The Hit Parade - Recordings

Recordings

The Hit Parade record for the JSH record label in the UK, producing 7" vinyl singles in limited editions. The first six of these singles, carrying the catalogue reference JSH 1 through to JSH 6 have become collectible. In 1985, The Hit Parade became the last group signed to Stiff Records by label chief Dave Robinson. Material was recorded for Stiff, but the label went out of business before anything (other than a track on a compilation album) was released.

In 1988, él records label boss Mike Alway introduced Henry to Jessica and Miranda Griffin of indie band Would-be-goods. Henry arranged nine of the original twelve songs on the band's first album, The Camera Loves Me. In the 1990s, The Hit Parade signed to the Sarah Records label, and recorded "In Gunnersbury Park", an ode to Gunnersbury Park, the West London civic garden. Henry, and Harvey Williams from Another Sunny Day, performed at the Sarah Records farewell concert on board the Thekla Boat, permanently moored in Bristol, in 1995.

In the mid 1990s, The Hit Parade became popular in Japan, as a part of a neo acoustic movement that celebrated British indie bands such as The Pastels and Haircut One Hundred. The Hit Parade signed to Vinyl Japan and later Polystar Records. They had a Top 20 indie hit with "Hello Hannah Hello" and made their first promotional film. They toured Japan several times, and performed at the opening of the Virgin Megastore in Shinjuku, Tokyo, as well as appearing on MTV Japan and other TV shows. They signed to Minty Fresh Records, Chicago, in the United States and released their first US single, "Hello Hannah Hello".

In 2006, The Hit Parade released The Return Of The Hit Parade, their fifth album. It was the result of a three year collaboration between Henry and St Etienne producer / engineer / musician, Ian Catt. Their ninth single "My Stupid Band" was released at this time. The album also contained two songs set in coastal villages in Penwith, West Cornwall; "The Queen of Mousehole" and "Born in St Ives". In the same year, the Hit Parade single "You Didn't Love Me Then", appeared on Sanctuary Records C86 double album Cd86: The Birth Of Indie Pop. In 2009, various new songs set in Penwith, Cornwall, have appeared on the band's MySpace page, including "Garage In Drift", "Treen Girl" and "Rainy Day In Newlyn".

The band released their tenth single in October 2010, a duet featuring Cath Carroll and Julian Henry named "I Like Bubblegum" b/w "Zennor Mermaid" on 7" vinyl on JSH Records. The single raised money for the Porthmeor Studio in St Ives Cornwall restoration fund. It was voted one of the best singles of 2010 by Drowned In Sound. In May 2011 they released their 11th single 'There's Something About Mary', which raised funds for the Fisherman's Mission in Newlyn and was described as 'a bona fide pop smash' by Drowned In Sound. The B-side contains a tribute to 90s Sarah Records signing Brighter, named 'The Boy Who Loves Brighter'.

In September 2012 the band released their sixth album, 'Pick Of The Pops Volume 1', a collection of their most popular songs to date, and a promotional film of the band performing "The 1st Time" at HMV Store Tokyo in 1993 was released.