Cargo Records

Cargo Records.

I’ve often been asked about Cargo Records, the record label I set up whilst running Cargo Studios, and why it has such an unusual collection of bands and singers.

In those days I offered a record pressing service for bands and musicians who didn’t know how to go about it, because we’re talking about before the internet was around. I’d send the tapes to be cut onto a Master discs usually with George Peckham in London or as he was more widely known Porky. If you look at many of the indie singles released at that time they would have “a Porky Prime Cut” written on the run in groove at the end of the track. This Master would then be sent to a pressing plant such as Linquaphone or Allied. Allied were cheaper but the quality wasn’t quite as good as Linquaphone. Recently I’ve tried to find Allied, I know they existed because I’ve been there to pick up records, I’m sure it was South London way , but unfortunately I can’t find any reference to them at all, strange. At the pressing plant a metal Mother disc was made which had the grooves the exact reverse of the Master disc, this was used to stamp all the singles or LPs from. With the Mother disc being the reverse of the Master when the records were pressed the grooves reverted to the correct way round.

Many of the bands would provide artwork but some would not usually because they didn’t know any artists or graphic designers  so I provided a generic label. The label was available to any band hence the Cargo label was created and the reason behind the rather odd assortment of artists.

Cargo records ran from 1979-1985. In the late eighties a record distribution company picked up the name Cargo Records.  In 2011 I re-instated  Cargo records but this time under the name of Kargo Records so as not to clash with the distribution company. This time it handled my own releases, the first being singer/songwriter Jim Cemlyn Jones.

The following are the tracks which I and Chris Connelly have managed to trace;

CRC 001               Accident on the East Lancs          Shotguns and Hotshots                                        Cassette

CRS 001                Wildespool                                      Standing on the Outside                                       7″  EP

Cargo  002            Tractor                                             No More Rock & Roll                                            7″

CRS 003                Oxym                                                Music Power                                                           7″

CRS 004                Turbo                                               Stallion                                                                     7″

CRS 005                Rebecca Storme                             Let’s Spend the Night Together                          7″

CRS 006                Breed                                               Effort/Jeans                                                            7″

CRS 007                Seven Year Itch                              Oo Ya Ha/ Manna Make Ya                                 7″

CRS 008                Terminal                                         Hold On                                                                   7″

CRS 009                Tailormaid                                       SallyAnne                                                               7″

CRS 010                 Heinz                                               Just Like Eddie/ Country Boy                            7″

CRS 011                 Thorns of Affliction                       Panic Stricken                                                       7″

CRS 012                 Some Now Are                               Aftermath/ A to B                                                7″

CRS 013                 Nigel Stonier   (1)                          Still not Over You/In The Paperbacks             7″

CRS 014                 The Out                                           Better the Devil                                                     7″

CRS 015                 Nigel Stonier   (1)                          Are You Ready for Christmas/Here Tonight  7″

CRS 016                 C.J. Swarbrick                               Heartbreaker/Goodbye Crazy Jane                  7″

CRS 017                 Nigel Stonier   (1)                         Sunshine Music                                                     7″

CRS 018                 The Erbees                                     Smokie Medley                                                     7″  EP

CRLP 001              Kelly Peters                                    Going Places                                                         7″

 

(1 )     Despite having 3 releases on Cargo Nigel Stonier doesn’t mention any of them on his web site. They weren’t that bad Nigel!!!

I think that there was also a pressing for  the Donkeys. They came in to record with Chris Dixon of Rhesus records. Rhesus didn’t have enough money to pay for a pressing and as I thought it was a half decent track I financed them to press 500 on the understanding that I would get my money back from sales. Somehow a copy was heard by guy at MCA in the states and he rang me one morning at 0300 to ask if he could license the track. I rang Chris Dixon to tell him the good news. Apparently as soon as I put the phone down Chris was onto MCA and licensed the record from Rhesus records. I never got any thanks from the band or Chris Dixon and I never got any of my money back either.