The Fly Records Story

Background Notes

By the mid-Sixties David Platz had established Essex Music as the indisputable heavyweight independent music company in Britain. With an established core interest in music publishing (The Rolling Stones, The Who, Marc Bolan, T Rex, The Move, Procol Harum…) he set up independent production companies, funding producers to make records that he would then licence to major record labels. It was a maverick route to pursue, but with hindsight he was amongst a handful of independent music industry figures who pioneered what has become an industry standard.

One of the earliest production companies set up was Straight Ahead Productions, established in July 1967, and managed by Platz and American-producer-based-in-London, Denny Cordell. Using Platz's publishing offices as HQ, and studios such as Trident Studios as recording base camps, a roster of producers were assembled to both record demos and masters. It was through this system that Cordell's production assistant Tony Visconti began his production career in the England.

As Cordell handled music production, Platz began securing licensing deals with major labels, (Decca's Deram imprint and soon after EMI’s dormant Regal Zonophone label). Cordell’s star ascended further with his production of massive hits for The Moody Blues, The Move and Procol Harum.

By 1968 Essex Music singer/songwriter Marc Bolan, and his band Tyrannosaurus Rex, had become leading lights in the London Underground scene, but a pop hit was proving elusive. Bolan's kinship with Tony Visconti provided Bolan with the catalyst to stardom.

Around the same time David Platz introduced Visconti to another struggling Essex Music writer / artist, David Bowie. Having released his eponymous debut album through Deram Records, and a string of singles on various labels, Platz and Bowie's manager Kenneth Pitt boosted Bowie's efforts through publishing channels ensuring artists covered his material as Bowie’s own releases were proving hard to sell to the general music buying public.

As Bowie worked on new recordings with Visconti, Deram quietly allowed his contract to lapse, and although Bowie released no records in 1968, Platz arranged for him to record a proposed single with Visconti, the goal was to have an independently releasable single which could be licensed or self-released.

Bowie chose to record two new songs, aided by his new group Feathers. John Hutchinson and Hermoine Farthingale (Bowie’s then-girlfriend) comprised the other group members, and in October the group recorded ‘Ching A Ling’ and ‘Back To Where You’ve Never Been’. As was common in those days, publishers would have a studio set up with an acetate cutting room, to enable songs to be pitched to artist managers (with a view to getting songs covered) or record labels (for potential release). They were usually sent on reel to reel tape, or acetate discs.

Feathers’ original recordings were rejected by Visconti (and Platz) primarily due to Hutch’s ‘exotic’ vocal performance. (A section of this unreleased acetate can be heard on our jukebox). The track was later overdubbed and remixed, eventually appearing in Kenneth Pitt’s Bowie low budget flick ‘Love You Till Tuesday’. The new version notably edited out Hutch’s section, and can also be heard on various Deram/Decca Bowie compilation CDs.

Had things worked differently Bowie could well have been the debut release for Platz's Music Publishers’ record label, as Bowie's manager Kenneth Pitt had been rebuffed by Apple Records when approached to sign Bowie.

As things worked out, it was Bolan’s drum-free ‘electric’ recording, ‘Ride A White Swan’, which fired the enthusiasm of Visconti and Platz, the latter speedily assembling the means to release this single "indie"-style.

Originally christened Octopus Records, after very limited initial test pressings of a three track single, were made using the catalogue number OCTO 1, the two track B side tracklisting was revised, as was the label name. The label was quickly renamed and was launched in October 1970 as FLY Records. 'Ride A White Swan' shot up to number 2 on the National chart, surprising both label and artist. It’s somewhat ironic that Bolan subsequently claimed not to have sanctioned the edited band name ‘T Rex’ (which he himself had used unofficially prior to the single release).

In fact, Fly Records had been chasing it’s tail to meet demand and deadlines. 'Ride A White Swan' originally appeared in a neat picture bag with a lilac record label - due to the label buying the paper label stocks from the recently defunct Immediate label to meet advance order demand for stocks. The original circular FLY logo was also hastily created by the designers from The Who’s Label Track Records.

Clearly pleasantly surprised with his breakthrough hit, Bolan put together the band T Rex, and turned in one the classic pop albums of all time, hailed by both critics and public alike. T Rex’s 'Electric Warrior' long player burst onto the scene and stormed the #1 spot on the British Album Chart. Initial copies came with a gatefold sleeve, graphic inner sleeve and a poster of Marc.

