Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

UK Probe was manufactured and distributed by EMI so any promotional posters would have been done by the licensed record company. EMI did have promotional posters printed by their sleeve printer often with the initials EJD which is E.J.Day. I have never seen a record company resort to Silk Screen. I agree that it is possible that the band themselves or the management could have got the posters printed up, but unless you have some evidence of this then the matter is only for speculation. I think it is just as you say something created for the poster shop market. Sadly Hugh Hopper could have offered an opinion as he answered my query about Amougies, The Actuel Pop and Jazz festival with excellent recall.

I have seen oddly silk-screened promotional materials before (Tyrannosaurus Rex and some others). UK Probe was done through EMI, but in '68 and '69 there were very few materials printed by them. Yes, the first two Pink Floyd singles had flyer-size shop materials. PIPER, SAUCERFUL, MORE and UMMAGUMMA did not (UMMAGUMMA did have a US promo poster though, which I own).

Again, if this did not come via Probe/EMI, then it was through band management to be sold at gigs. Do not believe this was printed for head-shop distribution, because, as I stated earlier, Soft Machine never reached that level of penetration (a Zeppelin, Hendrix, Doors level). Also, there would be more of them in circulation.

It is a shame that Hugh Hopper is no longer here. He was a wonderful musician.

....as for the brilliant Scott Engel poster, that is a Philips record company poster. I have a very strong hunch that the artist is Linda Glover who worked for the Philips art dept and designed the cover for Scott 3. When the Art Dept was sacked in 1970 she then turned her hand to portraiture. Her best known creation was designing the Vertigo record label kinetic artwork.

Yes, that one is my all-time prize. Definitely Philips issued. There is an artist credit in the lower right, but it's too stylized for me to make out...it could be Linda Glover but almost looks like 'Buford A' or something. It's also dated 1970....which means it was early in the year...either Jan or Feb. SCOTT 4 was released in November '69 under 'Scott Engel' but by late 1970 ('TIL THE BAND COMES IN), he'd reverted back to the 'Walker' stage name...

....as for the brilliant Scott Engel poster, that is a Philips record company poster. I have a very strong hunch that the artist is Linda Glover who worked for the Philips art dept and designed the cover for Scott 3. When the Art Dept was sacked in 1970 she then turned her hand to portraiture. Her best known creation was designing the Vertigo record label kinetic artwork.

I can't access your images at the moment, but I can confirm that a 1970 King Crimson poster for 'Cat Food' single does exist as Island were pushing hoping that it would be a big hit.