PENTAGON
Owned by songwriters and producers Geoff Morrow and Chris Arnold,
and thus a descendant of Samantha and Ammo (q.v. both), Pentagon
operated out of premises in York Street, London W1. According to 'Music Week' of
the 30th of April 1977, finance for the company had been provided by its owners composing and production successes; the article added that intention was to sign no more than three acts in the first year and to work on releases till
they broke through, with a new record not being issued until the potential
of the previous one had been exhausted. In the event, only five singles were issued, none of which
appears to have sold in any great quantity. Numbering was in a PENT-0 series. Boy band Child went
on to taste Chart success in 1978-79 with the Ariola Hansa label, but their
single on Pentagon, 'What's A Nice Girl Like You' (PENT-1; 5/77), went
unnoticed. For the first four singles the label was orange (1)
and the company sleeve slightly unambitious (3), but for the fifth and last single,
Telescope's 'Bye Byes Ain't Nice' - now a Punk collectors' item - the label
turned black (2) and the sleeve design changed to something more jazzy in orange
(4). Manufacture was by Decca, distribution by Selecta. Billboard magazine of the 28th May 1977 reported that Gerry Marsden had signed a three-year contract with Pentagon, and a re-recorded version of his biggest hit, 'You'll Never Walk Alone', duly appeared (PENT-2; 6/77), but the company seems not to have lasted long
into 1978. In 1979 Geoff Morrow formed Chopper Records (q.v.) with
Laurence Bristow.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.