A DIY concern, from 1979. I'm not altogether sure what its official name was: the sleeve and the 'B' side label both refer to 'Gray Records', while the 'crow' logo on them is claimed to be the trade mark of Gray Art Enterprises, of London. The logo, which is more extensive on the sleeve, refers to Phil Gray as 'sole proprietor'; as he wrote the songs, co-produced the tracks and gave his name to the record company it seems safe to assume that he was the driving force behind what appears to be Gray / G.A.E's only record, a single featuring 'They're Poisonin'' b/w 'Candelight' by Phil & The Philistines. He also sang and played rhythm guitar and harmonica, while accompaniment was provided by 'Philistines' Steve Gibbs (lead guitar, piano, vocals and co-production) and Dave Heard (drums). The single had two numbers on the label: the first, 79CUS-370, indicates that it was made through custom recording firm SRT, while the numerical part of the second, TPC-25479, looks as though it may possibly be the date on which the record was made - it splits up easily enough into 25/4/79. The copyright date on the sleeve is 1973, as opposed to the 1979 on the labels, but that may just be a typo. Sadly, Google hasn't been able to supply any information to add to that of the sleeve; there are too many Phil Grays out there to have a chance of finding this one, and there's not even a mention of 'Gray Art Enterprises' on it. As for the music, the 'A' is sparse Rock with a hesitant beat and an ecological / political theme; the 'B' is gentler and more melodic, verging on Folk Rock.
Copyright 2016 Robert Lyons.