UNIVERSAL SPIRIT / US
RECORDS
Universal Spirit Records was a DIY
label. It issued at least one single, 'Still Love You (In My Heart)',
coupled with 'Lisa Jane', both of which were by singer / songwriter Helpless Hew
- actually Huw Meads, from Sutton Coldfield. The single was recorded
in Steve Adams's 'Mind's Ear' studios, Tamworth, and it was isssued in 1978 with
a catalogue number of US-001. US-002 came out in the following year, by
which time 'Helpless Hew' had become Helpless Huw and his label's name had been
shortened to US. One thing alone stands out about Universal Spirit:
any number of record companies have put out double 'A' sided singles, but as far
as I know only this one ever put out a double 'B' sided single. The matrix
numbers on the run-off are US 001-B-1 for 'Still Love You', and US 001-BB-1 for
'Lisa Jane'. 'Still Love You' featured in the Bottom 30 of Kenny
Everett's 1980 'World's Worst Record' chart, which tends to give weight to Huw's
own judgement; though to be fair the 'A' side was intended as a parody. The
actual songs have a basic, singer-songwriter, feel to them; music for
angst. Just as a matter of interest, Mind's Ear studios was responsible
for at least one other record in the '70s: an eponymous album by Steve Adams,
which came out on the Mind's Ear label (MER-2010) in 1977. Distributed By
Universal Spirit Records. Thanks to Robert Lyons For The Info.
78
Helpless Huw
Still Love
UNIVERSAL
SPIRIT
US
001
79
Helpless Huw
Sid Vicious Was Innocent
US
US
002