Pink Label • September • Midnight Music

Wolfhounds recorded for four different labels. "Me" came out on Idea, and the rest, well, you decide.

1984 and I was bored so I applied for a job in London and moved to Brixton 2 weeks later. Met Simon the first week when I nipped up the old Fridge to see the Redskins, so we arranged to go for a drink. We did, got absolutely ratarsed in Brixton and ended up in my flat both throwing up the sink. Good night though, and little did I know a precursor for many more to come... More...

PAUL SUTTON
CoFounder The Pink Label

1985 to mid 1986 was the best period of the label without a doubt. We were having discussions with various majors for a licensing deal but unfortunately didn't manage to get the deal. In retrospect its easy to see why, we were full of enthusiasm, but very naïve and belligerent in our attitudes to the industry. I suppose we took our model from Alan McGee ( Creation Records - later to achieve success with the likes of Oasis) and his 'terrorist' approach. However, I suspect that Alan's anarchistic rhetoric belied a shrewed business brain and rather mundane and business-like coalition/network building. Finally however, our bands simply weren't that good.

The final straw was the failure of the Wolfhounds album (Unseen Ripples from a Pebble PINKY 19) and the single from the album, Cruelty (PINKY 18 and 18T). Unfortunately thepower of the earlier Wolfhounds had been lost. If the Wolfhounds album had of been a runaway success I think we may have struggled on: we were keen to sign a very promising band called Yargo. But ultimately the lack of success that Paul Sutton had with the Wolfhounds and McCarthy on the September Label suggests that it was a good time to get out.I was very disillusioned with the music industry. In my youth I felt that it was not going to be like 'business'. Actually and paradoxically it is more ruthless and cut throat than many other corporate environments.

Paul Sutton subsequently went on to form September Records after the Pink Label folded. Our relationship, like many others in the music industry, sank on the rock of mammon...
SIMON DOWN
CoFounder The Pink Label
"A Brief History of The Pink Label"
Tweenet 2002

Read the full Article

The sleeve of Unseen Ripples from a Pebble didn't go down too well with the band but was a huge success on the design scene, shortlisted for awards and landing a spot in the Album Cover Album book alongside Sting and Madonna. The back to front sleeve bamboozled just about every record store in town.
Designed by Andy Royston - now of Tangled Spider.

Featuring a Justin Ryan screenprint. (click to enlarge)

The much heralded' Cruelty' sleeve that ended up in the posh coffee table book Album Cover Album, and (below) the extraordinarily blatant Mainartery / WEA rip-off of the artwork that came out six months later. Jennifer Warnes! Arrgh!

"Paul Sutton is the man who has the onerous task of trying to make Brighton club music associated with someone other than Fatboy Slim. He also brings a determined party attitude to what can be an overly serious scene. He can pull a devastating soul set out at the drop of a fiver. "

S|O|U|L|S|H|I|N|E was a Brighton summer triumph and there's a load more in the offing. Watch this space...Gigs all over Europe.

The only difference between our wolfhounds and our daughter is our daughter can ask "why", but I have a feeling if our Wolfhounds could talk, that would probably be their favourite word!