🔘Indiana Rainbow – Single: March 1976

b/w “The Thing Is This (This Is the Thing)”

7" Single — Jet Records

Released: March 5, 1976 (UK)

A bright, melodic Wizzard single whose lack of BBC airplay led to the cancellation of an entire album.

Released on March 5, 1976, Indiana Rainbow was intended to be the lead single for Roy Wood’s next Wizzard album. The track showcases Wood’s signature blend of colourful pop, layered arrangements, and whimsical melodic turns—an extension of the inventive style that had defined Wizzard’s early‑’70s run.

The B‑side, “The Thing Is This (This Is the Thing),” was a non‑album track, further signalling that the single was meant to introduce a new phase of Wood’s work. However, the single failed to secure a place on the BBC Radio 1 playlist, a crucial factor for chart success in the mid‑’70s. Without national airplay, Jet Records withdrew support and cancelled the planned album entirely.

As a result, Indiana Rainbow stands as a vivid but isolated release—one of the most intriguing “lost” moments in Roy Wood’s catalogue.

The tapes only came to light in 1999 and, with Wood's blessing, released by Edsel, a re-issue label which specialised largely in licensing long-deleted albums from major companies and had recently made Introducing Eddy & the Falcons, available on CD for the first time.

🔘 Track List

UK 7" Single — Jet Records

Indiana Rainbow

The Thing Is This (This Is the Thing)

Written by Roy Wood.

Produced by Roy Wood.

🔘 Variants

UK 7" Single — Jet Records (standard issue)

No confirmed alternate UK formats

All variants physically verified

🔘 Chart Performance

This release did not enter the UK Singles Chart.

🔘 Context & Notes

Artist: Roy Wood’s Wizzard

Label: Jet Records (UK)

Release Date: March 5, 1976

Format: 7" vinyl single

The single’s failure to gain BBC Radio 1 support had significant consequences. In the 1970s, Radio 1 playlisting was essential for visibility, and without it, Jet Records deemed the forthcoming album commercially unviable. The cancellation left Indiana Rainbow as a standalone single, remembered today for its bright production and the unrealised album it was meant to herald.

🔘 Visual Archive

Roy Wood’s Wizzard — Indiana Rainbow — UK 7" Single Sleeve (1976).

🔘 Related Material

“See My Baby Jive” (1973)

“Angel Fingers” (1973)

Introducing Eddy and the Falcons (1974)

Roy Wood solo singles

See tabs at the foot of the post for navigation

🔘 Discography

Indiana Rainbow (1976 single)

“The Thing Is This (This Is the Thing)” (1976 B‑side)

Wizzard singles 1973–1976

🔘 Mini‑Timeline

Early 1976: Indiana Rainbow prepared as lead single for new Wizzard album

March 5, 1976: Single released

March 1976: BBC Radio 1 declines playlisting

Spring 1976: Jet Records cancels planned album

🔘 Glam Flashback

Roy Wood’s work in the mid‑’70s remained as colourful and inventive as ever, but Indiana Rainbow reveals the fragile balance between creativity and industry support. Without Radio 1 airplay, even a vibrant, hook‑laden single could vanish into obscurity.

🔘 Closing Notes

A charming, imaginative single overshadowed by industry politics, Indiana Rainbow remains a fascinating footnote in Roy Wood’s post‑Wizzard trajectory.

🔘 Sources & Copyright

Jet Records (1976).

Contemporary press and industry reports.

Physical release verification.

🔘 Tags

#RoyWood #Wizzard #IndianaRainbow #1976 #JetRecords #GlamPop #ReleaseChronicle