In 1998, before The Meters and BGP reissues were the soundtrack to “Come Dine With Me”, and before Amy and Mark’s collaborations shaped the daytime radio format, Speedometer played funk. There was no acid-jazz, crossovers or fancy-dress costumes. In the beginning, there were only a few gigs. They played Meters songs and originals that were Meters-inspired. The band grew from a four-piece to the current 10-piece. There have been many singles, albums, collaborations and great gigs along the way. One of the first Speedometer 45 releases, Soul Safari/Two Beat Beast was released on the Soul Fire label. A number of other releases were released on the Kennel Klub label, which is based in Norwich. In 2003 and 2005, the Blow it Hard label released the first two studio albums, This is Speedometer vols. 1 and 2. The albums were a huge success, bringing Speedometer to the attention of people all over the world. This led to Speedometer’s 2005 visit to Japan. An after-show party at a lounge-bar-cum-record shop inspired studio album no.3, ‘Four Flights Up’. This is where I do a bit of jumping around chronologically. Speedometer released a limited edition, self-produced album called ‘Digging deeper’ in Japan. It contained a mixture of previously unreleased and pre ‘This is Speedometer material. Freestyle Records released an alternate version of “Digging Deeper” on our return. This included different tracks, artwork, and vinyl. Freestyle Records in the UK and P-Vine Japan released ‘Four Flights Up’ in 2007. It featured collaborations with Robert Moore. Speedometer continued to gig hard and made appearances across Europe, prompting the recording for ‘Soul Grooving Live’. Speedometer’s gigs can now be enjoyed at home, in bars, on buses, or secretly (via one earpiece in the sleeve), in business meetings or school lessons. The Speedometer’s fifth album, ‘The Shakedown’, is their most ambitious to date. The Shakedown featured appearances by Myles Sanko and Natasha Watts, The Stillouettes as well as long-time James Brown collaborator Martha High, members The Perceptions (John Willmott Gary Crockett, Snowboy), and singles remixed to DJ Format. Speedometer was able to reach a wider audience than ever before with The Shakedown without compromising the quality of the product. 2011 saw the reissue/repackaging of This Is Speedometer Vols 1.
