The Village Thing

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The Village Thing was an independent record label in the United Kingdom which published folk music, blues and acoustic music between 1970 and 1973, under the tag of "The Alternative Folk Label".

Contents

[edit] History

The company rose from the thriving Bristol contemporary folk scene based around the Clifton area and centred on the Bristol Troubadour Club. Specialising in local acts, it took the music to a wider audience and was highly influential in the development of British folk and blues based music in the 1970s and after. Records were pressed in relatively small numbers and a cult following has resulted in them becoming highly collectable. Typical pressings were about 2,000 copies, but their best seller, "The Folker" by Fred Wedlock sold some 20,000. Village Thing was founded by Gef Lucena, Ian A. Anderson and John Turner. Lucena was already running a local indie label, Saydisc, which had already gained a reputation for publishing low-run pressings by local folk/comedy artists including Fred Wedlock; Saydisc was the "parent" company and continues to trade today. Anderson had become well-known for his part in the "White Blues Boom" of the late 1960s and had recorded for Fontana both solo and with Mike Cooper. Turner was manager of the Troubadour Club and played bass with the humorous folk/jazz fusion band, The Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra. Village Thing records were distributed by Transatlantic Records. The company logo was designed by Rodney Matthews, as were some of the album covers; Matthews later became very well-known for his fantasy art and produced album covers for major artists including Thin Lizzy, Magnum and Rick Wakeman.

[edit] Availability

Original vinyls command high prices when they become available from specialist resellers such as Vinyl Attic or on auction sites. However, some of the albums have been reissued in recent years as CDs on labels such as Scenesof in the USA; Castle, Weekend Beatnik, Saydisc and Sunbeam in the UK, Riverman in Korea and Vinyl Japan. Weekend Beatnik are planning further reissues.

[edit] References

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums (12 inch vinyl)

  • VTS 1 PIGSTY HILL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Phlop!
  • VTS 2 THE SUN ALSO RISES The Sun Also Rises
  • VTS 3 IAN A. ANDERSON Royal York Crescent
  • VTS 4 WIZZ JONES The Legendary Me
  • VTS 5 STEVE TILSTON An Acoustic Confusion
  • VTS 6 DAVE EVANS The Words In Between
  • VTS 7 FRED WEDLOCK The Folker
  • VTS 8 PIGSTY HILL LIGHT ORCHESTRA Piggery Jokery
  • VTS 9 IAN A. ANDERSON A Vulture Is Not A Bird You Can Trust
  • VTS 10 MUDGE AND CLUTTERBUCK Mudge And Clutterbuck (NOT RELEASED)
  • VTS 11 HUNT AND TURNER Magic Landscape
  • VTS 12 TIGHT LIKE THAT Hokum
  • VTS 13 TUCKER ZIMMERMAN Tucker Zimmerman
  • VTS 14 DAVE EVANS Elephantasia
  • VTSAM 15 VARIOUS ARTISTS Us
  • VTSAM 16 VARIOUS ARTISTS Matchbox Days
  • VTS 17 DERROLL ADAMS Feelin’ Fine
  • VTS 18 IAN A. ANDERSON Singer Sleeps On As Blaze Rages
  • VTS 19 AL JONES Jonesville
  • VTS 20 FRED WEDLOCK Frollicks
  • VTS 21 CHRIS THOMPSON Chris Thompson
  • VTS 22 DAVE PEABODY Peabody Hotel
  • VTS 23 LACKEY AND SWEENEY Junk Store Songs For Sale
  • VTS 24 WIZZ JONES When I Leave Berlin
  • VTS 25 NOEL MURPHY Murf

[edit] Singles / Extended Play (7 inch vinyl)

  • VTSX 1000 VARIOUS ARTISTS (Wizz Jones/The Sun Also Rises/Ian A. Anderson/Pigsty Hill Light Orchestra) The Great White Dap EP
  • VTSX 1001 STRANGE FRUIT Cut Across Shorty / Shake That Thing
  • VTSX 1002 IAN A. ANDERSON One More Chance / Policeman’s Ball

VTS7, VTS17 and VTS18 were also released on cassette and 8-track cartridge