WEST



A small independent label from Scotland.  The only West single that I have seen in the vinyl is the one shown above, 'The Great Pretender' b/w 'Words' by Tommy & The Sundowners, which came out in 1972 and had a catalogue number of CSA-105.  Despite the proud boast on the label it's more like a decent rendition of a couple of Club / Cabaret standards than a 'Super Sound'.  The single was produced by Jim West, who owned the label and gave it its name.  The CSA-100 numerical series was used by his Central Scotland Studios, of Falkirk, which was where this single was recorded; it was also used for records on the Krea Sono label (q.v.).  Tommy (Truesdale) & The Sundowners are still going today.  Jim is setting up a website on which he intends to make available downloads of recordings as well as details of the various records.  He has very kindly provided this account of the label's activities:
[‘West’ was] my Label - I was in my early twenties and did not have much cash.  [The Tommy & The Sundowners] ‘release’ was all paid for by Tommy - he paid for the recording session, etc, and for pressing of about 200 or so copies (I just don't remember - somehow - extras were pressed and I still have them - Tommy may have said he would buy more once the first lot was sold?).  My rates were very low compared to Craighall in Edinburgh and I did a good price on getting the singles pressed etc.
My first ever record was done in my house studio for a folk singer / song writer (Tony Howard) 25 copies on a 10 inch EP [in 1969].  How rare is that?  I have one here!  There were several other records made in the "CSA" series - I still have lots of CSA103 - Joss Monroe and the Mark Eton Sound - a cabaret band - We did a 7" EP with four songs - 100 copies (WRE103) and it sold out in a weekend!  So next we did 500 copies of a new one (CSA103) and guess what I still have 250 or so!!  CSA104 was a 12" LP of a Band called "Bodkin" - I loved their stuff and did 100 LP's - the idea was that they would sell them for £2 at their gigs - I gave them 50 copies and had a hell of a job getting the cash back - in the end I was left with under 40 copies.  I advertised them in NME - got one enquiry from "record shop" in Germany - I happened to be visiting Germany so went there with a couple of copies - the shop bought them - and later a guy called Manfred Uhr bought them - he also loved the music and made copies on cassette for his friends. - The vinyl record became a highly sought after collectors piece!! unbeknown to me!  Anyway, Manfred tried to contact me and did.  I was able to sell him about 30 odd original copies for £30 each.  Later on he visited me in Scotland and wanted to re-release the album on CD saying that "the pirates would do so anyway from the LP if we did not do it - so he got the tapes and did 500 which I imagine all got sold (and the group also got money from this!).  Manfred released these CDs on his own label which he called "Witch and Warlock" - the CD was later pirated by others and one of these had a sleeve which really is a work of art. I say this because a guy I know in this village had bought one and showed it to me.  The tracks are all on youtube.  It just seems amazing when you look back and then see this - in fact I see that downloads can be purchased from iTunes - I just wonder who benefits from this?  I doubt if it is the group and it is not me either.
WRE101 was only 25 copies - I still have two - a Band called Glass Unicorn - two of their own songs "Mail Order Female" and "Coming Around".  WRE102 was a group called the "Summer Set" with a couple of tunes - I believe their own - "A Woman like you" and "Call on me".  Both these groups paid for the recording and the records to be pressed.I also got involved with Esperanto and released two 7 inch EP's and two 12 inch LP's.  These were on a different label from "West" and it was called "KREA SONO" which means Creative Sound in Esperanto.  The first 7" was CSA106 - William Auld (a world famous Esperantist) Poems; the second, CSA107, was Margaret Hill's 'British Folksongs'.  CSA1108 was a 12" LP by Margaret Hill, 'Kantant mia Bird'.  CSA1109, the second 12" LP, was by Margaret Hill and William Auld - 'Songs and Poems of Robert Burns'!

Copyright 2010 Robert Lyons.