MAU 'ABM Edited by SARAH LEWIS Tailoring good, solid, British music fora good solid British town (Stoke) THE STORY of Clay Records is veryfirst record 'Realities Of War' (CLAY 1)supposethe band arenotexactly much the story of one man - Mikefor only £50. Yes I know some peoplefashionable, but they're very big in Stone. It was in 1977, as manager of thewould say that it sounds like it. I choseStoke-on-Trent." Fulham Beggar's Banquet shop and ofthe name Clay for the label because Clay's heavy rock band is Demon, the Lurkers punk band, that he sug-industry around here is based on thewho had a single, 'Liar' pressed in red gested to owners, Nick Austin andstuff." vinyl last year. Their licensing deal is Martin Knowles, that they start a label. Using his old contacts in London,with Carrere, a label that Stone regards The result was a single - 'Shadow'Stone had 2,000 copies pressed up byas the definitive heavy metal expert. An (BEG 1) by the Lurkers - and a job asDenis Blackhan, but found them diffi-album Night Of The Demon (CAL 126) is a&r man for Stone, although he con-cult to sell. "Funnily enough Fresh onlyavailable on July 10. Stone comments: tinued to work behind the counter. Ittook about 25, he remembers. (Fresh"I haven't seen them since the recordingCLAY RECORDS boss Mike Stone was not long before disillusion set in.became the official distributors afterat Spaceward studios - they're a bitwith the bass player of Discharge, who With few rewards for his part in theClay 3). "Then I took out a couple of adsmysterious, and there's far more to themprovide the label's main thrust. instigation and running of BB, Stonein the trade papers and suddenly thethan just headbanging." ultimately became fed up with Londonsingle took off - I was encouraged." Meanwhile,DischargegofromRadio -1 to play something of ours, we (he comes from Yorkshire), married a Rather less successful was secondstrength to strength with 'Decontrol'want people to know we're not just an girl in Stoke and bought his own record.signing the Plastic Idols, whose first and(CLAY 5) and 'Why' (PLATE 2), theout-and-out punk label, he insists. shop in nearby Hanley. only single made almost no impact. Butlatter of which was the second in a series Two weeks ago, Clay distribution was The idea of starting another labelthe second Discharge EP, 'Fight Back',of 12 -ins ten -track 45s pioneered byswitched from French to Pinnacle Re- played on his mind and six months later,established a following and has soldClay. cords for an experimental 18 months with the financial backing of a 'sleeping'16,000 copies to date. The band, who Stone is now trying to bring out hisperiod. With Grace and Discharge (who partner, John Spencer, he signed localStone considers appeal mainly to 14 andfirst cass-single. "It's an attempt to gethave a fifth EP out in August) on tour at punk band Discharge. "They'd been15 year -olds, always release their mate- the moment, Mike Stone is optimistic around since '77, but had been totallyrial on EPs because the tracks are very that Clay Records may soon begin to ignored, he says. "I went to see themshort (generally around one minute). Indie Albums equal the success of his former em- If Discharge has given Clay a certain rehearse - actually they were terrible - 1 1 PENIS ENVY Crass Crass 321984,1 ployers. but I thought there was something there.sort of name/image to live up to, Stone 2 2 PRESENT ARMS UB40 DEP International LP DEP 1 SARAH LEWIS The hard-core punk market was notwas determined to avoid categorisation. 