This discography shows the country, title, date, label, and catalog number for all known releases and variations. It also serves as a want list. An asterisk (*) at the end means I have a copy, and a dash (-) means I need a copy.
'My Dixie Darling' was recorded at Star Sound Studios by The Apex Skiffle Group on May 15, 1958. This one-of-a-kind record was one of the prizes awarded when the group one the Daily Sketch National Skiffle Group Final, sponsored by Ingram's Shaving Cream. The contest was held on 29 April 1958 at the Commodore Cinema in Hammersmith, in front of an audience of 3500. The lineup at the time was Ian Patterson, Colin York, Colin Broom, Frank Short, Roy Horne, and Tom Dawkins.
IAN HUNTER DOES NOT APPEAR ON THIS RECORD. This single is included in this discography because Ian is often reported to have played on this record, even though he did not.
The group recorded this single in December 1961 at Hugh Finnemore's Studio 36, with a line-up of Frank Short (bass) John Lever (drums), Colin York (lead guitar), and Alan Crawley (2nd guitar). The session produced two tracks, Caravan (the Duke Ellington number) and a Colin York original called Colin Rides to York. The latter was re-titled Yorkshire Relish when the single was released. This was the first single recorded at the studio, and 200 copies were pressed on John Lever Records.
The A side appears on A Collector's Guide To 60s Brit-Pop Instrumentals, Vol. 1 (1999 UK CD Zircon ZIRC1014).
Tall Girl; Reelin' and Rockin'; Down The Road Apiece; Sugar Shack
IAN HUNTER DOES NOT APPEAR ON THIS RECORD. This single was recorded in June 1964, just after Ian Hunter left the group for the second time. It is included in this discography because Ian is often reported to have played on this record, even though he did not.
The second disc by The Apex was a four-song EP, which include one original song (Tall Girl) alongside two Chuck Berry covers (Reeling and A' Rocking and Down the Road Apiece) and one by The Fireballs (Sugar Shack). It was recorded by a lineup featuring Colin York, Pete Solomon, Kenny Plummer, Ted Kench and Frank Short and was recorded at Studio 36 in Spring Gardens and released on John Lever Records.
In 1967 Ian Hunter and Miller Anderson did session work for Bill Farley at Regent Sound, and their group The Scenery also recorded there. Without the band's knowledge, two Scenery tracks were licensed to overseas labels. Ian and Miller both remember writing and recording To Make a Man Cry, neither one remembers the flip side Thread of Time. Impact 10.004 came in a picture sleeve and with the spelling 'Thred', while 20.018 came without a sleeve but with the correct spelling of 'Thread'. Scenery drummer John Vernon Smith is pictured on the sleeve, but Johnny Banks from The Merseybeats played on the record. Miller reckons that Johnny Gustafson was also at the sessions.
There is some confusion regarding the Impact releases, and whether they are from France or Belgium. Both are marked BIEM, which administered royalties in both countries prior to the formation of SACEM in France and SABAM in Belgium. The Impact label appears to have issued records in both countries.
In the 1990s, Thread of Time started turning up on compilations of rare sixties 'freakbeat' singles. Clap Hands Daddy Come Home (Dig The Fuzz LP DIG036LP), Red With Purple Flashes (Parka Records LP PARKA 007), Jagged Time Lapse Vol. 3 (Flashback Productions CD FBCD03), and Electric Sound Show Vol 1: We All Live On Candy Green (Sound Show CD SSRCD 201) all include the track.
These singles are rare and change hands for sums well into three figures.
The members of At Last The 1958 Rock and Roll Show were Freddie 'Fingers' Lee (piano/vocal), Ian Hunter Patterson (bass), Miller Anderson (guitar), and Pete Philips (drums). Freddie Lee had previously recorded the song I Can't Drive as a solo B side back in 1965. This single was produced by Pretty Things manager Jimmy Duncan for NEMS, and the group Grapefruit sang the backing vocals on the A side.
Charlie Woolfe was the same lineup as At Last The 1958 Rock and Roll Show, with the only change being the group name: Freddie 'Fingers' Lee (piano/vocal), Ian Hunter Patterson (bass), Miller Anderson (guitar), and Pete Philips (drums). This group was also produced by Jimmy Duncan for the NEMS organization. The A side was written by the formidable songwriting team of Carter/Lewis/Stephens, while the B side was a group composition by Cheeseman/Anderson/Patterson.
The presentation box is a very rare promotional item, consisting of a velvet-lined box containing 13 singles recorded for the NEMS label. The artists included Billy J. Kramer, Cupids Inspiration, Charlie Woolfe, Vic Lewis Orchestra, Roger James, Davy Clinton, Gerry Marsden, Tapestry, George Watkins, and Philamore Lincoln. The only copy I've ever seen sold for more than 200 pounds at auction.
Dance Dance Dance / Home
1968
HOL
7S PS
CBS 3675
*
NEMS presentation box (13 singles by NEMS artists)
The Artful Dodger (Hunter); Now Is The Time (Hunter); Fuck It Up (Hunter)
This CD single includes two tracks from the Artful Dodger CD as well as the previously unreleased track Fuck It Up, which was recorded during the Artful Dodger sessions.
Michael Picasso (Hunter) [studio]; Michael Picasso (Hunter) [live]; 23A Swan Hill (Hunter)
This CD single seems to have been a cross-promotion tool. The studio track are from The Artful Dodger CD, and the live version of Michael Picasso is from The Mick Ronson Memorial Concert double CD. Both were both released by Citadel in the UK.
Death of a Nation (Hunter); All The Young Dudes (Bowie) [live]; Wash Us Away (Hunter) [live]
Death of a Nation never made it past the promotional stage. The cover and the song title doomed the single, which was issued just before the September 11 attacks. The single includes live acoustic versions of All The Young Dudes and Wash Us Away taken from Ian's appearance on the Craig Kilborn TV show, where he was accompanied by James Mastro and The Jayhawks' Gary Louris. (Only Wash Us Away was eventually broadcast; All The Young Dudes was not.) The cover of the CD single is a caricature of George Bush as Alfred E. Neuman by Brian Stauffer, taken from the cover of the November 13, 2000 issue of The Nation magazine. The back insert has the titles and running times of the two acoustic titles mixed up, and misprints one song title (Wash Away instead of Wash Us Away).
