Anyone know what this is?

[Blighty]

I found it today during some seriously grubby digging. It's a one sided seven inch. The flip is totally blank with no label or anything. It sounds like it was recorded it in the mid sixties. It's basically a beat song called 'Clock On The Wall'. I'm guessing it's either a test pressing or it's a record the band paid to have one copy for themselves like those 'audio postcard' things that Shadow used on The Private Press. Funnily enough I found a couple of those today too.

[Col Wolfe]

Quote[/b] (Blighty @ Feb. 19 2004,17:44)]I found it today during some seriously grubby digging. It's a one sided seven inch. The flip is totally blank with no label or anything. It sounds like it was recorded it in the mid sixties. It's basically a beat song called 'Clock On The Wall'. I'm guessing it's either a test pressing or it's a record the band paid to have one copy for themselves like those 'audio postcard' things that Shadow used on The Private Press. Funnily enough I found a couple of those today too.

Becoming more collecable than Oak in some circles mate. Stands for International Broadcast Company. One of the first indie labels and used mainly for ad/jingle work until the mid60s when the influx of self financed beat groups started to book the place out. The main recording room had a reverb unit taking up an entire wall.
Does it sound any way like the Kinks? They used IBC for initial demos - may be worth a bomb if it is. The Stones used IBC before changing to Oak - did a mammoth session in '63 with them. Bo Street Runners, Tony Rivers/Castaways, Uglies, Elmer Gantry, Cream, Soft Machine, a shitload of Immediate acts....loads.
Is it good beat or crap beat?

[Blighty]

Cheers for the info, Col. It doesn't sound like The Kinks. It's a bit cheesier and poppier than that. I've been trying to work out who it's by via AMG and Google but no luck yet. The record is actually metal coated in a layer of vinyl. There's bits chipped off round the edges and you can see the metal disk underneath. I've made an mp3 and if anyone can ID that track I'd love to know what it is. It'll bug me until I find out.  

[sermad]

If its metal coated vinyl then its an acetate. They wear down much quicker then vinyl mate so take care of it. They also have a tendency to snap in half when you put them on the platter too...

[son of stan]

Is there some way you could track this down via the publishing (Shelter Music)?

[Blighty]

Quote[/b] (son of stan @ Feb. 20 2004,12:51)]Is there some way you could track this down via the publishing (Shelter Music)?

That may be worth a try. It'll probably turn out to be something obvious and boring but the funs is in the search. It's a damn catchy track actually. I've had it stuck in my head all day.

[Col Wolfe]

Quote[/b] (Blighty @ Feb. 20 2004,10:22)]Cheers for the info, Col. It doesn't sound like The Kinks. It's a bit cheesier and poppier than that. I've been trying to work out who it's by via AMG and Google but no luck yet. The record is actually metal coated in a layer of vinyl. There's bits chipped off round the edges and you can see the metal disk underneath. I've made an mp3 and if anyone can ID that track I'd love to know what it is. It'll bug me until I find out.  

Sounds a bit like Ministry Of Sound who recorded for Decca or possibly Cymbaline (Merc/Phillips). I'll give Phil Spelman a buzz later & play it to him. If anyone knows, he will.

As it's an acetate, I'd play it once, record it and store it away from vinyl. They can get mouldy real quick. The good thing about it being an acetate? It's 99% probable that it's a one-off and therefore extremely valuable to somebody.

[TOWNY]

Quote[/b] (Col Wolfe @ Feb. 19 2004,20:24)]

Quote[/b] (Blighty @ Feb. 20 2004,10:22)]Cheers for the info, Col. It doesn't sound like The Kinks. It's a bit cheesier and poppier than that. I've been trying to work out who it's by via AMG and Google but no luck yet. The record is actually metal coated in a layer of vinyl. There's bits chipped off round the edges and you can see the metal disk underneath. I've made an mp3 and if anyone can ID that track I'd love to know what it is. It'll bug me until I find out.  

Sounds a bit like Ministry Of Sound who recorded for Decca or possibly Cymbaline (Merc/Phillips).  I'll give Phil Spelman a buzz later & play it to him.  If anyone knows, he will.  

As it's an acetate, I'd play it once, record it and store it away from vinyl.  They can get mouldy real quick.  The good thing about it being an acetate?  It's 99% probable that it's a one-off and therefore extremely valuable to somebody.

Proper dittoed !

[Lord Thames]

I think 'Clock On The Wall' is a proper song - I've certainly heard of it (and I'm not thinking of the song Alvin Stardust did for 'A Song For Europe' in the mid 80s&#33, but I can't remember who did it. This version may be a cover though - I'm downloading the mp3 as I type.

On the subject of acetates, I got one recorded at the Radio Luxembourg studios, consisting of two tracks of sax/vibes led jazz - the two tracks are called 'The Professional' and 'The Quiet One'. Anyone got any ideas?

[Lord Thames]

Right, I've had a listen. Age-wise, I'd place this as early 70s, and that guitar sounds awfully like the work of Alan Parker.

The singing sounds very familiar, but there were loads of bands that sounded like that in the early seventies - it's not dissimilar to the New Faces, but there's no female singer, so it's probably not them. I'll go through a few LPs and see what I can come up with.

Thanks for posting the mp3 - whoever it is, it's a great track!

[wooly]

Like Lord Thames, I was thinking the guitar sounds extremely like Alan Parker - think tracks like "Punch Bowl", that growly wah-wah that is very much his sound.

For some reason I'm thinking it sounds like something Tony Hatch would have written and maybe came out on Pye? I have no idea if they used IBC for their demos though.

Maybe we're getting warmer though?

[jerry]

Has anybody ever listened to BARNFATHER - clock on the wall -
Bell 1973, a wild guess, admittedly lifted from GEMM, but who knows?

[Blighty]

Yowsah! Incredible knowledge on this board as ever. Cheers for all the info. There are a few tracks called 'Clock On The Wall' knocking around. Double Vision, the aforementioned Barnfather, The Guess Who, Alva Snelling, The Kliek, Catheters and Wendy Andrews have all done tracks called that. I'm trying to get some of these on SoulSeek at the minute.

Shelter Music don't seem to exist any more but I've found a website with info on IBC and I've emailed the guy that runs it to see if he can help.