imply put, Immediate was one of the best British indie labels of the sixties. Not quite at the level of Track (home of The Who and Hendrix), but they still produced enough quality material in their five year existence to make any label jealous. From 1965 until it was dissolved in 1970 Immediate was the home of late sixties luminaries such as the Small Faces, The Nice, Billy Nicholls, Chris Farlowe, P.P. Arnold, The McCoys, John Mayall, and Humble Pie to name just a few. On top of that, Rod Stewart and the original lineup of Fleetwood Mac released their first singles on Immediate’s hot pink label. Besides, where else would you find Nico covering Gordon Lightfoot with Jimmy Page in the producer’s chair?

Immediate Records was founded in 1965 by Rolling Stones manager/producer/self proclaimed "Godfather of Hype" Andrew Loog Oldham and his partner in crime, Tony Calder. Immediate never had a specific "sound", the closest description that I can think of off hand is "The Sound of Swinging London: 1965-1970"; Mod-pop, straightforward pop, blues rock, straightforward rock, soul, folk, psychedelia, prog rock...pretty much everything and the kitchen sink.

By 1969 things started to go downhill for Immediate. Sales had been stagnant since their flagship artist the Small Faces decided to pack it in and they were swimming in debt. Tony Calder decided to quit towards the end of the year and Oldham liquidated the label soon afterwards. The label was revived by Oldham in 1995 and they are currently in the process of re-releasing their entire 1965-1970 catalog

Label Roster: Small Faces, Nico, Les Fleur-de-Lys, Billy Nicholls, Chris Farlowe, The Mockingbirds, P.P. Arnold, The Poets, The McCoys, Amen Corner, The Nice, Humble Pie, Rod Stewart, Mike D’Abo, Twice As Much, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, The Aranbee Pop Symphony Orchestra, Golden Apples of the Sun, Masterminds, Barbara Lynn, The Australian Playboys, The Strangeloves, Fleetwood Mac, Nicky Scott, Tony Rivers and the Castaways, Duncan Browne, London Waits, and Mark Murphy

Ten Essential Releases:
The Immediate Singles Collection
Small Faces - Small Faces (1967)
Small Faces - Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake
Small Faces - Autumn Stone
Billy Nicholls - Would You Believe
Chris Farlowe - Out of Time
Duncan Browne - Give Me Take You
The Nice - The Nice
P.P. Arnold - The First Lady of Immediate
Amen Corner - If Paradise Was Half as Nice