Scratchy Records was a short-lived singles-orientated label, launched by Chrysalis Records (q.v.) in conjunction with manager / producers John Gaydon (of E.G. Records) and Alan Seifert (of Music Lore). Announcing that the label would make its debut in the following year, 'Music Week' of the 11th of November 1973 quoted Seifert as saying that Scratchy was intended to "record singles by artists who have considerable talent, and gain prominence for them via the singles medium as opposed to immediately making an LP." Chrysalis's Chris Wright added "I consider the launch of Scratchy as a very important deal for Chrysalis." The article noted that Scratchy material was to be issued on Chrysalis in countries other than the U.K. In the event the new label failed to justify the hopes that were placed in it: it managed just four singles and one Stacy Dorning album. They were all released in 1974, and were all products of G.O. (or 'GO') Record Productions, of Wimpole Street, London. A second album, the Various Artists 'Flash Fearless Versus The Zorg Women, Parts 5 and 6', has Gaydon and Seifert as executive producers and was described as 'A Scratchy Records Production' on its sleeve, but it came out on the Chrysalis label, in 1975. An advert in 'MW' of the 2nd of February 1974 described Scratchy as being 'licensed to Chrysalis', and Chrysalis was responsible for the marketing and distribution of Scratchy records; the actual distribution was handled by Island (and EMI), who had a close relationship with Chrysalis for several years. The catalogue numbers were taken from the main Chrysalis numerical series, and manufacture was by EMI as it was for all Chrysalis product at that time. Demo copies were marked with a silver 'A' around 3 o'clock (2).
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.