FAIRVIEW MUSIC / FAIRVIEW

  

The label of Fairview Music Studios, of Hull.  The studio was started in 1966 by Keith Herd, and it is still going today.  Over the decades it has had many famous clients; Def Leppard, the Glitter Band and the Housemartins, to name but three.  It appears to have begun providing a custom recording service on its own label in 1977, numbering its products in an SRTS/FMR-000 series; the SRTS part was later dropped.  The highest number I have so far been able to trace was FMR-084, Genghis Khan's 'Double Dealin'', which came out in 1984, though there may well have been more - the rarity of private pressings tends to make them google-proof.  The few Fairview records from the '70s that I have seen listed were made through SRT, thus the 'SRTS' part of the prefix.  Items recorded at Fairview previous to 1977 can be found on SRT's own label, with SRT numbers; Fairview is referred to only on the covers.
One label design - a very simple one - served throughout, though the font of the label name varied; the name disappeared entirely at some point in 1982.  A single by Techno Pop, 'Paint It Black' b/w 'What You Are' (SRTS-79424; 12/79) had SRT labels with the text 'Fairview Records' overprinted (5); this was an actual release rather than a custom recording.  As seems to have been generally the case with SRT products, pressing appears to have been by Orlake.  The 'SRTS/FMR-000' numerical series can be found on records on different labels, for example Best, Boulevard, Haron, Marix, Rok (1978) and Sapphire (q.v. all).  The discography below is limited to the 1970s, and lists such Fairview Music products that I have been able to find from that decade.  Thanks to Sam Mauger for the first scan and for bringing the label to my attention; the fourth scan comes by courtesy of Robert Bowes.

Copyright 2009 Robert Lyons.