonesville'', Al Jones *VTS 20 ''Frollicks'', Fred Wedlock *VTS 21 ''Chris Thompson'', Chris Thompson *VTS 22 ''Peabody Hotel'',

Dave Peabody Dave Peabody (born David Peabody, 20 April 1948, Southall, Middlesex, London, England) is an English singer-songwriter, blues and folk music, folk musician, record producer and photographer, active since the late 1960s, who has appeared on more th ...

*VTS 23 ''Junk Store Songs For Sale'', Lackey and Sweeney *VTS 24 ''When I Leave Berlin'', Wizz Jones *VTS 25 ''Murf'', Noel Murphy

Singles / Extended Play (7 inch vinyl)

*VTSX 1000 "The Great White Dap" EP – Various Artists (Wizz Jones/The Sun Also Rises/Ian A. Anderson/Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra) *VTSX 1001 "Cut Across Shorty / Shake That Thing" – Strange Fruit *VTSX 1002 "One More Chance / Policeman’s Ball" – Ian A. Anderson ''VTS7, VTS17 and VTS18 were also released on cassette and 8-track cartridge''

References

External links

Village Thing MySpace pageSaydisc RecordsBristol Folk provides a discographical history of many of the artists that recorded for Village Thing and also includes a partial history of the labelThe Saydisc & Village Thing Discography includes a complete discography for Village Thing, including pictures of all sleeves and label designs. It is rounded off with a history of Village Thing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Village Thing, The British record labels Folk record labels Blues record labels Record labels established in 1970