Bob Bell reviews new book on the history of Island Records
Chris Blackwell started Island Records in Jamaica in 1959, recording local talent. His first three releases all made the Jamaican charts. By 1962 he had set up operations in England, selling ska to Britain’s growing West Indian population, and come 1964 had a world-wide hit with Millie Small’s ‘My Boy Lollipop’. Not too long after that, he signed The Spencer Davis Group, fronted by a very young Stevie Winwood, who shortly thereafter begat Traffic and the rest, as they say, is history.
Well, sort of.
Neil Storey, who started working at Island in June of 1974 in the sales force, and went on to run the company’s Press Office, has, over the years, gathered together an astonishingly complete archive of all things Island, and as the years passed by and his collection grew, he became increasingly dismayed at the amount of inaccurate information that was presented as fact. He quite rightly reasoned that in lieu of there being a well-researched history of the label, these inaccuracies would become de facto ‘facts’ and the label’s true history would become distorted and forgotten. And so began, in 2007, a work that has finally come to fruition this year with the publication of ‘The Island Book Of Records 1959-1968’ (Manchester University Press), the first of a series that will span several more volumes in total, ending in 1989, the year that Chris Blackwell sold the label to Phonogram.
Neil was posed this question by Music Week: “Why did you feel this book – or rather set of books – needed to be written?”
“The IBOR books needed to be written because, quite simply, a musical generation is dying right before our eyes. Not just the major-generals but the foot-soldiers, too. There is a direct consequence of this not being done – because if the recollections of those who were there, on the front line at the time, aren't collected then future generations will end up relying on... second-hand information at best.”
Anyone who has had even just a passing interest in popular music during the second half of the 20th century cannot fail to be aware of Island Records. From its beginnings in marketing Jamaican music in the UK, and then to Europe, and ultimately the entire world - think Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker, Toots and The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff and countless others, to waving the flag for progressive rock as exemplified by Traffic, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Cat Stevens, Nirvana, Spooky Tooth, Fairport Convention, Mott The Hoople and so on, the label very quickly achieved iconic status, and by the end of the sixties was the preferred and very much desired home for any self-respecting band.
This book tells the story of that first decade, and in intriguing depth. Not only does it catalog every Island release - yes, you read that correctly - every Island release, but also shows the cover art of every LP, in chronological order, the story of how that particular release came into being, who designed the cover art, who produced the session, who played what instrument, and the release date. Also included are memories of those who were involved with that release - sometimes the musicians, sometimes company staff who promoted, sold or physically produced the final product. The reader can lift the curtains of obscurity and take a peek at what happened, and when. And on one or two odd occasions, such as the release of 'John Foster Sings', that reader might be heard to mutter, “Why?”
Not only are the original LP covers included, and the sleeve notes, but relevant advertisements for club dates in London - which are a joy to behold, featuring as they do a long-gone world of clubs, bands both homegrown and visiting from the USA - - mostly long-gone too - and dozens of photos, many of them outtakes from ancient photoshoots which only go to magnify the depth of this astonishing book. Promo posters, music paper advertisements, master tape boxes, concert tickets, label shots … they are all there. There is a complete and definitive listing of all Island’s 45s, from the early Jamaican issues starting in 1959, and then the UK-based label starting in 1962, and then the legendary Sue label run by the equally legendary Guy Stevens, subsidiary labels such as Black Swan, Jump Up, Treasure Isle, Studio One, Brit and Aladdin. And more!
The format is LP-sized, that is to say, twelve inches by twelve inches, and the book is a weighty two inches thick to boot. A hefty tome indeed, but its main heft is the attention to detail, a staggeringly complete collection of artefacts, reminiscences of those who were there at the time, in-depth interviews with such pivotal figures as Graeme Goodall, the Australian engineer who along with Leslie Kong, was one of Blackwell’s early partners, who explains just why those early Jamaican 45s ran no more than two minutes and fifty seconds, a detailed biography of Chris Blackwell’s family … nothing of import has been left out.
Full disclosure: One, Neil Storey is a dear friend of mine, and two, I worked at Island for many years starting in 1965, and because of my having worked there during the period that this book is concerned with, I can say with complete confidence that this is the true story, this is the real deal. Not only has nothing been left out, but he has dug up a huge amount of information that many of us who worked there never knew existed.
Well done, Mr. Storey. The ‘Island Book Of Records’ is a tour de force, a magnificent and sublime work. Bring on Volume Two!
