Getting back to releasing music as well as selling it - Kevin Buckle

I had never really wanted to have a label but at that time many of the older labels and even distributors had closed down, so we sort of did it by default as there was nobody else around.

The only album ever released by Quickbeam

All of those releases were successful and again as there was nobody else to do it I put the money we made into new bands like Riverhead and Gargleblud. They were always likely to lose money but I always made sure overall the label made enough from those releases that sold well to cover any losses made supporting the new bands.

We even ended up with a lot of releases from New Zealand bands when I agreed to finance an album by the band Snapper whose 12-inch had been a huge seller in the shop, but I was told the biggest independent label in New Zealand Flying Nun was in financial trouble and could not afford to let the band make an album.

That album turned out to be our biggest release sitting at number two in the indie charts for several weeks, stopped by being number one, I always felt unfairly, by a mini album by the band Babes In Toyland. The Vaselines album was the biggest seller from a local band thanks to having all the songs covered by Nirvana.

The second Riverhead single we did was not without a famous connection either as the artwork was done by somebody who had also done artwork for REM as Rick the Riverhead drummer was actually from Athens, Georgia and had rented a flat from him and kept in touch after he moved to Scotland.

Anyway all these years later I have decided to do a similar thing and put all that money we’ve made from Taylor Swift to good use and release on vinyl a lot of the big local band albums we sold ten to 20 years ago when vinyl wasn’t an option, but we did sell hundreds of CDs.

Believe me I can’t believe I’m saying this either but there will be cassettes too. We will also press up more CDs if not currently available.

I’m just starting to contact bands now but the first three releases are already confirmed as being both albums by Saint Jude’s Infirmary and the only album ever released by Quickbeam.

I still play these albums regularly in the shop and get asked if they are available so I know that even now they will still be popular to a new audience as well as giving those who already own the albums on CD the chance to finally get a vinyl copy.

I imagine Ian Rankin who is a big Saint Jude’s Infirmary album and even appears on the second album will be at the head of the queue. He’ll be even more pleased to know I have some of his other favourites on my list too.

The first releases are planned to start at the end of January with regular updates on further releases on social media.