Recorded music history: The Saydisc & Village Thing Discography
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The Saydisc & Village Thing Discography
The Saydisc & Village Thing Discography
The Saydisc & Village Thing Discography provides an in-depth look at the wonderfully eclectic Saydisc label and at the UK’s original “alternative folk label”, Village Thing. Also included are Saydisc's Matchbox, Amon Ra and Ahura Mazda labels as well as the Roots label, which was pressed and distributed by Saydisc in the UK. The book includes over 50 pages of illustrations, including sleeve illustrations for almost every record listed.
Saydisc started life in Bristol, and set about recording all aspects of Bristolian musical life, such as folk, jazz, church bells, organs and mechanical music from cylinders and music boxes. However, in 1968 the label began a policy of releasing contemporary British and classic American blues on the Matchbox imprint. This policy was extended with the pressing and distribution of Johnny Parth’s legendary Roots label.
If this wasn't enough to ensure future collectability for the label, 1970 saw the formation of the Village Thing label, which concentrated on the emergent post-blues, home-grown British folk scene. Village Thing is now considered the classic acid/psych folk label, with the majority of records on the label having risen sharply in value over the last few years.
In 1973, the Amon Ra label was formed to release chamber music on authentic instruments, long before this became fashionable. Added to this, Saydisc also produced contract pressings for other labels and organisations, often with woefully-short pressing runs. Saydisc also released records licensed from quality American independent labels such as Rounder, Ahura Mazda and Kanawha to present contemporary American roots music alongside its expanding catalogue of classic jazz and blues. Added to this were releases covering barbershop, world music, choirs, handbells, British dialect, brass bands, carillons, church bells and railway recordings. This has ensured that Saydisc is now considered an absolute one-off. A truly classic British record label.
Saydisc started life in Bristol, and set about recording all aspects of Bristolian musical life, such as folk, jazz, church bells, organs and mechanical music from cylinders and music boxes. However, in 1968 the label began a policy of releasing contemporary British and classic American blues on the Matchbox imprint. This policy was extended with the pressing and distribution of Johnny Parth’s legendary Roots label.
If this wasn't enough to ensure future collectability for the label, 1970 saw the formation of the Village Thing label, which concentrated on the emergent post-blues, home-grown British folk scene. Village Thing is now considered the classic acid/psych folk label, with the majority of records on the label having risen sharply in value over the last few years.
In 1973, the Amon Ra label was formed to release chamber music on authentic instruments, long before this became fashionable. Added to this, Saydisc also produced contract pressings for other labels and organisations, often with woefully-short pressing runs. Saydisc also released records licensed from quality American independent labels such as Rounder, Ahura Mazda and Kanawha to present contemporary American roots music alongside its expanding catalogue of classic jazz and blues. Added to this were releases covering barbershop, world music, choirs, handbells, British dialect, brass bands, carillons, church bells and railway recordings. This has ensured that Saydisc is now considered an absolute one-off. A truly classic British record label.
Note that, thanks mainly to Brexit, this book is only available in the UK.
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© 2009 - 2024, M. C. Jones, trading as Bristol Folk Publications. The Record Press, Diogenes Academic Press and Burnham Priory are imprints of Bristol Folk Publications.
