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I got into Punk
after seeing the Sex Pistols on a late night UK TV show in late 1976. Changed
my life. I started going to gigs and eventually started promoting them
at a pub in Deptford, South London, called The Kings Head. We had a good
local scene in 1978-79. By mid '79 I had formed my first band, Malicious
Damage, and was the singer. However we only did one demo tape and when
I heard myself sing I thought I'd better learn an instrument! Next band
I had was The Blackout in which I played bass and we did really well on
the live circuit in London between 1980-81. I then joined The Business
along with guitarist Steve Whale who was also in The Blackout with me.
Had nearly ten years with the band. I set up Link Records along with Lol
Pryor (who now runs Moonska Europe) in 1987 and we released nearly 200
albums and CD's in just under five years. We also helped re-establish Dojo
Records but by late 1992 I'd had enough of the music industry and dealing
with accountants and lawyers. I had a month off while I figured out what
I wanted to do and then set up Captain Oi! as a collectors label whilst
also writing sleeve notes for other labels. Captain Oi! is now nearly ten
years old and is very full time with 220 albums on CD.
Are you satisfied with the work of your label, describe us how you manage it (how many people work at C. Oi!, designs,promotion, distribution, circulations of releases...).
I love doing Captain Oi!. It's alot of really hard work and I do a lot of hours but it's worth it when I see the finished albums come in. I love this sort of music so although it's a full time job it's also pretty much a hobby as well so I consider myself very lucky. There are two of us at the label, the other guy being Watford Jon who sings in Argy Bargy. We do everything ourselves apart from the artwork for which we have a great guy called Tim Smith who does that.
Some of your releases were best sellers in their own time, how do you manage to get publishing rights from major labels?
Some things are easy to track down and license, some are really hard. Stuff like The Dickies albums took me seven years of repeated requests before the owners, Universal, took me seriously. I still can't stuff from some labels like Warner Brothers but I will keep trying - Don't let the bastards grind you down!
Since you primarily deal with re-releases , does it mean that you are not very satisfied with today's punkrock? Do you like anything of this new (mainly American) punkrock?
No, there is some really good stuff going on - I really like The Generators from America, Voice Of A Generation from Sweden, Oxymoron, etc.. I prefer to work in re-issues (plus a few new albums by older bands) because I am not really geared up to work properly with brand new bands. Epitaph / Burning Heart / Fat Wreck etc.. are much more able to deal with new stuff. Maybe I'll re-issue their albums in a few years!
After years in the music scene, how are you satisfied with people on it (bands, fans, labels). Who was a big disappointment and who do you remember as nice person?
I've been let down by quite a few people whose records I used to buy and who I really wanted to work with but when I dealt with them I saw a different side which I didn't like. I won't name names. On the other hand I have met some brilliant people who I will still be mates with even when I don't have a label and we're old and grey! I've had and am still having a great time.
How big is your personal record collection? Anything rare that you are really proud on? What are your favorite 5 albums or bands?
I have nearly 8000 CD's, about 5000 7" singles and a lot of LP's. Plenty of rare stuff. I prefer to buy stuff I like rather than if it is rare or not. Almost impossible to say 5 favourite records but I love most things by Slade, AC/DC, Motorhead, Cock Sparrer, etc..
What do you do when you are not busy with label?
Go to watch Kingstonian FC who are an amateur team who play in the Ryman Premier League. I also like a beer or two!
Captain oi FC? Few words on football...
Support your local team and not just one who seems to win everything. I sponsored my local village team for five years (not a Punk or Skin amongst them!) and that was great fun.
What would be an ultimate goal of your publishing career? What stuff would you like to see with your logo on it?
I would love to re-issue all the Slade stuff on CD and do it properly with bonus tracks, etc.. There albums have come out twice on CD and are terrible which is a real shame because they had some brilliant stuff.
Plans for future and message to our readers...
Loads more releases in the works so check out our website for regular updates or write to us for a catalogue. Thanks for taking the time to send these questions and apologies for taking so long to get back to you. Good luck with everything and Keep The Faith.
Mark Brennan