Miki Dallon started Young Blood Records in 1969, when his previous label, Strike, bit the dust. In July 1972 he gave the company a revamp, furnishing it with a new label design and adding 'International' to its name. In an advertizing feature in 'Billboard' magazine of the 7th of October 1972 he is quoted as saying that it was "like starting all over again for us". Young Blood International singles retained Young Blood's YB-1000 numerical series but, confusingly, took it back almost to the start and reused a lot of the old numbers. As a result fourteen pairs of singles can be found with the same number - for instance 'Frisco Annie' by Revolver on Young Blood and 'Shake A Hand' by Mac & Katie Kissoon on Young Blood International were both numbered YB-1007. The practice was discontinued after YB-1017, the next International number, 1040, taking over where the Young Blood numbers had left off, 1039.
The rejuvenated label enjoyed an early success with a reissue of Python Lee Jackson's 'In A Broken Dream', which had done nothing in 1970 as YB-1017 but which hit the No.3 spot in the autumn of 1972 as YB-1002, with a different 'B' side. Sadly, other successes in the UK proved hard to come by - the company had always enjoyed more success abroad than at home - and only the novelty football song 'Nice One Cyril' b/w 'Cyril Marches On' by The Cockerel Chorus (YB-1017; 2/73) troubled the Chart compilers. The impetus behind Young Blood International seems to have run low in 1975: there was only one single issued in that year, in November, and a final one followed in January 1976. After that the label was shelved. It did however enjoy a renaissance in 1980, along with Young Blood proper, when the company was acquired by Jan Olofsson, who had joined Young Blood in 1971 as its International Manager ('Music Week', 19th January). Again it enjoyed an early success, when Hoyt Axton's 'Della And The Dealer' b/w 'Gotta Keep Rollin'' (YB-82; 3/80) tickled the Top 50, but it seems to have hit the buffers in or around 1987.
One label design served Young Blood International throughout its existence. There were no company sleeves, singles being sent out in plain white ones. Pressing and distribution were handled by CBS in the '70s, which led to promos having the same lind of markings which could be found on some CBS singles (2). The reborn 1980s label was handled by Selecta briefly, then by Polygram ('MW', 10th May 1980).
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.