British budget record label
Music for Pleasure (or MFP) and Classics for Pleasure (CFP) were British record labels that issued budget-priced albums of popular and classical music respectively. Albums were subsequently released under the MFP label in Australia (MFP-A) and South Africa. MFP was set up in 1965 as a joint venture between EMI, which provided the source material, and the publisher Paul Hamlyn, which handled distribution in so-called non-traditional outlets, such as W.H. Smith, the booksellers.
The MFP catalogue consisted of both original material and reissues of existing EMI recordings, including records by "name" artists such as Kenny Rogers, the Beach Boys, Blondie, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, the Animals and the Beatles.
Original material included studio recordings of successful West End musicals, the first of which were recorded secretly for EMI by the young independent producer David Gooch (later producing Alma Cogan and Vera Lynn) who was given carte blanche to select three productions: these were "South Pacific", "Carousel" and "The Sound of Music", the last of which sold 250,000 copies. These albums were also manufactured for the Regal label in Canada. Some years later, they were re-recorded by Norman Newell.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, MFP became the major budget-priced label in the UK, the label being run by Alec Sharman. Other notable sub-labels which were part of MFP included Classics for Pleasure (CFP) managed by Patricia Byrne, Listen for Pleasure (LFP) managed by Roger Godbald, a spoken word label and 'Fame' managed by Peter O'Cain which re-issued classic rock and pop albums from Queen, Paul McCartney, Marillion, and other successful EMI artists. All the labels moved from vinyl to cassette and finally to CDs, but when the CD market slowed in the mid-1990s MFP struggled to maintain sales in line with what was expected by the owner company EMI Records, so in 1995 the management team which had been led so successfully by Roger Woodhead was re-structured and Music for Pleasure became a sub label of the newly launched EMI Gold headed up by Paul Holland. The label continued with some measure of success with releases from classic artists such as Shirley Bassey, Nat King Cole, Cliff Richard, Dean Martin and even Classic Sing-A-Long Party CDs. In 1999 when Paul Holland left to join Granada, Steve Woof took over the running of the label.
Steve Woof and Jackie Fisher worked with an associated record label to MFP, EMI GOLD.
EMI Gold released a record on the MFP label in 1996. It was a project to capitalise on the success of the Easy Listening success of Mike Flowers Pops. The record was called "Cheesy Easy Listening: The Britpop Years" Performed by a made up artist "Geoff Parnell". Steve Deakin Davies was Geoff Parnell and the record was performed and produced for EMI by Steve Deakin Davies. It was a rare attempt by EMI Gold to put out a record reflecting current market tastes. Geoff Parnell, Cheesy Easy Listening: The Britpop years. MFP code CD MFP 6226 Tracking code 7243 8 52593 2 6. Steve Deakin Davies had a 4 album contract with EMI and he performed and produced the following albums. Father Liam's Irish Mist. This was originally going to be Father Ted's Irish Mist. Monsta Mash. EMI Gold released a Monsta Mash CD featuring the "Monsta Hokey Cokey" written and produced by Steve Deakin-Davies of "The Ambition Company".
The final album Geoff Parnell "Have you seen this man?" was never released.
The affiliated label Disky from the Netherlands was also licensed to re-release various EMI and King Biscuit Flower Hour releases in Europe. The Fame label reissued several Beatles, Pink Floyd and related albums in the 1980s.
The MFP label was briefly revived by EMI as a budget reissue label in the UK. One release was of Frank Sinatra. The subsequent sale of EMI to several competitors quietly ended MFP by 2012.
Public perception.
Similar in business model to the American Pickwick Records it would often attract attention due to the sound-alike records it produced.
References.
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