Chas and Dave by Chas Hodges

Author:Chas Hodges [Chas Hodges]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781857828269
Publisher: John Blake Publishing
Published: 2012-08-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

First Record Deal

Retreat Records was run by Derek and Jim from an office in De Lane Lea Studios, Wembley. Derek Lawrence also had a publishing company. Me and Dave found out later that this was no big deal. Anybody can start a publishing company. Which me and Dave did as soon as. The main reason for doing so is to ensure that we got paid. We publish it so the money comes straight to us. Also 100 per cent of it and not something like 50 per cent because half goes to the publisher. Who does fuck all. We’ve leased our publishing out a couple of times in the past when we needed extra cash for income tax or what have you and they promise you how they are going to work and get you covers and songs in films etc etc. But they don’t. They are just a collection agency, which has its advantages, but they bullshit.

Except our New York Publisher, Stanley Mills. He is a descendant of the most famous American publishers in the last century, Mills Music. Stanley works a song he has on his books. He has good old fashioned qualities like when publishers did work on the songs they had. He got our songs recorded by Tom Jones, Bobby Vinton, Queen Ida, (Zydeco, New Orleans music) and others. Not one other publisher we’ve been with has ever got us anything. Thanks Stanley! (and Judy.) See you soon.

Oh yeah…Derek… Until we wised up and formed our own publishing company here in Britain, we signed our new songs as we wrote them, to Derek. We’d go up to De Lane Lea for a session with another couple of songs in our pockets. Derek would say, ‘Okay boys, the contracts already drawn up for the publishing of your new songs.’ (Don’t it sound great, we thought, us, having songs published!)

At this point a funny story comes to mind. This particular time we had arrived at De Lane Lea for a session. Couple of songs in pocket but mainly a demo record I wanted to play. Derek was in the bar.

‘Go down to my office,’ he said, ‘There’s a record player at the back. And you can meet my new secretary, Godzilla.’

I managed a wry smile, Derek Lawrence humour. Down to his office we went.

There behind his desk was a lovely girl. She really was. But she was big. She wasn’t out of proportion big. She was well in proportion all over, but big! Now I’ll pause here for a moment if I may. It could be classed as a ‘What happened next?’ moment. Let me give you a brief rundown. On Dave.

Now Dave always had this thing, which is nice, of making a point of remembering first names of new people we met and addressing them as such immediately. A friendly thing. In general I would have to ask twice what their name was. So, usually, if anybody was to get their name wrong after being introduced, it would be me.

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