GOSPORT SOUND PRODUCTS / GSP
RECORDS
Independent label: Gosport Sound Products /
GSP was a disc-cutting service. It cut one-off acetates and also masters,
and was run by sound-archivist Peter Copeland in parallel with his other jobs -
he worked for the BBC and later for the National Sound Archive He retired from
the NSA (by then called the British Library Sound Archive) in 2002 on reaching
the age of 60, but continued to act as a consultant until his death from a
diabetes-related heart attack on 30 July 2006. GSP transferred private
recordings onto vinyl, presumably often in tiny quantities; it also made limited
pressings of items such as the White On Black Folk Group EP 'Our Kind Of Folk',
shown above, which were intended for sale to the general public. The
catalogue number, EPC-767, and the matrix number, GSP-90202, indicate that there
should be lots of other records on the Gosport Sound Products label out there,
but by their very nature they are hard to find. I have only managed to
trace a 10" LP by Christian folk group The Gospelfolk, which came out in 1967,
and a couple of 12" LPs by church choirs: those of Eldon Road Baptist Church
(LPR-143) and St. Mary's, Shrewsbury (LPC-654; 1968). Given the lack
of its products to examine, it is impossible to say with any accuracy when GSP
started to make records and when it stopped; all I can say is that it was
certainly in business between 1966 and 1970, and probably for several years
before that period. Despite its name the company operated out of Anerley,
London SE20, at first, then out of Bristol; Mr. Copeland called it 'Gosport'
after the area in which he grew up. Distributed By Gosport Sound Products
Records. Thanks to Robert Lyons For The Info.
70
White On Black Folk
Group
Our Kind Of
Folk
GOSPORT SOUND PRODUCTS /
GSP
EPC
767