Marmalade Records

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Marmalade Records was a short-lived British independent record label (distributed by Polydor). Started in 1966 by Swiss-resident Georgian pop impresario and ex-manager of both the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds, Giorgio Gomelsky, it released records by artists including Julie Driscoll with Brian Auger and The Trinity, who reached No.5 in the UK in 1968 with "This Wheel's on Fire", [1] Blossom Toes, early recordings by Graham Gouldman, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who became 10cc, as well as John McLaughlin's first solo album. Marmalade's first release, in August 1966, was a controversial single called "We Love The Pirate Stations", by five well-known musicians masquerading as The Roaring 60's. [2] They were mainly members of the Ivy League, who later went on to release hits as The Flower Pot Men. "We Love The Pirates" was not a hit despite extensive airplay on Radio 270, Radio Caroline and Radio London – it was a half-hearted Beach Boys pastiche at medium tempo, but still well-loved by pirate radio aficionados.[ citation needed ]

Contents

The Marmalade label ceased to exist in 1969 when it ran out of funds. [3]

Aftermath

Driscoll again performed "This Wheel's on Fire" – without Auger – as the closing title music for BBC TV's Absolutely Fabulous comedy show between 1990 and 1996. [4] She was partnered on that version of the Bob Dylan/Rick Danko song by Adrian Edmondson, the husband of AbFab writer and star Jennifer Saunders. [5] [6]

After a time managing French progressive rock band Magma, Gomelsky headed for New York City in the mid-1970s, where he co-founded Utopia Records, a label that was to have had the same alternative innovative focus as Marmalade. [7] Gomelsky produced Magma's Live/Hhaï album for Utopia in 1975. Utopia, co-founded with Kevin Eggers, was allegedly financed by then-RCA president Ken Glancy. Gomelsky was slowly sidelined, and Eggers effectively took over the reins. Utopia later went to the wall, with Tomato Records growing out of the wreckage and taking over Utopia's back catalogue. [8] Tomato re-released Live/Hhaï in 1978. Gomelsky's production appeared again, in versions of varying lengths, on the French 'Label Du Bon Independent' in 1985, on Paris-based '7th Records' in 1989, on the UK's Charly Records, and again on Tomato Records in 1996, on Japan's Victor Records and again on Charly in 2001. It was issued again on 7th Records, this time in Japan, in 2009. [9]

Discography

Singles

Albums

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References

  1. ↑ "June Charts". Phil Brodie Band. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  2. ↑ "The Roaring 60's* – We Love The Pirates / I'm Leaving Town (1966, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  3. ↑ David Wells's June 2003 liner notes to the Strawberry Bubblegum CD of 'pre-10cc tracks recorded at Strawberry Studios' in Stockport, England.
  4. ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous". The Band. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  5. ↑ "Edmondson, Adrian (1957-)". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "Absolutely Fabulous". BBC. Archived from the original on 10 July 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  7. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "Giorgio Gomelsky". Verve Music Group. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  8. ↑ "(none)" (PDF). Charly Acquisitions Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  9. ↑ "Magma – Magma Live (Magma Hhaï) | Releases". Discogs. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
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