1983 ~ Misty Studio is upgraded to 24 track with via commercial investment secured by Nigel Hopkins. A Londoner called Ral Lofting is retained to market the studio output and license product to secure releases. He promptly imports one of his own bands Lot 49 and Steve Ennever is enlisted to produce with Dave Foster engineering. The single 'Innocent victims' b/w 'Sebastian' is released on Lofting's own Magic Moon Records label.

Listen to Innocent Victims on YOU TUBE

Listen to Sebastian on YOU TUBE
 


The studio establishes its own 'Miracal' Record label and Nigel Hopkins 'El Vino Collapso' b/w King Konga (under the pseudonym Krakamaraka is the first (and only) release on the Miracal label with distribution via Pinnacle. The single is well received and covered by Black Lace who achieve the greater success by virtue of their million selling 'Agadoo' notoriety and video shot in Skegness however the Black Lace version stalls at No. 42 in the UK Singles Chart due to it being 'banned' by the BBC in the wake of the Heysel Stadium disaster, as it had references to "drinking whilst abroad" and thereby deemed unsuitable for radio play.

WATCH THE VIDEO for 'El Vino Collapso' by BLACK LACE on YOU TUBE
 

(ABOVE) 1983 ~ John Lee & Mark Eden on the Players Music stand at the Midem music festival

When funding for the in house Misty Studio production company began to run out in 1983 having achieved no notable success financially Ral Lofting rapidly disappeared and mark Eden is given 3 months to make a go of the studio as a 'commercial enterprise' . John Lee (ex Misty) stepped in to fill Lofting shoes and togther with Mark Eden sets up their own Tunes Music publishing & Players Music production company. John cleverly wangles a Department of Trade grant for them to take a stand at the annual MIDEM music festival in the South of France so off they jet to tout the Micky Fudge & Prima Voice catalogues.
 

John Lee & Mark Eden  succeed in securing a single release of Micky Fudge's anthem to peace If We Stop b/w If you can I can. Both sides feature the Misty Studio 'Wrecking Crew' and an awesome sax solo from Howie Casey. The cover shot was by Coaster photographer Andy Mills.

LISTEN to 'If we stop' on YOU TUBE

OPEN GALLERY of more stills from home made 'If We Stop' PROMO VIDEO (featuring Paul and Jeremy Stacey , Pat Davey and Paul Beavis)
 
   


The Midem junket also secures a European single release for Prima Voice 'Kings & Queens' and a subsequent Album release via ARS in Belgium. Once again Andy Mills (Coaster Magazine) takes the single & album cover photos

Watch the video of Kings & Queens on YOU TUBE.

The master tapes are then flown to Italy and remixed and bizarrely Kings & Queens becomes a cult disco classic

Listen to the full extended  6' 52" DISCO MIX of KINGS & QUEENS on YOU TUBE
 
The studio finds an ally in Kip Trevor at Carlin Music publishing and sends several of their up and coming songwriters to Bournemouth to record demos including POOKAH MAKES 3. Mark Eden subsequently engineers the bands first single 'Take it Back' at Movement Studios with Steve Power producing  . The single gets to #85 in the UK singles chart November 1984 and #28 in Australia June 1985. The band release their first single produced by Tony Visconti (Bowie producer) called Lucky Lucky Lucky.

WATCH THE VIDEO of 'Take it Back' by POOKAH MAKES 3 on YOU TUBE

WHERE ARE THEY NOW ? ~ Pookah Makes 3 singer Martyn Watson experienced plenty of highs and lows during a 35 year journey  from teen chart fame to becoming a talent spotter for Simon Cowell.
 


Another writer CARLIN PUBLISHING send down is JOHN PARR. The resulting demos find their way to Carlin offices in America where they are heard by Meatloaf looking for material for a follow up to Bat out of Hell. He is very keen to record one of the songs called 'Don't Leave ya mark on me' . An ambitious John Parr tells Carlin to tell Meatloaf he can't have the song as its destined for his own first album. Meatloaf flies Parr to his ranch in Connecticut to collaborate and write together. That liason results in a duet 'Rock n Roll Mercenaries' and the tie up secures a major record contract for Parr with Atlantic Records ~ home of Led Zeppelin and the biggest Rock label on the planet . His first single Naughty Naughty is Top 30 in the states . The song 'Don't Leave Ya Mark on Me' does indeed end up on Parr's first album and is covered by Meatloaf anyway on his 'Bad Attitude' album.

FOOTNOTE : Steve Smith & Pat Davey played Keyboards and Bass respectively on Parr's original demos. Pat was subsequently produced by Parr as a member of the band Seven on their 1990 single Man with a Vision which peaked at #91 in the UK single charts.

WATCH  video of SEVEN 'Man with a Vision' on YOU TUBE

WATCH VIDEO OF JOHN PARR ~ NAUGHTY NAUGHTY on YOU TUBE

WATCH VIDEO OF JOHN PARR ~ DON'T LEAVE YA MARK ON ME' on YOU TUBE

LISTEN TO MEATLOAF ~ DON'T LEAVE YA MARK ON ME' on YOU TUBE (NO VIDEO)

 

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