Recreational Records was a British record label set up in 1981 by the
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
record shop and distributor Revolver Records. Originally formed as an
independent record label with its own distribution as part of
the Cartel.
Revolver Records and the Cartel
Revolver Records (not to be confused with
Revolver Music
Revolver Music was a British record label. It was created by Paul Birch in 1979 as a guitar music label. Its sister labels are FM Records and Heavy Metal Records.
History
Revolver is best known for signing the Manchester band, The Stone Roses ...
) was a long established record store based at The Triangle, Clifton, Bristol, and in the 1970s was a hangout of
Mark Stewart,
Nick Sheppard
Nick Sheppard is a British guitarist. He played lead guitar for The Clash from 1983 until the band's breakup in 1986.
Life and career
Sheppard was educated at Bristol Grammar School, one of Bristol's leading public schools, and was in the same ...
, and other local musicians. It also had a distribution arm, which allowed it to distribute its own records (under the Recreational label) and those of other
Indie labels (
Monopause Records, etc.) via its participation in the Cartel.
The Cartel was a co-operative record distribution organisation in the United Kingdom, set up by a number of small
independent record labels to handle their distribution to record shops. By pooling their resources it allowed them to compete with the larger distribution operations of the major record labels, and also to gain access to the larger shop chains. The association of regional distributors included some of the most notable labels of the 1980s UK
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...
and
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
scene:
Backs (Norwich), Fast Forward (Edinburgh),
Native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
(Sheffield), Nine Mile (Leamington Spa),
Probe (Liverpool),
Revolver (Bristol),
Red Rhino
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
(York) and
Rough Trade (London).
Artists
* Animal Magic: Were "a brassy Bristol sextet led by vocalist Howard Purse, they swiftly developed from a punk to a hardcore dancefloor sensibility."
*
Electric Guitars
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...
: Their first single was on
Fried Egg Records and they had tracks on the first
Bristol Recorder
The English city of Bristol has, since the mid-1970s, had a fertile music culture, resulting in not only influential musicians and bands, but also its own sound, Bristol sound or trip hop. Along with the music, a number of local record labels al ...
, before their Recreational single. They later went on to join
Stiff Records and release a further two singles.
* Ivory Coasters: Afro beat/Highlife band that at one time included Prince Nico Mbarga. They also released the 12" single 'Roscoe/Kinzengi Nzengi/1Z4IC', on Politone (PT001) in 1981.
* Mouth: After their single on Recreational, this funk band went on to release records on the
Y label, including the track 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea', on the 1982 'Birth of the Y' compilation LP.
* Scream And Dance: Tribal funk band. ‘In Rhythm’ was remixed by DJ Marcelle/Another Nice Mess and released on a German double LP, ‘Meets Her Soulmates At Faust Studio Deejay Laboratory’ in 2008.
*
Talisman
A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...
: A multi-racial Reggae Band who provided the labels very first single and
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rel ...
hit (#17). Dole Age also became Single of the Week and the Record Sleeve of the Year in the NME. In 1982 as well as playing the
Glastonbury Festival, they were the opening act for
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
concert at Ashton Gate, Bristol.
* The X-Certs: Started off as a Punk Band in 1978 and recorded several tracks for
Heartbeat Records
Heartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington, Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music.
Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of L ...
, had two tracks on
Bristol Recorder 2, and were including reggae by the time of their 1981 Recreational single. This was to be their last recording as they split up in early 1981.
Releases
The Recreational catalogue
listed singles with the Sport prefix (some had 7" and 12" versions), apart from
The X-Certs
The X-Certs were an English band formed in 1978, which originally started as a punk band. They released the track "Blue Movies" on the Heartbeat Records 1979 EP ''4 Alternatives'', and subsequently had "Anthem" included on the label's seminal ...
7" single Together/Untogether, which is listed as Play 1.
Singles
Reissues on other labels
Bristol Archive Records are currently providing Recreational back catalogue tracks for download, through the usual outlets (Amazon, iTunes, etc.).
See also
*
List of Bands from Bristol
This is a list of notable music groups, musicians and singers from, and associated with, the English city of Bristol and its surrounding areas (including North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset, Western Wiltshire, and South Gloucestershir ...
*
Culture of Bristol
Bristol is a city in South West England. As the largest city in the region it is a centre for the arts and sport. The region has a distinct West Country dialect.
Events
In summer the grounds of Ashton Court to the west of the city play host ...
*
List of Record Labels from Bristol
The English city of Bristol has, since the mid-1970s, had a fertile music culture, resulting in not only influential musicians and bands, but also its own sound, Bristol sound or trip hop. Along with the music, a number of local record labels als ...
*
Bristol Record Labels
The English city of Bristol has, since the mid-1970s, had a fertile music culture, resulting in not only influential musicians and bands, but also its own sound, Bristol sound or trip hop. Along with the music, a number of local record labels als ...
*
Bristol Archive Records
*
Electric Guitars
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...
*
the Cartel
*
List of record labels
File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg
File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
File:Bingola1011b.jpg
Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...
References
External links
Recreational Records at Discogs.com*
Electric Guitars at Allmusicbr>
Electric Guitars discography at Discogs.comThe X-Certs website
{{Authority control
Record labels established in 1981
British independent record labels
Indie rock record labels
Music in Bristol