Rod Mackenzie has had many nom de plumes over his 7 decades in the music business. We refer to him as the Sun Ra Of Inverness. Because he is. His current moniker is Jeep Solid. First becoming aware of Jeep Solid via LA skate legend Louie Lopez, we soon established […]
Artists
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Spoke Records are proud to release this 4-track 7” EP on the 50th anniversary of one of the most loved UK library labels, Standard Music Library. The company was formed as a collaboration between London Weekend Television (the ITV franchise for Greater London and Home Counties) and Bucks Music Group. […]
In the late 50s Shirley Bates (Bryant) headed west to Southern California wanting to be part of the thriving country music scene. Spotted at a talent show by DJ Squeakin’ Deacon, he helped her find her feet and after live appearances on radio and the new media of television, she […]
Tammy St John was only fourteen years old when she was signed to Pye Records in 1964 and for two years they struggled to find songs suitable for her bluesy and soulful voice. One release which failed to hit was her cover version of The Chiffons – Nobody Knows What’s Goin’ On (In […]
When Craig Douglas recorded Don’t Mind If I Cry for Pye in 1969 it had been six years since he last had a record in the pop charts. An extremely popular singer in the late 50s and early 60s, his breakthrough came in 1959 with an appearance on British television’s […]
Before focusing on the recording, let’s look briefly at the song ‘Reviewing The Situation’. It’s engrained in the brains of several generations as one of many classic Lionel Bart compositions threaded throughout the 1968 box-office smash Oliver! Fagin, played by Ron Moody, performed a darkly comic interpretation which is hard […]
We’ve loved I’ve Arrived ever since we first heard it. We also love researching the artists and songs we release to provide a more rounded appreciation of the sounds we deliver. We’re sad to say that on this occasion we can’t offer very much. Jewel Akens first recorded I’ve Arrived in 1965 for the ERA label. […]
This is the first real occasion where Spoke Records have ventured into the murky territory of archaeological restoration. But when the artefact in question is a previously unknown 1967 blue-eyed soul stomper from Gene Pitney, we felt the time was right to immerse ourselves fully into sonic renovation. What we […]
John Cameron speaks about the recording of the Frog single and other aspects of his career eloquently and modestly, frequently laughing at the hectic nature of it whilst recognising the weekend prior to this interview had been no different. Conducting an orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall for Donovan on […]
One spring day, bored with secretarial life, Sylvan read a horoscope that advised her to ‘follow every golden opportunity’ that month. As you could only do in those magically innocent and exciting days of no qualifications whatsoever, she applied for jobs at Annabelle’s night club as a disc jockey, and Moyses Stephens […]
The Open Mind – Magic Potion Coincidentally with Dakotas, The Open Mind were also initially named after a Native American Indian tribe. The Apaches were formed by Tim du Feu, Mike Brancaccio, Philip Fox and Ray Nye. Ray When Ray Nye left Terry Schindler was drafted in and they changed their name […]
‘I’ve been buying records since I was four years old beginning with January by Pilot in 1975. In 1985, somewhat older but not much wiser I started making music out of other people’s music with 1/4″ tape loops, cassette recorder pause buttons and an Atari 800 based sampler. This coincided […]