3 3 ANTHEM Toyah Safari VOOR 1 4 - THE ONLY FUN IN TOWN Josef K Postcard 81 7 being serviced, Crass were about theHe signed local band Grace, who he 5 4 PLAYING WITH A DIFFERENT SEX describes as "a bit like Genesis only Au Pairs Human HUMAN 1 only competition. We went into the 6 6 SIGNING OFF UB40 Graduate GRAD LP 2 studio in February '80 and made theenergetic." To release the Grace single, 7 5 PUNKS NOT DEAD Exploited Secret SEC 1 8 7 ODYSHAPE Raincoats Rough Trade ROUGH 13 a licensing deal was negotiated with 9 13 CLOSER Joy Division Factory FACT 25 DISTRIBUTOR AND MCA and eventually an album, Grace, 10 12 UNKNOWN Division Factory FACT 10 WHOLESALERS came out last April. Events have not run 11 22 IN THE FLAT FIELD Bauhaus 4AD CAD 13 12 11 DIRK WEARS WHITE SOX DIRECTORY 1981 RUSTY LOVE TRS 1 smoothly. "MCA issued it without the Adam & The Ants Do It RIDE 3 all-important lyric sheet, with an in- 13 18 TOYAH! TOYAH! TOYAH! Toyah Safari LIVE 2 BRENDAN KIDULIS 148 FRESH FRUIT FOR ROTTING VEGETABLES ferior cut on side one. There were Dead Kennedys Cherry Red B RED 10 and the STROLL problems regardingadvertisingand 159 STATIONS OF THE CRASS Crass Crass 521984 SONET RECORDS AND 16 14 LIVE AT THE LYCEUM PUBLISHING MCA refused to release a single from it," Cabaret Voltaire Rought Tapes COPY 001 TRIGO RECORDS (0602 284682) 17 10 HE WHO DARES WINS Theatre of Hate 121 Ledbury Road. London W11 says Stone. "I am not happy. I've asked SSSSS 1P 2AQ 18 19 HEART OF DARKNESS Positive Noise Order from Independant Distribu- MCA for the album back and will put it Static STAT LP 1 Telephone: 01-229 7267 out on the Clay label. They've given me 19 15 PROVISIONALLY ENTITLED THE SINGING tion, Pinnacle and Graduate. FISH two years to do something with it.I Colin Newman 4AD CAD 108 Contact: Dee Sparrow 20 20 FIRE HOUSE ROCK Wailing Souls Greensleeves GREL 21 21 21 LIVE AT THE COUNTER EUROVISION 79 Labels Distributed: Sonet. Misty In Roots People Unite PU 003 ALB Specialty. Kicking Mule, Takoma. 22 16 TOO EACH ... A Certain Ratio Factory FACT 35 23 17 C-81 Various Rough Tapes COPY 002 Titanic. Stone Alligator. (some) 24 29 PRAYERS ON FIRE Birthday Party 4AD CAD 104 Rounder. Grand Prix, Red Stripe. 25 26 THE BLUE MEANING Toyah Safari IEYA 666 GREENSLEEVES NEW RELEASES 26 23 LUBRICATE YOUR LIVING ROOM 'A' Side. Disclectic. Catalogue Fire Engines Accessory ACC -001 request and information from 27 25 CHAPPAQUIDICK BRIDGE Poison Girls Crass 4219842 Sonet. Record orders from Pye 28 - SHEEP FARMING IN BARNET Toyah order phone. BLACK UHURU Safari IC -264 29 24 MESH AND LACE Modern English 4AD CAD 105 Black Sounds of Freedom (LP GREL23). The first Black Uhuru album 30 28 CONCRETE 999 Albion ITS 999 recorded 1977 remixed by Prince Jammy at King Tubby's and re-released this week. Represents the first major step by one of Jamaica's most talented groups. Currently on UK tour. WAILING SOULS ARTHUR Fire House Rock (LP GREL 21). Brilliant new vocal album produced by Henry "Jungo" Lawes and mixed by Scientist. 5 star review in Sounds and No.20 in Indie chart this week. Tracks include Bandits Taking Over, Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall, Run Dem Down. If direr GENERAL SAINT & CLINT EASTWOOD Another One Bites The Dust available on 12" (GRED56) and also on 7" First Mum for (OINK 1). Currently receiving airplay on Radio 1, UK Disco Chart 33, Indie chart 17. July gigs Edinburgh, Leicester, Reading, Huddersfield, SevenVears London. 6th week at No.1 in Reggae Chart. .Out flt Last

GREENSLEEVES RECORDS 44 Uxbridge Rd, London W2 order fromWein Tel: 01-749 3277 Distribution: Spartan, Jet Star, Rough Trade, Markus

18 RECORD BUSINESS July 131981