STIFF RECORDS!

Now....if you've clicked on this thread, you are here for possibly three reasons.

1. You were thinking that you had missed out on a Competition somewhere, involving male porn stars.

2. You immediately recognised the name of a London record label, created in 1976.

3. You are just a nosey bugger.



STIFF RECORDS

Over the course of this weekend just gone, Stiff records were featured in a two part documentary on BBC4, and was obviously a "must see" for anyone interested in this particular period of Brit music.

1976 was quite a turning point for the British music scene, with the sudden explosion of Punk, and Stiff Records were right there at the outset, having been set up by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera (aka Andrew Jakeman)

With a £400 donation from Lee Brilleaux of Dr Feelgood, Robinson and Riviera were able to set Nick Lowe on his way, with "So it goes", which in turn, set Stiff on it's way..

Although Stiff had a punk reputation, it hosted a wide variety of players. Amongst the first few Stiff artists were:

Elvis Costello, -"angry young rocker " (Stiff's description)

Ian Dury and the Blockheads, -"a blend of jazz and pub rock, creators of rock and roll anthem "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll"

Wreckless Eric, - "wry pub rocker"

Kirsty MacColl

Madness, - " ska revivalists from Camden"

Tracey Ullman, - "over-the-top pop"

Larry Wallis, - " crazed long haired punk"

Dave Edmunds' Rockpile, - "rockabilly revivalists band". (Edmunds was signed to his own record label, but he and his band acted as Nick Lowe's (who was their bassist) backing group on his recordings).

The Adverts, - " genuine second generation punk"

Graham Parker and The Rumour, - "White English Soul band" (The Rumour being the remnants of Brinsley Schwartz)

Jona Lewie, - "Pub rocker & Keyboard player"
Devo, - "kitschy futuristic new wave"
The Damned, - "their original incarnation"
Any Trouble
Richard Hell and The Voidoids,

Nick Lowe, - "Witty songwriter/singer and "in house" producer"

Sean Tyla and the Tyla Gang, - "early power pop"

Plasmatics, - " mock shock rock from New York arts graduates"

The Pogues, - "traditional Irish folk/punk fusion band, fronted by Shane MacGowan"

Lene Lovich, - " U.S. singer/songwriter with impressive vocal range"

Rachel Sweet

Furniture (who?)



Stiff worked on a shoestring most of the time, and became well known for arranging outrageous stunts, such as getting Elvis Costello to busk outside the HQ of CBS records until he was arrested, which of course was properly photographed for the following day's newspapers.

Stiff was also well remembered for their eccentric but highly effective promotional campaigns, such as the two package tours in 1977 and 1978, featuring most of the artist roster performing at alternating times each night.

Robinson and Riviera were a fiery management combination, and after a series of disagreements, Riviera left Stiff in early 1978 to form the short-lived Radar Records, taking Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe with him as a settlement package.

Riviera's departure coincided with the end of the 5 Live Stiff's Tour which showcased the talents of emerging artist Ian Dury whose album New Boots & Panties raced up the charts and kept the label in business over the following months.

In 1979, Robinson signed Madness whose considerable commercial success, both in Britain and abroad, would keep the label afloat for several years.
The next few years were the halcyon period for Stiff, with many Top 20 single chart placings (including the label's first No. 1 single: "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" by Ian Dury) and a number of big-selling albums. The label expanded rapidly and moved premises twice. It also continued to release dozens of totally obscure and often uncommercial releases (e.g. The Wit & Wisdom of Ronald Reagan) many of which might well have only seen the light of day because of connections with Stiff management.

Unfortunately, the good times were not to last and a combination of spiralling debts and a lack of managerial direction forced a sale to Island Records in 1984. Madness left Stiff under a cloud, the Island deal wasn't a success, and Dave Robinson regained control of the newly independent label in 1986. By this time, however, Stiff's heyday was over and it lasted only a few more months. The last few releases barely made the shops as the label disintegrated <sob>.

So? What were your memories regarding Stiff?

Indeed, have you ever heard of them?

Favourite songs/bands?