Richard Williams gets it spot on in the quotation that graces the front cover of the third volume of the Neil Storey curated The Island Book Of Records when he states “No label has ever had its history subjected to this sort of minutely detailed scrutiny.”
Once again in his role as series editor Neil Storey has pulled another fabulous volume out of the hat which like its predecessors effectively redefines what constitutes thedefi nitive record label history in book form.
At its simplest the sumptuous and weighty Island Book Of Records series exist in a class of their own.
As a former head of press at Island the history of the label is clearly close to Storey’s heart and this is reflected in the depth of research he’s been able to draw on to ensure the history of this most distinctive of labels is brought to life as vividly as possible.
Formatted as an album by album chronology of Island releases plus those on subsidiary and associate labels HELP, Chrysalis and Bronze from 1971-72 (with appendices devoted to in house compilations and singles) as with previous volumes the story behind each individual album is told from the contrasting viewpoints of artists, producers, engineers, photographers, label staffers and assorted music journalists. But it isn’t purely about the text as the layout and design also deserves plaudits thanks to the eye-catching array of sleeve artwork, artist shots, press releases, print ads, press cuttings, tape boxes and other ephemera.
Ever perceptive and always willing to think outside the box label founder Chris Blackwell is quoted as saying
“I like to think of Island as a very classy delicatessen. The bigger labels are like supermarkets, they’ll sell almost anything. And most of them do.”
In its heyday Island was very much the “classy delicatessen” thanks to its distinctive profi le as a pioneering independent and this no expenses spared chronicle of releases from Traffic, Mott The Hoople, Free, John Martyn, Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, Fairport, Sandy Denny, Jimmy Cliff, Roxy Music, King Crimson, ELP et al circa ’71-72 is more than ample proof of this.
Written by Grahame Bent
