The first Hit label of the '70s was an Anglo-Irish concern. The 'Irish News' column of 'Record Retailer' for the 27th of March 1971 reported that the label was being launched "this week", through Release in Ireland and Shannon in the UK (q.v. both). It was to feature Pop and 'progressive Country', and was unlikely to feature Irish artists unless they were revamping Pop material and it was up to UK standards. The Castaways and Patsy Powell, who were signed to the label, were Irish expatriates. According to the article one of Hit's directors was Des Dolan, of London-based Shannon Distribution, and another was Mick Clerkin, boss of the Irish label Release, who was also a director of Shannon. A later 'Record Retailer' (22nd of May 1971) refers to Hit as a subsidiary of Shannon, but as that was in the UK news it may only refer to Hit's UK activities; it did however confirm that Hit was seen as Shannon's venture into the Pop field. 'MW' of the 13th of January 1973 referred to Hit as Release's label for recording Irish artists in the UK, or sometimes UK artists, which balances things out. Catalogue numbers suggest that Hit issued at least twenty-four singles but some numbers are unaccounted for. Around half of those singles appear to have been released only in the Republic, but the rest were pressed and issued in the UK. 'Billboard' magazine of the 29th of May 1971 says that Roly Daniels's 'Sunny Tennessee' b/w 'Sing Me Back Home' (HIT-7) was to receive massive promotion from Shannon Records and from publishers April Music in an attempt to break the singer in Britain; the British 'New Singles' leaflet lists HIT-14, 15 and 16 as coming out here, while trade magazine Music Week adds HITs 18 and 21.
Visually the Irish and British labels from 1971-72 look much the same, so I've put up a scan of an Irish issue so that the differences can be seen - it's the fourth scan above. The British issues have a different typeface; they also have the artist's name facing away from the spindle hole rather than towards it, and they have a generally more British appearance (1). At least three singles, HITs 1, 14 and 18, can be found in both 'Irish' and 'British' forms. Some sides which featured on Hit records in Britain came out on Release in Ireland: Larry Cunningham's 'I Was Coming Home To You' (HIT-4) was used as the 'B' side of his Irish Release single 'Slaney Valley' (RL-608; 1971) and reappeared in the UK in that form when that single was eventually issued here on Release after selling well in its native land; while Brian Coll's ' The Prisoners Song', the 'B' side of HIT-5, had previously seen the light of day as the 'A' side of RL-530 in Ireland. The Roly Daniels single referred to above came out in that form as Release RL-577 in Ireland, credited to Roly Daniels & Green County.
After the first year the number of Hit singles seems to have dwindled steadily. HITs 23 and 24, Irish only, were from 1975, and the final reference to the label in 'MW' came in the issue of the 24th of July 1976, which commented that Red Sovine's 'Little Rosa' album (HITL-5008; 1976) was selling well for Shannon. Unlike some of Hit's earlier albums the Red Sovine only had a London address on it, earlier issues having addresses both in London and Dublin. Two tracks from it were issued on a single, presumably in the UK but again perhaps in Ireland as well, with the label design that was used for the company's LPs (3). The article said that Shannon was looking for more Country material to issue in the UK, but if they found it they seem not to have put it out on Hit. Manufacture of the few examples of British Hit singles that I've seen in the vinyl was by Pye, who seem to have done most (all?) of Shannon's pressings from the early '70s. The discography below lists possible British issues, based on listings and / or appearance.
Copyright 2012 Robert Lyons.