Barn Records was a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

established by the English musician, record producer and manager

Chas Chandler Bryan James "Chas" Chandler (18 December 1938 – 17 July 1996) was an English musician, record producer and manager, best known as the original bassist in The Animals, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He ...

. It was active from 1976 to 1980, and included the production company Barn Productions and publishing company Barn Publishing Ltd. The label was based at Portland Studios in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, which was formerly known as IBC Studios until Chandler purchased them in 1978. The label's most notable artist was

Slade Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...

, while others included

The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

Medicine Head Medicine Head were a British blues rock band – initially a duo – active in the 1970s. Their biggest single success was in 1973 with " One and One Is One", which reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. The group recorded six original albums ...

, The Depressions, Stavely Makepeace, Nick Van Eede and

Splinter A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...

History

Chandler formed Barn in early 1976. At the time, he had been the manager of the successful British rock band

since 1969 and convinced them to sign with his new label. Chandler originally negotiated a licensing deal with Polydor, who agreed to finance the label based on the strength of the Slade name. The label's debut single release was "Love on My Mind" by Brian Parrish, released in July 1976. Barn released only two singles which made an entry into the UK charts. The first was Slade's "

Gypsy Roadhog "Gypsy Roadhog" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1977 as the only single from the band's seventh studio album ''Whatever Happened to Slade''. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea (musician), Jim Le ...

", which reached No. 48 in the UK. The second was Slade's "

My Baby Left Me "My Baby Left Me" is a rhythm and blues song written by blues singer Arthur Crudup. Original recording It was first recorded by Crudup in Chicago on November 8, 1950, with Ransom Knowling on bass and Judge Riley on drums, and was released as a ...

", released later in 1977, which gave Barn its highest charting single at No. 32. Despite this, the band's other Barn releases into 1979 failed to chart. Singles such as " Burning in the Heat of Love", " Rock 'n' Roll Bolero", " Ginny, Ginny" and " Sign of the Times" all failed to sell and most copies were melted down. In 1976,

reunited and recorded a new album, which was released the following year on Barn as ''

Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted ''Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted'' is a 1977 reunion album by the Animals. They are billed on the cover as the Original Animals. History The album marked a reunion of the five original Animals from the group's first incarnation — Eri ...

''. The band were billed as "The Original Animals". Other album releases on Barn included Brian Parrish's ''Love on My Mind'' (1976), Medicine Head's ''Two Man Band'' (1976) and Slade's ''

Whatever Happened to Slade ''Whatever Happened to Slade'' is the seventh studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 21 March 1977 by Barn Records, but did not enter any national album chart. By the time of the album's release, Slade's popularity was ...

'' (1977) and ''

Return to Base ''Return to Base'' is the eighth studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released on 1 October 1979 by Barn Records, and did not enter any national album charts. At the time of the album's release, the band's success had waned and ...

'' (1979). Barn's final release was the Ada Wilson single "In the Quiet of My Room", released in January 1980. Following this, Chandler established the short-lived Six of the Best label, and was also involved in the independent

Cheapskate Records Cheapskate Records was a record label established by Slade bassist Jim Lea (musician), Jim Lea and his brother Frank Lea in 1979. It was active until 1982, however was later briefly revived for the release of three Slade singles in 1987–88. As ...

during 1980-82.

References

{{Authority control Record labels established in 1976 Record labels disestablished in 1980 British record labels

History

See also

References