Chiswick Records was a British

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- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

. Established in 1975, Chiswick was the "first true ' indie' label to be established in Britain for nearly a decade". The label has been described as "significant" in the " punk era". It released some of the earliest records recorded by The Hammersmith Gorillas, The Count Bishops,

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a prec ...

, Joe Strummer’s The 101ers, The Damned,

Skrewdriver Skrewdriver were an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, in 1976. Originally a punk band, Skrewdriver changed into a white supremacist rock band after reuniting in the 1980s. Their original ...

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music i ...

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears H ...

, and

Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGo ...

History

The label was started by Ted Carroll and Roger Armstrong in 1975 as a subsidiary of Rock On Records. Shortly after Trevor Churchill joined, it was incorporated into Swift Records Ltd. Two years later it entered into a licensing deal with EMI. Subsidiary Ace Records was started in 1978, and Chiswick Records closed in 1983; its back catalogue is still owned by Ace Records Ltd. The label released a number of sampler

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

s showcasing their bands. These included '' Submarine Tracks & Fool's Gold (Chiswick Chartbusters Volume One)'' (1977) and ''Long Shots, Dead Certs And Odds On Favourites (Chiswick Chartbusters Volume Two)'' (1978).

Artists released

* Albania * The Damned *

Amazorblades Amazorblades were one of the early British punk rock groups, as chronicled in Henrik Poulsen's book '' 77: The Year of Punk and New Wave'', from Brighton, England. They released a single, "Common Truth" c/w "Mess Around" on Chiswick Record ...

* The Count Bishops * Edith Nylon * Dr. Feelgood (''Fast Women and Slow Horses'' album) (1982) * Drug Addix (with Kirsty MacColl on backing vocals) * The Gorillas *

Jakko Jakko is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jakko Jakszyk (born 1958), British musician, record producer, and actor * Jakko Jan Leeuwangh (born 1972), Dutch speed skater See also * Jaakko Mäntyjärvi Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (bo ...

* Jeff Hill * Johnny Moped * Johnny & the Self Abusers * Little Bob Story * Matchbox *

The Nipple Erectors ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

The 101ers The 101ers were a pub rock band from the 1970s playing mostly in a rockabilly style, notable as being the band that Joe Strummer left to join The Clash. Formed in London in May 1974, the 101ers made their performing debut on 7 September at the ...

* The Radiators from Space/The Radiators (Dublin) * Radio Stars * Riff Raff (with

) * The Rings (with Twink) *

Sniff 'n' the Tears Sniff 'n' the Tears is a British rock band best known for their 1978 song "Driver's Seat", a moderate hit in many countries (including No. 15 on the American ''Billboard'' Hot 100) (in September 1979). The band is led by singer/songwriter Pa ...

Rocky Sharpe and the Replays Rocky Sharpe and the Replays is an English doo-wop/rock and roll revival group who first found fame in the late 1970s. The usual line-up of the group was Rocky Sharpe (born Robert Podsiadły, 26 November 1952 – 5 December 2019), Helen Highwate ...

T. V. Smith Timothy "T. V." Smith (born 5 April 1956) is an English singer-songwriter who was part of punk band The Adverts in the late 1970s. Since then he has fronted other bands, as well as pursuing a solo career. Biography Smith and Gaye Black (a.k.a ...

* The Table * Whirlwind

References

External links

A history of Chiswick Records
{{Authority control British record labels Record labels established in 1975 Record labels disestablished in 1983