A short-lived label from the mid '70s. I've only managed to trace two records on Alpha; both of them were by Emile Ford and the Checkmates, which suggests that it may have been a self-financed effort. There was an LP, 'On A Slow Boat To China' (LPS-1), which came out in 1976, but the item that concerns us was a single, 'Wait Till Tomorrow' b/w 'Too Late' (ALPHA-1). As can be seen from the picture, distribution was by Lightning. There's no date on the labels but their surfaces have the 'rough inner, wide smooth outer' look associated with Orlake pressings during the period 1977-78, so I'd be quietly confident that it can be pinned down to one or other of those years. Ford also made albums on the Met-El-Ford and Interclub labels, which again seem to have been DIY concerns, and he saw the decade out on another DIY label, Transdisc (q.v.). Thanks to Shnozzle of the 45cat site for bringing Alpha to my attention.
Copyright 2014 Robert Lyons.