I ’ve been called a “jammy bar steward” (sic) many times during my career and, yes, I’ll admit that I have had my fair share of good fortune when coming across thick seams of black gold down the years, but luck only plays a certain part in my business. Most of the time, the collections that come my way have landed on my doorstep as the result of many hours of toil, sweat and a large dollop of undiluted persistence.
During the mid to late 1990s, interest and demand for what were known broadly as ‘Library’ LPs was at its height and some of them were making ridiculous money. These albums were made by production houses during the 1960s, 70s and 80s as musical backdrops for TV and film. It’s very likely that if you were watching The Sweeney or a Cadbury’s Flake ad at any point during the 1970s, the incidental music was provided by a production company. Big names in this business were Boosey & Hawkes, Conroy, Chappell, DeWolfe and KPM.