A prominent Irish label, founded by Noel Carty. Play issued its first records in its homeland in 1971 and appears to have lasted into the 1990s. According to the Music Master 'Book Of British Pop Singles 1975-84' several singles were released in Britain as imports by Shannon Distribution (q.v.), but in 1971-72 at least two of the most popular were pressed and issued here, by the same firm. The singles concerned were both by Brendan Shine; they were 'O'Brien Has No Place To Go' b/w 40 Miles From Poplar Bluff' (PLAY-1; 1971) and 'Far Too Young' b/w 'Able Bodied Man' (PLAY-27; 1972). Their catalogue numbers were the same as the Irish issues but they had plain orange or red labels instead of the yellow ones found on Irish Play records of that period; in addition Irish copies are marked as having been manufactured in the Republic of Ireland. Pressing was by Pye, as it was for most (all?) of the Irish labels which Shannon had manufactured here - see Play, Release, Ruby and Target for other examples. Play made a more concentrated attempt on the British market in the early 1980s, when its records began to be manufactured here and distributed through Spartan, but those issues are beyond the scope of this site.
Copyright 2012 Robert Lyons.