Singapore-based. Baal had had records out on its own label in its homeland, but according to Billboard it was best known as one of the major distributing companies of the Far East. Towards the end of 1976 Jay Shotam, the head of the company, set up the Baal label in the U.K. and signed a pressing / marketing / distribution deal with Pye. According to Billboard (11th of December 1976) its music policy was intended to lean in the direction of easy listening, but amidst the Pop and Disco records its catalogue includes at least one Reggae single, 'Move Up Starsky', by The Mexicano (BDN-38037), and a record by a Rock band - the Agnes Strange responsible for 'Can't Make My Mind Up' (BDN-38048) was in fact a power trio rather than a female vocalist. Some of its product was home-grown, but some - by Brutus, Ishan People and Ralph Murphy - was sourced from GRT Records, of Canada. Baal survived for long enough to issue a respectable number of singles, none of which are commonly found nowadays. Numbering was in the BDN-38000s, apparently starting at BDN-38029 for some reason. The highest number which internet sources have yielded was BDN-38055, was issued in 1980, by which time the company had split from Pye. There appears to have been a gap of a couple of years between the first twenty-one (?) releases and the last two. Promo copies were marked with a big black 'A' in the usual Pye manner of the time (2). See also 'Roots (1977-78)'.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.