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Reggae reissue label resurrected via VP alliance
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 20 February 2014
US-based reggae label VP Records is resurrecting former British reggae independent Blood And Fire, with the indie’s former A&R chief Steve Barrow on board to run it.
Blood And Fire was set up in 1993 by Barrow, Simply Red man Mick Hucknall and his band’s management team with a mission to re-release mainly Jamaican recordings from the 1970s and 1980s, most of which didn’t receive the attention Barrow et al thought they deserved on first release. The re-releases would usually come with extensive liner notes and photographs about the original recordings.
The company called it a day in 2007 after two of its distributors went under, and as CD sales across the industry tanked. Though Barrow has since said it was a mistake to let the company wind down, so it’s not a huge surprise he’s back in business via a partnership with an established player in the reggae space.
Confirming the alliance, VP Records CEO Chris Chin told reporters this week: “Blood And Fire presented reggae with premium quality and care as well as revived the careers of many unsung producers and performers. We respect and admire the Blood and Fire brand and are delighted to be working together”.
