Inevitable Records
| Inevitable Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder |
|
| Status | Defunct (1986) |
| Distributors | Independent (1979–1982) RCA Ltd. (1982–1986) |
| Genre | Post-punk, new wave, synth-pop, indie pop |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Location | Amazon Recording Studios, Kirkby (later Liverpool, England) |
Inevitable Records was a British independent record label based in Liverpool, England.[1] Active between 1979 and 1986, the label released early recordings by several Merseyside post-punk, new wave, and synth-pop acts, including Wah!, Dead or Alive, China Crisis, and It's Immaterial.[2][3]
History
[edit]Inevitable Records was founded in 1979 by musician and sound engineer Jeremy J. Lewis alongside Pete Fulwell, manager of the Liverpool music venue Eric's Club.[2][4] Lewis had established Amazon Studios in Kirkby, which served as the recording facility for the label's releases before the studio was relocated to central Liverpool (later developing into Parr Street Studios).[1][5][6]
The label's debut release was the 1979 single "Better Scream" / "Joe" by Pete Wylie's group Wah! Heat, followed by "Seven Minutes to Midnight" in 1980.[2][3] That same year, Pete Burns's band Nightmares in Wax issued the Birth of a Nation EP (INEV 002) on the label.[4] The group subsequently renamed themselves Dead or Alive and released the singles "Flowers", "I'm Falling", and "Number Eleven" on Inevitable before signing with Epic Records.[2][3] Other early releases included the single "Euthenics" by post-punk band Modern Eon and tracks by Faction and It's Immaterial.[4]
In 1981, Kirkby duo China Crisis released their debut single, "African and White", on Inevitable Records.[2] The single gained indie chart success and led to the group signing with Virgin Records.[3] As synth-pop and indie pop became more prominent in the label's output during the early 1980s, Inevitable entered a distribution agreement with RCA Ltd.[4] Subsequent releases included singles by Freeze Frame, Box of Toys, and The Light (formed by Box of Toys' Brian Atherton), as well as a song by local performer Margox (Margi Clarke) written with Holly Johnson.[2][3]
Several artists on the label recorded John Peel sessions for BBC Radio 1 between 1980 and 1983.[3] In 1984, the label released the compilation album Small Hits and Near Misses... by Inevitable Records.[2] In April 2019, Cherry Red Records issued a retrospective 3-CD box set, Birth Of A Nation: Inevitable Records An Independent Liverpool 1979–1986, containing the label's catalog and BBC Radio 1 sessions.[2][4][3]
Selected roster
[edit]- Box of Toys
- China Crisis
- Dead or Alive (including Nightmares in Wax)
- Faction
- Freeze Frame
- It's Immaterial
- Margox
- Modern Eon
- The Light
- Wah! (as Wah! Heat)
Selected discography
[edit]| Catalog No. | Artist | Title | Format | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INEV 001 | Wah! Heat | "Better Scream" / "Joe" | 7" single | 1979 |
| INEV 002 | Nightmares in Wax | Birth of a Nation EP | 7" EP | 1980 |
| INEV 003 | Modern Eon | "Euthenics" / "Waiting for the Cavalry" | 7" single | 1980 |
| INEV 004 | Wah! Heat | "Seven Minutes to Midnight" | 7" single | 1980 |
| INEV 005 | Dead or Alive | "I'm Falling" / "Flowers" | 7" single | 1980 |
| INEV 006 | Faction | Faction | LP album | 1981 |
| INEV 007 | Faction | "Faction" / "Wrong Again" | 7" single | 1981 |
| INEV 008 | Dead or Alive | "Number Eleven" | 7" single | 1981 |
| INEV 009 | It's Immaterial | "A Gigantic Raft in the Philippines" | 7" single | 1981 |
| INEV 011 | China Crisis | "African and White" | 7" single | 1982 |
| INEV 12 | Freeze Frame | "Your Voice" / "Conversation Piece" | 7" single | 1983 |
| INEV 013 | Box of Toys | "I'm Thinking of You Now" | 7" single | 1983 |
| INEV 14 | Freeze Frame | "Foxhole" / "Furnished Heart" | 7" single | 1984 |
| INEV 015 | Box of Toys | "Precious Is the Pearl" | 7" / 12" single | 1984 |
| INEV 17 | Freeze Frame | "Seeking Professional Advice" / "My 10,000 Mile Home" | 7" single | 1984 |
| INEV 18 | Freeze Frame | "Touch" | 7" single | 1985 |
| INEV LP 1 | Various artists | Small Hits and Near Misses... | LP compilation | 1984 |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Recording studios and music scenes". National Museums Liverpool. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Newall, Phil (23 April 2019). "Various: Birth Of A Nation: Inevitable Records An Independent Liverpool 1979-1986 - Album Review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Birth Of A Nation: Inevitable Records An Independent Liverpool 1979-1986". Cherry Red Records. 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Porter, Stephen (23 May 2019). "Birth of a Nation – Inevitable Records: An Independent Liverpool (1979-1986)". We Are Cult. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
- ↑ Molyneux, Jess (23 November 2023). "Look back at famous recording studio that came before Parr Street". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
- ↑ Andrews, Keith. "Amazon Studios & Parr Street Studios". Phil's Book. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
External links
[edit]- Inevitable Records discography at Discogs