I suppose it's debatable whether this is an actual label as such, but it's certainly the product of Abbot Sound Studios, of Chester, it has its own matrix series, AS-0, and it dates from the 1970s; so that's good enough for me. The only Abbot Sound record I've ever stumbled upon is the one shown above, an EP of highlights from a 1974 Llandudno 'Startime' variety show, starring British Music Hall veteran Alex Munro. A circular label giving the barest of credits has been pasted over the original white label; you have to look at the run-off to find that the catalogue number was AS-4, and Abbot Sound Studios is only mentioned on the picture sleeve. The run-off also has 'DER' on it, indicating that the EP was made through Deroy (q.v.). Abbot Sound was owned by Bob Turner of the Black Abbots band; the studio engineer and session guitarist when needed was Mick John. It was a custom recording business - a firm that was paid by the artists to make records, as opposed to the usual sort of record company which pays artists to make records. There should be other Abbot Sound products out there, if the catalogue number of the 'Startime' EP is anything to go by, but the only one that I've been able to track down was an EP by Country group Idle Hours, whose 'Just For You' EP came out on their own 'Idle Hours' label (q.v.) with a matrix number of either AS-12 or AS-2 - the number is different on either side. Googling has failed to reveal any trace of any others - which is hardly surprising, if they were all as self-effacing as the two EPs mentioned - but Terry John (Mick's son) writes that some well-known names recorded at the studios, including Roger Whittaker, Freddie Starr and Paper Lace. Thanks to him that and for all the other information that he has supplied.
Copyright 2009 Robert Lyons.