TREASURE ISLAND - The Rock Years, 1967 - 1974

Barry Winton celebrates Britain's most successful and collectable independent label

Island Records has always been particularly special to me: At the age of 11, the very first album I ever bought with money I had saved up from doing a paper round was the sampler You Can All Join In, which set me back 14/6 (72p in decimal currency). It opened doors to a whole new musical dimension. I already knew Traffic through Paper Sun and Hole In My Shoe, but discovering the wondrous talents of Spooky Tooth, Free, and in particular the British Nirvana and their song Rainbow Chaser, was absolutely mesmerising. Back in those days, samplers like You Can All Join In, Nice Enough To Eat and Bumpers were a great way of discovering fresh talent. Quite often if a particular track would take your fancy, the next logical step would go out and investigate the whole package.

Island is still having massive success with U2 and Amy Winehouse and is renowned as the greatest independent British label of all time, the one that every band wanted to be on. It owes its prestige to the wisdom and vision of one man, a white Jamaican whose name was Christopher Blackwell, and whose quest began in 1959 selling ska, calypso, and reggae records out of the boot of his car. Soon he realised that there was a wealth of great music out there, waiting to be discovered. He founded Island Records, taking its famous name (and indeed the inspiration for the pink-rim palm tree …

by Barry Winton
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