MUSIC & VIDEO WEEK SEPTEMBER 26, 1981 Edited by JIM EVANS C PRT to handle

The Birdie Song UK distribution of Solid Gold SOLID GOLD, the Carlin Music Corporation record label, will be which laid a distributed by PRT following negotiations between Solid Gold c MD Mike Collier and PRT general manager Howard Barrow. The deal is for the UK golden egg only, and arrangements are currently being made for EUROPE'S BIG summer hit — It was returning holidaymakers overseas territories. an instrumental tune written 24 trying to buy it in Ray Levy's record THE TWEETS: bringing Europe's Bird Dance to the UK. Solid Gold is being reactivated shops in Tottenham and South-East to concentrate on pop material years ago by a Swiss-German London that gave him the idea of while the two other Carlin labels. carpenter — has arrived in the putting out a cover version. Flamingo and Feelgood, UK at last, thanks to London "None of the majors had picked Video Club sets its continue to specialise in dance- record dealer Ray Levy, owner up on it," said Levy who took his orientated repertoire and rock of the A1 stores. idea to Satril's Henry Hadaway. respectively. The Birdie Song by The Tweets They recorded it and Matt Haywood The first Solid Gold release (PRT 7P 219), which entered the of PRT Records snapped it up. sights on dealers under the PRT pact will be a MW chart at 44 and rose to 25 last The tune was discovered in 1973 double-sided medley of hits week and was said to be shipping by Belgian music publisher Lou Van VIDEO CLUB, the London-based growing evidence of made famous by Elvis Presley 25,000 copies a day, is an English Rijmenant of Eurovox Music. On mail order club with 20,000 members disenchantment with rental in the sung by Shakin' Stevens. The cover of the Continental hit which holiday in Switzerland he heard the nationwide, is aiming its service number of dealers who have started medley was produced by Jack started out as Tchip Tchip back in composer Werner Thomas, by day a more through the retailer this retailing Video Club membership kits Good during the long-running 1973. carpenter, playing it on his autumn as part of its promotional after selling their tape libraries to the West End stage hit Elvis, in It was revived last year as De accordion in a hotel bar. The Belgian drive. club at knock-down prices and adds: which Stevens appeared, and Voge/tjes Dans by a Dutch group. signed it for publishing, recorded it In announcing the company's "In the past month alone we have the record will be in a picture bag The Electronicas, who added a and it has since sold over 2.4m autumn plans, co-founder John been approached by some 50 featuring Stevens against a large dance routine and it became copies. Sevenoaks attacked the high street retailers wanting to offload their pre- Holland's biggest selling single. Out of the royalties Thomas rental war which is bringing down recorded tapes." blow-up of Presley, Polydor has this version in the UK as opened his own restaurant — he rental charges to what he feels are Video Club's autumn campaign Flamingo's next releases will the Original Bird Dance. should soon be able to open a whole ridiculous levels. includes new point-of-sale material, feature Eddie Floyd and The This year it has popped up all over chain — and he has two follow-ups "We are aiming to put as much 70,000 copies of the club magazine Graingers, and Feelgood is Europe in various guises — as La already written. marketing muscle as possible behind incorporating a full title list, and an releasing a new disc by P.J. Danse Des Canards with quacking dealers who decide to stock our advertising campaign designed to Hudson of The Cruisers. sounds in Belgium and France, as • A late contender is the Quaka membership kits as the alternative to boost membership kits as Christmas Dance Little Bird in Germany, and as Song by The Waders on KA becoming involved in the current cut gifts. MCA Int'l axings E!Baile De Los Pajaritos in Spain. Records. price tape rental battle which offers Membership kits cost £39.95 for them very little chance of realising a four months, £65 for eight months A SURPRISE "restructuring" of its decent profit," he says. and £85 for a year. The dealer takes international operations has resulted Two-pronged promo for ZE "At least when they sell one of a margin on that and the customer in MCA Records international our kits, they can see their margin." then deals directly with Video Club division making redundant genera! ISLAND and the HMV retail chain join forces for a promotion campaign for the Sevenoaks claims there is by post. manager John WHkes and his ZE label this month, which is spearheaded by the release of an exclusive box- assistant Suzanne Thomas. set of 12-inch singles available only through HMV shops. Wi/kes left last week just over two The box-sets comprise three singles by Coati Mundi, Gichi Dan, Don months after being named general Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band, Kid Creole & The Coconuts, manager with responsibility for the Material and Was (Was Not). Initial sets will include a free tee-shirt; retailing Magnet revives hits world excluding the UK, US and price is £3.99. MAGNET RECORDS enters the "golden oldies" market with Canada. The function of the London In addition, all 34 HMV shops will carry the entire ZE catalogue and the the release of five double sided re-issued hit singles. Titles are office now reverts to LA, and MCA campaign runs through to October 10. / by (MAG 301), Records Holland chief Bert Meijer Gee Baby/Love Me Love My Dog, Peter Shelley (MAG 302), becomes European marketing There's A Whole Lot Of Loving/You Don't Have To Say You manager for all MCA product. BMRB price survey due Love Me, Guys 'N' Dolls (MAG 303), Fly Robin Fly/Get Up & Wi/kes' other assistant, Maura THE PRICE survey being conducted by the British Market Research Bureau Boogie, Silver Convention (MAG 304) and Boy From New York Robinson, is taking over this quarter for the benefit of negotiations on a new mechanical royalty base City/Come Back My Love, Darts (MAG 305). international product liaison for between the British Phonographic Industry and the Mechanical Rights Society The singles are available from PRT at the end of September, MCA UK. Wi/kes, with MCA for is due to be completed on September 25. The MRS has made it clear that it will and further titles may be added. three years, can be reached on 01- not necessarily accept the findings of the survey. 731 7118.

JOURNEY ) 0 m

M -V -o

m ■

Featuring the hit single C_ w r 'Whose Crying N ow' Out now in picture bag.cesAiw

'Escape' Album: CBS 85138 m Order frpm CBS Order Desk. Tel; 01-960 2155^^^^' e: CBS 40 85138 K ggM^WlPynbiilion Centre, Barlby Road. London W10 PAGE 2