Leading independent UK record label Cherry Red Records this year celebrates it’s 35th anniversary and in that time has evolved into one of the biggest companies in the music re-issue market.

Each month, Cherry Red Records releases 40 to 60 albums in a wide variety of genres and to mark Cherry Red Record’s 35th anniversary, special releases are being planned, including a five-CD boxed set, Scared To Get Happy, that charts the history of indie music in the 1980s.

Cherry Red Record’s release schedule points to an eclectic range of music styles and genres. Along with reggae and ska from Jamaican singers Keith Hudson and Laurel Aitken the record company offers 1960s pop from Gene Pitney and 1970s soul from the O’Jays and Gwen McCrae and many, many more.

Managing Director Adam Velasco points out that no type of music is off limits for Cherry Red Records: “We look for LPs that are not available on CD or that have been deleted for a long time. We’re a long way from running out of ideas.”

After creating a niche in the reissue market, Cherry Red Records observed an interesting development. Some of the neglected bands whose back catalogue had been re-released by the label, such as the Blow Monkeys or the House of Love, saw a revival in their fortunes. Infact some bands even re-formed as a result and started recording new material.

The trend is not lost on Adam Velasco: “We’ve now come full circle because we concentrated on reissues for many years, but then the artists we were dealing with started offering us new albums. We’ve enjoyed working with them and we’ve been reasonably successful”. Artists who have released new albums through Cherry Red Records this year include Todd Rundgren and the Fall.

And the company has high hopes for its forthcoming venture with former Oasis manager Alan McGee, who is joining forces with Cherry Red Records to establish a new label 359 Music. Within three days of announcing the label, they had approaches from over 1,000 artists contacting us, wanting to be involved. So there is much to look forward to for Cherry Red Records as it heads towards middle age. Happy Birthday Cherry Red Records!!

Which albums would you like to see re-issued? Let us know in the Reply Box below.

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