A DIY label, if appearance and content are anything to go by. A double 'A' side single by Freddie Barrett, 'It's Impossible' b/w 'Kiss In The Dark' (BAR-001), appears to have been Barrettone's only release; it can however be found with the credits in two different layouts, which suggests that it ran to two pressings. There is no date on the record but the 'A' side contains a catch-phrase made popular in the 'Kojak' TV series of the mid '70s and both sides have overtones of Yin and Yan's novelty cover of a Telly Savalas hit from 1975, so I would reckon that it was issued in or not long after that year. Freddie Barrett was the owner of a chain of liquor shops, 'Barrett's Liquor Mart', and he used to sing on radio adverts for them. The following comment, from his grand-daughter Jo, appears in an article by David Noades on his 365 Days blogspot: "I was under the impression that the recording had been a present from another member of the family as a joke on his insisting on singing (quite badly, I'm told) in his adverts, although no one in the family seems to quite remember the true origins of that record now, so I could well be wrong." The presence of backing singers and a proper orchestra suggests that no expense was spared in the recording sessions, which is unusual for a private recording. Both sides of the single can be heard on the blogspot, so you can make up your own minds as to whether Freddie sings badly or not. It's tongue-in-cheek stuff, anyway. The matrix number in the run-off ends in a diamond-shape followed by an 'MB', indicating a Pye pressing.
Copyright 2008 Robert Lyons.