Arth Album Discography

Arth was a TK subsidiary whose only release was a 1978 reissue of the Sneakers & Lace album Skateboardin' U.S.A. [Arth 40,000]. Phil and Mitch Margo, two members of the Tokens, were involved in production, arranging and writing the album, along with Neil Levinson, a long-time associate of the Tokens and writer of the hit "Denise," by Randy & the Rainbows. This album was so "New York," one has to wonder what it was doing on a TK subsidiary label being distributed out of Miami. And to boot, by the time it was picked up in Miami, the record was almost three years old.

Sneakers and Lace were a four-person group based in New York City. In 1975, they were all students at the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. The three boys (Jon Gittler, David Ramirez, and David Ortiz) had been known as "the Toilet Trio" for their practice of rehearsing vocals in the men's room. They actually met Carolyn Sloan not at school, but in Central Park one day while skateboarding, and decided to form a quartet. Deprived of their usual rehearsal hall, the group moved to Central Park to rehearse, and were heard by Levinson, who brought them to Phil Margo. An album was quickly written and recorded, sounding a bit like the Partridge Family meets Jan & Dean.

The album was issued on Pickwick International (P.I.P. 6821) in 1976, along with two singles, the first of which was "Skateboardin'"/"Sidewalk Convoy" [PIP 6525]. "Sidewalk Convoy" was a takeoff on the CB-er hit "Convoy." The second was "Down on the Street"/"Skatewalk Boogie" [PIP 6532], the latter a disco skateboard song!. Unfortunately, this was the last single PIP issued before going out of business. Neither the album nor the singles charted nationally.

With the issuing label now out of business, and the group and producers feeling it hadn't had a fair shot, the album sat around in limbo for over a year. Finally, the Margos and Levinson worked out a deal with Henry Stone to reissue the album on a new subsidiary, Arth. Nothing happened, and that was all she wrote for the group and for the Arth label.

The Arth label (far left) was light blue with black print and "arth" written in yellow lettering on the top half of the label, under a yellow and blue sea and sun logo. Bending around the bottom of the label was, "Distributed by T.K. Productions, Inc., 495 S.E. 10th Court, Hialeah, Florida 33010". No singles were found for the Arth label, although two singles from the album had been issued on the P.I.P. label (near left).

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with Arth or TK Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 2010 by Mike Callahan.

ARTH ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY

Cover	Number - Title - Artist - [Release Date] Contents
	Arth 40000 Series:
	40000 - Skateboardin' USA - Sneakers & Lace [1978] Skateboardin'/Sidewalk Convoy/Down On The Street/Ballet/Skate Walk Boogie//Skateboardin' U.S.A./Singin' On The Corner/Little Skateboard Queen/The Ballad Of Billy Wheels/Skate Talk/Skateboard Suite
	Related LP:
	P.I.P. 6821 - Skateboardin' USA - Sneakers & Lace [1976] Skateboardin'/Sidewalk Convoy/Down On The Street/Ballet/Skate Walk Boogie//Skateboardin' U.S.A./Singin' On The Corner/Little Skateboard Queen/The Ballad Of Billy Wheels/Skate Talk/Skateboard Suite

Back to the TK Records Story


Back to the Discography Listings Page


Back to the Both Sides Now Home Page