ZIP 
RECORDS

Independent Irish label: Zip Records Initially was a custom recording label - the Al Lee EP shown has a distinctly 'Self-financed Club / Cabaret artist' air to it - but research (!) has shown that it was actually a subsidiary of Billy McBurney's Northern Ireland company Outlet.  Outlet had mainland distribution in the 1970s, via Lugton and, at least during the early part of the decade, H.R Taylor ('Music Week', 7th Feb 1970); an advert in 'MW' for the 13th of December 1975 says that Zip was one of the Outlet labels available through Lugton at that time.  Comparison of the kind of material that can be found on them suggests that Zip may have been a vehicle for the company's Pop / MOR / Country products while Outlet housed its more obviously Irish issues.  Visual evidence hints that early '70s pressings were done by Orlake, as was the case for Outlet singles at the time.  Catalogue numbers were in a ZIP-00 series; the lowest one that I have found so far is ZIP-24, As can be seen, the 'discography' below has far more gaps than it has entries. 

   

73	Not Traced		ZIP	ZIP	21
73	Not Traced		ZIP	ZIP	22
73	Not Traced		ZIP	ZIP	23
73	Bill Dexter	Soldier	ZIP	ZIP	24
74	Bang	Some Kind Of Summer	ZIP	ZIP	25
75	Tony Richards	North To Alaska	ZIP	ZIP	26
75	Not Traced		ZIP	ZIP	27
75	Johnny Larkin	Fraulien	ZIP	ZIP	28
75	Not Traced		ZIP	ZIP	29
75	Not Traced		ZIP	ZIP	30
75	Mell Tarner And Wildwood	I'd Give The World	ZIP	ZIP	31
76	Sadie Myers	Comin' On Strong	ZIP	ZIP	32
76	Wendy Kaye	Help Me Make It Through The Night	ZIP	ZIP	33
77	Al Lee	Mardi-Gras	ZIP	ZIP	34
77	Not Traced		ZIP	ZIP	35
77	The Playboys	Come 'N' Let's Dance	ZIP	ZIP	36
77	The Ravens	Philomena (The Queen Of Country Music)	ZIP	ZIP	37
77	Not Traced		ZIP	ZIP	38
77	Not Traced		ZIP	ZIP	39
78	Paul Wheater	Captain Cook We Won't Forget You	ZIP	ZIP	40
80	Not Traced		ZIP	ZIP	41
81	The Ravens	Home In The County Down	ZIP	ZIP	42