The golden age of Chiswick Records is celebrated with a new triple vinyl album due out next month.
The release of The Chiswick Story - Seven Years At 45 RPM 1975 – 1982 is just one event in the calendar for the 50th Anniversary year of Ace Records, both labels spawned by Soho market stall and Camden Town shop Rock On Records.
Beginning with the debut EP by leather-jacketed pub rockers The Count Bishops, the label's history features many highlights, including the single 'Keys To Your Heart' by Joe Strummer's 101ers - released after he'd jumped ship for The Clash - the debut album by Motorhead and classic career high Damned albums Machine Gun Etiquette and The Black Album.
Compiled and curated by label co-founder Roger Armstrong, the album's 36-song tracklisting also features nuggets from the likes of Jesse Hector's Gorillas (pictured with label co-founder Ted Carroll), Johnny Moped, the Radio Stars, former Advert TV Smith's Explorers, Dublin punks The Radiators, Simple Minds precursors Johnny & The Self-Abusers, psychobilly pioneers The Meteors, doo-wop revival chart stars Rocky Sharpe & The Replays and Billy Bragg's Riff Raff.
Set for release on 29 August, The Chiswick Story is available to pre-order here.
Among other Anniversary events, there'll be a series of gigs at London's KOKO, featuring Booker T Jones, The Fatback Band, The Seeds and The Sting-Rays plus a soul all-dayer, as well as a week-long pop-up Ace at Rock On shop at 1 Adelaide Road, opposite Chalk Farm Tube.