Graduate Records is mainly known for signing the Birmingham group UB40, who have become the most successful reggae band in the world. David Virr started Graduate Records in 1969 as a record shop in Dudley which grew, at one time, to a chain of six shops around the Midlands. In 1979 after listening to John… Read More »Graduate Records
Punk band who released one single on Motor City Rhythm Records in 1979. I Wanna Be A Star / At The Seaside
Short lived label run out of 196 Wake Green Road,Moseley. Released four singles from 1979-1980. Léargo The Artist (7″) DNS 87903 1979 The Daze I Wanna Be A Star (7″) MCR 101 1979 Eclipse* She’s Gone (7″) MCR103… Read More »Motor City Rhythm
Released one punk single by the band of the same name. Released in 1979 No Bullshit Just Rock N Roll / Looking For Love
Short lived punk band with one release in 1979 on their own Shag Nasty Records label. No Bullshit Just Rock N Roll / Looking For Love The band were: Bass, Vocals – Tosh (6) Drums – Nick Shirley O.B.E* Guitar, Vocals – Riff Star Producer – Mark Lusardi* Vocals – Gary Sharp Written-By – Shag Nasty… Read More »Shag Nasty
Rumoured (they are!) to be closely connected to Felt, they share the same record label Shanghai Records which was home to Felt’s first single and it was registered in Water Orton home to Lawrence. The Versatile Newts were an oddly post punk group that had one release Nutrition / Blimp on the aforementioned Shanghai and… Read More »The Versatile Newts
Andy was a photographer for the University of Birmingham’s newspaper Redbrick and for the local fanzine Musique in the second half of 81 and the first half of 82. He photographed an incredible range of bands (usually before they became big) – New Order, Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, Eurythmics, Psychedelic Furs, Altered Images, UB40, Aztec camera,… Read More »Andy B
One of the giants of Birmingham’s musical history, Dave Swarbrick is an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings as ‘the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none’ and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many world folk violin players who have followed him.… Read More »Dave Swarbrick
Starfighters are an English heavy metal band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement founded in Birmingham, England, in 1979. They attracted a strong British cult following but were not able to translate this into any lasting success, producing just two full studio albums in the early 1980s. Ex-member Stevie Young brought in… Read More »Starfighters
Threshold Records was the name of a label and record shop started by The Moody Blues in the 1970s. They eventually opened five shops in Cobham, Andover, Chichester, Birmingham and Swindon. The original Birmingham shop was on the Stratford Road before it relocated to the Bull Ring Shopping Centre some years later. This picture is… Read More »Threshold Records