FRANK BRUNGER - EPISODE TWO

Recorded 26th September 2016
Frank Brunger occupies an intriguing place in British popular music through his work at EMI’s Harvest label during the mid-1970s, when the British record business was undergoing transformation.

Associated with numerous artists and bands including, but not limited to;
MARC BOLAN
SEX PISTOLS
MEATLOAF
MICHAEL JACKSON
BLACK SABBATH
CLIFF RICHARD
CILLA BLACK
CHEETAH

Brunger entered EMI after studying Business Studies, with EMI sponsoring the final year of his degree. He subsequently became a promotion manager, before being appointed Harvest label manager in July 1976. The appointment placed him at the centre of a label associated with progressive rock but increasingly operating across a broader musical landscape. Contemporary trade coverage confirms Brunger’s position and shows him working with Harvest’s management, promotion and international teams.

His period at Harvest coincided with the emergence of punk and the increasingly confrontational relationship between the new generation of artists and the established record industry. Brunger later recalled his experiences on the Sex Pistols’ 1976 Anarchy tour. One recollection describes the atmosphere at Manchester’s Electric Circus as extremely volatile, with bottles and glasses flying. His involvement provides a first-hand perspective on how EMI personnel encountered the emerging punk movement.

Brunger’s career subsequently moved between major record companies and the developing home-entertainment business. In 1977 he joined CBS Records UK as product manager, responsible for marketing CBS, Epic and associated-label catalogues. Later positions included work with MSD Video, Braveworld and Columbia TriStar. At Columbia he became an advocate for the term “retail video”, rather than “sell-through”, reflecting the changing landscape for recorded entertainment.

Frank Brunger died in 2016. Contemporary tributes described him as a well-liked entertainment executive whose career crossed the boundaries between recorded music, film and emerging home-entertainment markets. His period at Harvest nevertheless places him within a particularly important chapter of EMI’s history.