A short-lived Pop label, run by Junior Lincoln as part of his Bamboo Records stable and thus a sister-label to Bamboo, Banana and Ackee (q.v. all). Sphere seems to have run to just three singles, which were numbered in the SPH-100s. According to the BournemouthBeatBoom site the tracks on SPH-100, 'Tomorrow May Not Come' b/w 'Sixty Million Megaton Sunset' by Rock band Team Dokus, were recorded in October 1971, so presumably that single was released not long afterwards. 'Record Retailer' of the 19th of February 1972 gave Sphere its only mention in the Trade press, describing it as Bamboo's "new label for Pop" and giving the distributor as CBS; it also carried an advert for a Sphere single by Kamarg, 'Here Comes The Sun Again' b/w 'Muddy Waters', which was issued as SPH-101. The labels of both of those records mention albums by the respective bands, but neither album appears to have ever reached the shops. Finally there came Keith Harry's 'Fat'n Good Lover' b/w 'Turkey Farm' (SPH-102), which has no date on it but probably came out in the spring of 1972. It's an unusual kind of record: laid-back bluesy / trippy Rock with brass and simple lyrics. The backing vocals repeat 'Oolay oolay, oolay I love her' all the time, while the lead vocalist extemporizes along the lines of 'She's fat and she's good and I love her'. Throw in some female gasps and groans, and the result is distinctive. Harry had previously had a single out on CBS in September 1970 ('Living It Up' b/w 'Puppy Dog'; 5175). Pressing of SPH-102 was by CBS; a scratched-out 'SPH-1003' on the run-off hints that there may have been some confusion over the catalogue number. Bamboo seems not to have lasted long into 1972; I would assume that when it closed down Sphere closed with it. Thanks to Klepsie of the 45cat site for letting me know that the Team Dokus single exists.
Copyright 2014 Robert Lyons.