"..it's the kind of pop-rock deluxe which is, these days, in short supply"
Charles Shaar Murray, MOJO October 2001

By early 1971 art designer Roger Dean (subsequently best known for iconoclastic Yes album covers) had created the new FLY logo which graced T Rex’s ‘Hot Love’ single, the first #1 for both the label and Bolan. Roger handwrote the label copy for FLY Records' earliest releases, and later ‘revamped’ the Fly motif for his 'Tamla Motown Chartbusters Volume 6' album cover - which had a separate lease of life as at top selling poster in the 70s.

Fly’s notoriety continued with releases by Joe Cocker, John Williams, John Keating and “John Kongos” (whose He's Gonna Step On You Again & Tokoloshe Man were to become 80s 'baggy' anthems in the hands of the Happy Mondays).

Other ‘cult’ releases of note include the prototype-punk / pub-rock outfit "Third World War" and the late great comedic eccentric Vivian Stanshall, whose FLY release was produced by Keith Moon.

The original FLY label releases ended with the release of Georgia Brown's single 'I Scare Myself'(cat no BUG 18), which was produced by infamous session man Herbie Flowers. Although the single bypassed the charts, it was revisited many years later at Compass Point Studios in Nasseau by the equally superlative session men Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespeare, for release on an album by Barry Reynolds (Marianne Faithfull's guitar player and co-writer). In a strange twist, the sessions at Compass Point with Sly & Robbie also gave rise to Joe Cocker’s most revered album since his Fly releases, ‘Sheffield Steel', which was released by his former manager, Chris Blackwell, on his Island Records imprint.

So then, in 1972 Fly became CUBE Records …..literally in the case of the logo design of single release Cat No BUG 19, as the 'FLY' was visibly enshrined in a Cube. Cube's selective catalogue included a mix of re-issues from the likes of Procol Harum, Joe Cocker, The Move, Marc Bolan/T Rex, hard-rockers Budgie (who’d also used some great Roger Dean artwork), alongside new material, and some notable hits, from John Kongos, Jimmy Helms, Joan Armatrading, Gordon Giltrap, Victor Jara, John Peel faves The JSD Band, Michael Chapman (in association with Mick Ronson), glam-rockers Angel (produced by members of The Sweet) and rock'n'rollers The Pirates. And let's not forget the seminal collection of some classic moments from Peter Cook & Dudley Moore's 'Not Only… But Also' TV shows released on their 'The Clean Tapes' album (Cat No HiFly 26).

Fly 7"s

Although occasional hits continued through the Seventies, though mainly with Cube's new sister label ELECTRIC RECORDS, by the Eighties the FLY / CUBE labels were used primarily for releases associated with Television, Film and Theatre music, primarily from Bucks Music composers (Laurie "The Avengers" Johnson and Nigel "Hetty Wainthrop" Hess), who between themselves were responsible for many classic TV themes ranging from 'The Avengers' to 'Maigret'.

The Nineties saw the FLY / CUBE label given a new lease of life. Using the FLEA catalogue prefix, the label's primary function was to raise the profile of new and exciting young artists, such as rising young London based Jazz-Funk band, Metropolis. The band's lead singer's brother was London's premier reggae MC Tippa Irie, who teamed up with Peter Hunningale and FLY / CUBE released 'Summer Love', which skimmed the underbelly of the National Singles Chart.

In 1996 Metropolis' cult status was endorsed by Roni Size when he sampled their track 'Leave Him' which was included on Roni Size/Reprazent's Mercury Prize winning album 'New Forms'.

The bug for releasing music resurfaced yet again in 2002 with the emergence of CUBE SOUNDTRACKS, launched with the release of the 'Bend It Like Beckham' soundtrack album, and this year sees the re-return of the FLY Records label, once again resuscitated to lift and assist the profile of emerging new musical talent.

Rick Oliver’s debut album is out on FLY Records and can be heard on our jukebox and bought at all good record shops. And iTunes, naturally.

Subscribe to our e-mailouts for news of more new signings and a stunning reappraisal and revamp of our back catalogue as we approach the 40th Anniversary of the label.

For licensing requests contact Simon Platz.