CITY OF BIRMINGHAM MARKETS
RECORDS
Independent
label: City of Birmingham Market Developments was an off-shoot of
Grandstand Records. Witch was Part of Big Bear Records of
Birmingham. Grandstand's releases seem to have been novelty items of
local interest. They were few and far between: Dave Ismay's,
'A.S.T.O.N. V.I.L.L.A.' (GRR-1) and Ray King's 'West Bromwich Albion' (GRR-2)
both came out in 1979; by 1981 the numbers had only got as far as GRR-3, and
GRR-4 didn't appear until 1985. An EP featuring the top 3 entries in a song
contest run by the City of Birmingham Market Developments to celebrate the Bull
Ring's 21st birthday. The Salty Dog track is singalong Folk; Milestone Express
provide a hint of Rock 'n' Roll; while the Open Roaders sound like a Country
band. The package is filled out with Malcolm Stent's 'Saturday Night In The Bull
Ring', which has the same tune as 'Messing About On The River' and was popular
locally in the early '80s. The catalogue number, GRR-4, was one of a short
series used by Grandstand Records, an offshoot of Jim Simpson's 'Big Bear
records' dedicated to local songs. Distributed By Big Bear
Records.
79
Dave
Ismay
A.S.T.O.N.
V.I.L.L.A.
GRANDSTAND
GRR
1
79
Ray King
West Bromwich Albion
GRANDSTAND
GRR
2
81
Bill Buckley
Meg
Is Magic
GRANDSTAND
GRR
3
85
Various
Artists
Songs From The Bull Ring
CITY OF BIRMINGHAM
MARKETS
GRR
4