Ian R. Smith (of THE INNER MIND) started Hot Lead Records, as a solely Reggae label,
& its music publishing arm, Castle Hill Music,  in 1970,
but the first productions by him of "THE INNER MIND"
(“the greatest White Reggae Band on Earth”said PAMA RECORDS`Apollo Club in Harlesden, London)
were released on Shades Records – a joint-owned label set up by Smith & Max Omare
 from the Shades Club at Sheffield. 

1.  The first single...an instrumental “DREAMS OF  YESTERDAY” [SHA 11] was released 
   & got extensive radio plays, including Radio One (a rare event for Reggae back in those days).
   As was usual then, the distribution &  promotion of the records was atrocious….
   basically `word of mouth`& amateur posters etc, so the record didn`t get to the larger audiences,
   but that was a general state of affairs, back then. 

 The big two companies, Trojan & Pama Records  had countless different labels / logos
and even they had a hard time breaking through into the mainstream.
However the fledgling companies began to branch out, not too sure they were getting a  good deal 
from the bigger companies, Hot Lead being one of them.
They promoted &  distributed their records to `backstreet` specialist shops,
away from the regular `chart` shops, 
  & consequently Reggae probably didn`t get its just desserts when it came to making the Top 50. 
 Anyway back to Hot  Lead Record's releases.

 Incidentally, believe it or not, STAX Records in  Memphis, U.S.A. wanted to buy the tune
“DREAMS OF YESTERDAY”  
 outright, to use with one of their acts at the  time…..probably the Staple Singers,
 who`d already taken the  Harry J.  “Liquidator” riff for their “If You`re Ready” hit; 
 SHADES Records refused &  the rest is written-off history!!

 The next productions ran at the same time, both  by THE INNER MIND.
A track called “JESSE JAMES HITS BACK” [SHA 12] 
was released by SHADES b/w  “LET  ME IN”,  written by Laurel Aitken. 
 The  band had backed another singer on the ORIGINAL version, produced by Laurel,
but their version was the  finally-released rendition
 and ended up with as many plays  as the `A`  side….
which seems to be the history of several Hot  Lead releases!! 
At the same time, PAMA released“WITCHCRAFT MAN”by the band on the NEW BEAT label, 
rapidly followed by another Ian Smith production & composition (wrongly credited to Laurel) 
“PUM PUM GIRL”, again on NEW  BEAT.

 The first two releases on Hot Lead itself were MR. T. BONES & THE MAZE  “RUBY” [HL 2]–
not the Country song –  and “WARM & TENDER LOVE” [HL 3] by  THE GROOVERS – 
a Reggae version of the Percy Sledge track.

 THE INNER MIND`s first releases on Hot  Lead were “RUNAWAY” b/w “WHAT A NIGHT” [HL 4]
 followed by “SING MY SONG” b/w “REGGAE LIMITS” [HL 5]… another `B` side-preferred disc,
 whilst they were  still getting releases on Pama`s SUPREME label with a naughty unauthorised
release called“BREAKDOWN ROCK" (which just happened to be “Dreams of  Yesterday””!!!)
under the name of HARLESDEN MONKS. 
Also two more authorised  releases on their BULLET label“ARAWAK VERSION” and later
“DEVIL WOMAN”– both Hot Lead productions, whilst R & B Records released
“WITCHFINDER GENERAL”/ ”DESERTED”on their HILLCREST logo, 
again the `B` side getting most attention.

By now, Hot Lead  was releasing a steady flow of singles by several artistes,
including LAUREL  AITKEN and OWEN GRAY,but it was back to THE INNER MIND to score
Hot Lead`s  biggest seller (under the name of SMITHY ALL STARS),
 “DOGGIE BITE POSTMAN” –  that one sold faster than the discs could be pressed!! 
And it was scheduled to  be re-released on ANU RECORDS 
but the label folded just before the release  date. 

Most of Hot Lead`s  recording were done at a small 2-track studio, which even back then was
pretty basic, to put it mildly!  Yes, the late  night / early morning sessions 
at MAT MATHIAS` King Street studio in  Huddersfield, Yorkshire, were memorable 
for the excessive drinking, MAT`s  incessant cigarsmoke &  the constant music emanating
from the tiny two-room back-alley studio in the late evenings and wee small hours.

Due to a certain number of shops & a  distributor failing to pay Hot Lead money owed,
Ian Smith decided to close the label & by l975,
the company had become a Production outfit & in fact wound down operations
for quite a number of years, but still managed to get
releases  on other labels – KR RECORDS with THE SPINSTAR
(i.e. Ian Smith & a couple  of Inner Mind members) “NO, I CAN`T STAND IT”
& KICK RECORDS with LIZZY LEE  ANNE`s “WHISPERING ON THE PHONE”. 

One more release came out on Hot Lead itself in the mid-80s but that was a 
Pop/Disco re-hash of “RUNNING BEAR” [HL 21], 
the old Johnny Preston Number One,  by BURNETTE.

Click Hot Lead Record Label for list of Artistes

Hot Lead Records are back again, still with Reggae  & Soul,
but also a broad cross-section of other new material
So the story continues……………

RECORD RELEASES : 45 r.p.m. Singles

FID 2012 REGGAE RUNNER (LP) REGGAE Finyl Mix (Ian Smith & Frannie Haywood)

Tracks : Do You Love Me ; Feelin`s (Won`t Let You  Go)* ; Body & Soul* ; Bad Moon Rising;
When Will I Be  Loved; She`s About A Mover ; Somebody To  Love*; Be My Baby (Sexy Lady)* ;
Ten White Horses ; Last Night (Was Made for  Dancin`)  (£10.00)

Tracks : He`s Getting` The Goods* ; Let The Good  Times Roll  ;  Get Out My Mind, Woman*  ;
 You`re Only As Good As Your Lover* ;  Satisfaction         (£6.00)

HLD 3012   REPROBATE    (Mini LP)   REGGAE   Goldsmith (Ian Smith)

Tracks : Do You  Love Me? ; (No) I Can`t Stand It*  ; Bad Moon Rising ;  What`d You Say?* ;
When Will I Be Loved ; Jamaica Rum* ; It Keeps Rainin`        (£7.00)