blake lively image: Joe Slaughter

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Joe Slaughter

Slaughter Joe aka Joe Foster (born Joseph James Foster) is a musical artist, record producer, historian, and former child actor. Along with Alan McGee and Dick Green, he had formed Creation Records in 1983. He set up the Kaleidoscope Sound label in the mid 1980s, and Creation's subsidiary label Rev-Ola Records in the early 1990s. McGee, Foster and Green were also in the band Biff Bang Pow. Along with school friends Edward Ball, Dan Treacy, and John and Gerard Bennett, Foster was a founding member of The Television Personalities. He went on to play in Biff Bang Pow, and in numerous other bands. As Slaughter Joe and the Modern Folk Quintet, he released All Around My Hobby Horse's Head in 1986 on Kaleidoscope Sound. In 1990, saw the release Pied Piper of Feedback on Creation Records. In 2003, he put out Zé Do Caixão which is a compilation of his past work on Rev-Ola featuring Dave Musker (ex-Television Personalities and The Jasmine Minks), Tony Barber (ex-Buzzcocks) and Francis Sweeney (from The June Brides). Foster is noted for producing the The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream', and My Bloody Valentine . He also produced records for many others, including the X-Men, The Jasmine Minks, The Loft, Felt, The Sea Urchins, The Bounty Hunters, Dave Kusworth, 18 Wheeler, Razorcuts, I, Ludicrous, Captain Soul, and The Creation among others.Foster formed Rev-Ola Records, which primarily re-issues cult records by the likes of Fred Neil and Yma Sumac. He continues to run the label, which is currently a part of the PoppyDisc group. He has recently worked with and has released records by Eugene Kelly, BMX Bandits, Norman Blake, The Fine Arts Showcase, Zoe, Control Freak, The Cake, Roger Nicholls and a Small Circle of Friends, Evie Sands, The Wondermints, The Ecstasy of St. Theresa, The Telescopes and The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Richard Olsen. Foster's latest venture is the PoppyDisc label out of Glasgow, with artists including The BMX Bandits, St. Deluxe, Eugene Kelly, Jowe Head, Sean Jackson, Norman Blake and others. In addition, RevOla is now a subsidiary of PoppyDisc, bringing its expertise on catalogue and marketing on board. Distribution both physical and digital of the PoppyDisc group is by Virtual in the US and Shellshock outside the US.