The house label of Redwood Studios. Redwood was co-owned by André Jacquemin - who was the studio's manager and chief engineer - and Michael Palin. 'Music Week' of the 30th of October 1976, reporting on the setting up of the studio, said that it was a 'sister enterprise' of Rebel Records, but Rebel may perhaps have been a production company at that point - the first records on the label didn't appear until a year later. 'MW' of the 10th of June 1978 stated that Rebel as a label had been formed by Dave Howman and Gavin Dare in October 1977, and that it had had a worldwide distribution deal with EMI. According to the article the UK part of that deal had not worked out, and a new arrangement was being sought. The search was successful: a later edition of 'MW' (22nd July 1978) said that Rebel was to release its first records in September, and that it was represented by EMI in much of Europe and Scandinavia. In addition it gave the company's address as 11 Wigmore St, London W1. 'MW' of the 23rd of September added that Rebel's first two UK singles were to be by Irish acts. There seems to have been a delay with the second single, but Rascal's 'Ecstasy' b/w 'Double Dealin'' (REBEL-1; 9/78) duly surfaced the following week, accompanied by 'Ballerina' b/w 'White Angel' by Scene Stealer (REBEL-3; 9/78). The Scene Stealer record had come out the previous year in Germany, on Rebel (1M 006 CRY 61 849; 1977). Another single by the band, 'High And Dry' b/w 'I Ain't No Angel' had appeared on EMI in Ireland and the Netherlands that same year, 1977, with a credit to Rebel Records on the label. It had been scheduled for release in the UK on Harvest, as HAR-5142, but the failure of the agreement between Rebel and UK EMI seems to have torpedoed that particular issue.
Sadly Rebel was not destined for a long life: the last of its few records came out in February 1979. Catalogue numbers suggest that five singles were intended for issue, but I haven't been able to pin down REBEL-4 and it seems not have made it to the shops. There were a couple of Netherlands-only releases - Daredevil Howman's 'Believe What You're Seeing' b/w 'On A Night Like This' (5C 006-61658; 1978) and 'Twelve Thousand Mornings' b/w 'Ah Tu's Boogie' by Mizair (5c 006-62518; 1979) - so perhaps one of those may be the missing link. Albums from Jamie Stone and from Scene Stealer came out on EMI or on EMI-associated labels in various countries; the Jamie Stone one, 'Let It Shine', was intended for release on Harvest in the UK, as SHSP-4080, but it failed to get past the test pressing stage, presumably because of the failure of the Rebel / UK EMI deal. It did however come out in his native Ireland, on EMI (IEMC-6009) - he had enjoyed a No.1 single there with 'I Believe In Love' (IEMI-5052) in 1976. Rebel records here were marketed by Psycho (q.v.); distribution of the first two was by Spartan, with One Stop handling the final one. Pressing of the only example that I've seen in the vinyl was by Orlake.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.