To Boldly GO

What started in 1998 as a hobbyist seven-inch label, putting out records by pals in Bristol, has blossomed into one of the UK’s – if not the world’s – most intriguing psychedelic and experimental labels, loved by both its fans and its own acts. Praised by Stewart Lee, Julian Cope and Elijah Wood, it’s time to celebrate 25 years of Rocket Recordings.

Jo Kendall

Who hasn’t dreamt of working for a record label, or even starting their own? In the 21st century, all you need is an act or two, legal terms to release said acts’ work and the internet. But going back 25 years, things were a little more complex. Not that that would put off two friends, Chris Reeder and John O’Carroll, who would go on to run one of the most respected, progressive minded underground labels in the UK, Rocket Recordings. “We heard Hawkwind and that became huge for us. Not just the music but their record sleeves, too.”Chris Reeder, Rocket Reeder and O’Carroll first met in the third-year art class at secondary school in Alveston, south Gloucestershire. “John was primarily into hip hop and I was into metal,” Reeder tells…

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Prog Italia (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 144

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