RECORDS
Independent label: Rather Records operated from 1977 to 1980. Rather was owned by Rock / Avant Garde band Swell Maps, from Solihull, and most of its releases were by that band. It did better than most of its contemporaries by surviving for long enough to issue at least nine singles, the first of which was the Maps's own, 'Read About Seymour' (GEAR-1). Some singles were released in collaboration with Rough Trade, and had two catalogue numbers, a Rather one and a Rough Trade one. The label design varied from record to record. Distributed By Rather Records. Swell Maps was formed in Solihull 1972 by teenage brothers Epic Soundtracks (real name Kevin Paul Godfrey) and Nikki Sudden (real name Adrian Nicholas Godfrey) two Solihull based teenagers, plus Biggles Books (Richard Earl), Phones Sportsman (David Barrington) (guitar), John "Golden" Cockrill and Jowe Head (Stephen Bird)(bass/vocals). Thanks to Robert Lyons For The Info.
| 77 | Swell Maps | Read About Seymour | RATHER | GEAR | ONE |
| 78 | Treatment Steve | 5-A-Sided 45 | RATHER | GEAR | TWO |
| 79 | Swell Maps | Dresden Style | RATHER | GEAR | THREE |
| 79 | Cult Figures | Zip Nolan | RATHER | GEAR | FOUR |
| 79 | Swell Maps | Swell Maps (Ep) | RATHER | GEAR | FIVE |
| 79 | Swell Maps | Real Shocks | RATHER | GEAR | SIX |
| 80 | Swell Maps | Let'S Build A Car | RATHER | GEAR | SEVEN |
| 80 | Cult Figures | I Remember | RATHER | GEAR | EIGHT |
| 81 | Phones Sportsman Band | I Really Love You [ Ep ] | RATHER | GEAR | NINE |
| 81 | Not Traced | RATHER | GEAR | 10 | |
| 81 | Sudden Nikki | Back To The Start | RATHER | GEAR | 11 |
| 81 | Not Traced | RATHER | GEAR | 12 | |
| 81 | Not Traced | RATHER | GEAR | 13 | |
| 81 | Not Traced | RATHER | GEAR | 14 | |
| 81 | Not Traced | RATHER | GEAR | 15 | |
| 81 | Not Traced | RATHER | GEAR | 16 | |
| 81 | Various Artists | What A Nice Way To Go | RATHER | GEAR | 17 |
