FLAIR RECORD CO
RECORDS

There have been a few Flair labels, over the years.  The company responsible for this one appears to have been a small independent, specializing in Country & Irish records.  As can be seen from the scan of the company sleeve, it was based at 266 Blyth Road, Hayes.  All of the Flair singles that I have seen pictured were produced by Pat Sherlock and Keith Freeman, so it may well be that they were the men behind the label.  Catalogue numbers were in the FPK-0s and they reached at least FPK-13.  Sadly there were no dates on any of the records, The Flair label bears a distinct family resemblance to that of Crotchet, with which it shared an address, and Pat Sherlock also produced records on that label, which indicates that there was a close link between the two concerns.  I haven't as yet found a Crotchet with a number lower than 17, which makes me suspect that Crotchet's numbers started where Flair's left off but were given a different prefix.  The resemblance between the Crotchet and Flair labels suggests that their records are likely to have been made by the same manufacturer and not too far apart in time, and we have a reasonably secure date of 1976 for Crotchet EP CRM-020. The few Flair singles that I have seen in the vinyl appear to have been pressed by EMI, but I suspect that it was done at EMI's Irish factory - the fonts look Irish, and the push-out centres have a slightly rough appearance.  Some other companies were sourcing their singles from Ireland around 1973-74: Indigo and occasionally DIP. Former Address: 266 Blyth Road, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 ID2 London. Manufactured And Distributed By. EMI Records.

 

69	Not Traced		FLAIR	FPK	1
69	Mr. Smiley And Variation	Funny But I'M Not Laughing	FLAIR	FPK	2
70	Brendon And The Melting Pot	Old Slew-Foot	FLAIR	FPK	3
70	Not Traced		FLAIR	FPK	4
71	Bryan Dolan	I Don't Work For A Living / Green Glens Of Garrison	FLAIR	FPK	5
71	Martin Dillon And The Medicine Bow	Hills Of Knock Nashee	FLAIR	FPK	6
72	Living Desert	Noreen Bawn / Road By The River	FLAIR	FPK	7
73	Brandin Iron	What Am I Doing Hanging Around	FLAIR	FPK	8
73	Not Traced		FLAIR	FPK	9
73	Not Traced		FLAIR	FPK	10
74	Tony Griffin And Blueberry Buckle	Here Comes A Million Memories	FLAIR	FPK	11
75	Padraig Brennan	Dixie Cannon Ball	FLAIR	FPK	12
75	Sammy Black	Jesse James	FLAIR	FPK	13