JOHN HASSELL RECORDINGS
One of many custom recording firms that operated in the '60s and '70s, John Hassell Recordings offered tape-to-disc, studio and mobile recording facilities. The earliest record of theirs that I have seen dated from 1962. Despite the fact that their catalogue numbers suggest that there should be a lot more of them about, I have only been able to trace three 7" records on the John Hassell label. One was a single by the Windmill Folk, 'The Cruel War', which dated from 1968 and had a catalogue number of HAS LP-2017. The others were a couple of singles by the Marston Singers, 'Tunes To Treasure, Volume 1 - Mull Of Kintyre' (1978) and the one shown above, 'Eye Level Carol' (HAS-4073; undated). Its output seems to have been most often in 12" or 10" format, and the few of its products that I have seen have been by the likes of the Kent Police Band, the Heathfield Junior School and the Orley Farm Choir - standard custom recording fare, in fact. The label isn't seen often: doubtless John Hassell records were pressed in small quantities, as is usual for such concerns. The design of the label of HAS-4073, shown above (1) is not the usual one; not having been able to get hold of the scan of a single, I have had to put up a scan of an LP label to show the usual design (2). As can be seen, the company's address was 21 Nassau Rd, London SW.13. The style of the matrix number of HAS-4073 suggests that pressing was done by Pye at that time. The Marston Singers were from Wolverhampton, and their 'Eye Level Carol' was the 'Van der Valk' theme Chistmasified.