As the name implies, Flash Backs was a reissue label. It was owned by Pye and it started out in 1979 as part of the company's continuing effort to market its back-catalogue - Pye does appear to have had a habit of trying to get the greatest possible mileage out of its old hits. 'Music Week' of the 7th of April announced the arrival of the new series, which, it said, consisted of ten double-siders of some 'classic hits' from the '60s and '70s. It added that the records were available separately or as a boxed set, catalogue number FBP-101. The singles were included among the 'MW' 'New Releases' for the 30th of May but they didn't make it into the 'The New Singles' leaflet until the end of April or the beginning of May. Early pressings were in yellow vinyl and had picture sleeves with 'Double Hits' on them, along with the year in which each side had been a hit and its Chart position. Re-pressings came in black vinyl, while pressings from after September 1980 had the PRT logo on instead of the Pye one. Individual records were numbered in the FBS-0s. FBS-11, 'Warpaint' b/w 'Ain't Gonna Wash For A Week' by the Brook Brothers, was added in April 1980, and came only in black.
The next set of Flash Backs boasted four tracks instead of two, and they were given FBEP-100 numbers starting at FBEP-100. Their arrival was noted by 'MW' in the issue of the 14th of June 1980, which said that the label was being relaunched with six EPs. Four more were added in the following month, and FBEP-110, a Various Artists EP of Christmas songs, joined them in December, appropriately enough. 1983 saw a return to the two-track Flash Backs, which took up the old FBS series at FBS-12. Again they had picture sleeves which gave the year and Chart position, but the 'Double Hits' text had disappeared. Their labels featured the PRT logo instead of the Pye one. Numbers reached FBS-26, but that proved to be the final 7" Flash Backs release. The label did however reappear in 1985 for a budget-priced series of 'Collected Hits' LPs. The discography below only covers the first FBS series.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.