Andrew Lauder will be a name well known to readers of several different vintages but especially from those clued in to the output from United Artists in the early 1970s and pages of Zigzag magazine from the same era. His autobiography, written with long time music writer Mick Houghton (“The True Story of Jac Holzman’s Visionary Record Label” and “I’ve Always Kept A Unicorn: The Biography of Sandy Denny”), is a journey through the UK music industry from 1965 through the early part of the 21st century from the perspective of a player who is first and foremost a fan.
Lauder’s tale begins in Hartlepool and via boarding school to London’s Denmark Street in 1965 where, fresh in town, he lands himself a job at Southern Music which acts as a gateway into the music scene. Lauder was already an avid record collector inspired by early rock and roll and blues artists, and he takes full advantage of being in the heart of the swinging London scene.
After a brief side trip into management, Lauder is hired by Liberty Records who were setting up in the UK in the mid-1960s. Thanks to a boss who gave him plenty of latitude, he signs artists, as well as identifying acts from Liberty’s US roster he thinks will do well. His network of contacts is a rich source and through one he gets to sign a distribution deal with Fantasy Records which brings Creedence Clearwater Revival through the door and relatively quickly into the UK charts. Lauder’s description of launching Creedence over here a few months after their initial US success and trying to keep pace with their prolific output feels breathless at times. Another act to benefit is the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band who are introduced via a compilation he puts together from their early records “Pure Dirt”.
Tales of early trips to the US are the source for a fund of stories. He is a big fan of the San Francisco psychedelic rock bands such as the Grateful Dead, the Jefferson Airplane and the Quicksilver Messenger Service. Over a number of trips, he gets to experience some iconic gigs.
Following some corporate activity Liberty is brought under United Artists and Lauder is made label manager for UA in the UK. Thanks to his connections and with a good ear, he signs a diverse range of artists including Man, Hawkwind, Cochise and Brinsley Schwarz, whose fateful Fillmore East jaunt is recounted in painful detail. He is also an early champion of German rock music bringing the likes of Can and Amon Duul 2 to the UK. His last great hurrah at UA is the discovery and signing of Dr Feelgood followed by early punk acts The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.
At the beginning of 1978, Lauder was hired to start Radar, a label funded by WEA and whose initial acts include Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. This was followed relatively quickly by spells with FBeat and Island before he joined Demon where he continued his activity releasing records by forgotten blue and R&B acts as well as the retro Edsel label generally licensing content from larger labels. These reissues included classic 1970s UK acts as well as a choice selection from the Bay Area.
Towards the end of the 1980s, Lauder moved on again to set up Silvertone whose most recognised act was the then relatively unknown Stone Roses. Lauder’s account of their development as well as the inherited contractual issues which later ended up in an acrimonious court case is refreshingly candid. Another major success came with John Lee Hooker whose “The Healer” and “Mr Lucky”, with all-star support were both critically and commercially successful.
Further adventures involved Cello, a privately funded label to promote blues acts, and, after that the retro-ish Evangeline and Acadia imprints which put out a range of fine new albums and reissues. In 2008, Lauder called it a day and retired to Provence with partner Judith who sadly died just as this book was finished.
“Happy Trails” is a great read for anyone interested in the music business and the wide range of acts with whom Lauder was connected. Between his storytelling and Houghton’s writing, they provide a fascinating picture of their times.
