THE GOOD, THE SMALL, AND THE PERSISTENT

THE GOOD,THE SMALL, AND THE PERSISTENT

INDEPENDENT RECORD LABELS

J. Kordosh

The story of rock ’n’ roll as corporate history is so rife with examples of misdirection, mismanagement, and Miss Ellieisms that it would take a couple of bibles to catalogue them. I won’t even try because I might catch the dreaded rock industry cooties even as I sit here typing! That’s right, I might start taking the whole thing seriously—the most malicious aspect of the cooties. (To quote Eric Burdon, whose cootie-ridden body was never found after his deserved disappearance: “If you wanna find the truth in life, don’t pass music by.” That’s right, Eric, run it over with a semi.)

Who spreads this baffling disease, anyway? Your radio, for sure, but not without the help of the major record companies. These Typhoid Zsa Zsas'have never quite grasped what they had—and have—in rock ’n’ roll and its various bastard children. Rock is a joke—and a good one— but imagine how much fun it is to explain the production costs for dented tuna cans like Tusk to a bunch of your fellow businessmen. I mean, “I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” it’s not.

It is therefore our great good fortune that we’re blessed with independent record labels. As you will recall, it was the indies who started flushing sea cows down the toilet back in the early 50s while the majors (Columbia, RCA-Victor, MGM, and Capitol most conspicuous among the co-conspirators) Comoed on in blissful smugness. With all the alacrity of senile night-watchmen, the majors brought a few of the manatees on board themselves (hi, Elvis!) until they found themselves in the fortunate—not to mention unexpected— position of being very rich corporations. “What do we do now?!” they dried as they slithered to the bank. Sadly, unleashing Pat Boone covering Little Richard was the bold—but incorrect—answer.

Having done their best to midwife Barry Manilow ever since, the majors are now in the humorous position of having to compete—albeit on a tee-ball level—with the same genus of monkeys that gave them the blank checks in the first place. Although many independents were either assimilated by the majors or died a dignified death, others kept plugging on well into the 60s. Some indies became majors themselves and joined in on the million-dollar bash.

"In addition to our reverence for the great rock YT roll of the past, Our credo is that rock should be entertaining, lifting, and most of all fun.

Harold Bronson, Rhino Records"

By the early 70’s—please, don’t make me remember them—Homo Independus had virtually vanished from the American scene. Then—at first slowly, but soon like a musical monsoon over the drought-ridden land—the indies began to run amuck. Led by now-venerable labels like Beserkley and Bomp, independent labels wer$ everywhere by the end of the decade, with no end in sight. Gosh, I wonder why.

What follows, then, is an overview of the American independent scene circa 1981. (Naturally, there’s been a concurrent/complementary British boom, too, but please don’t make me talk about England again, either.) An “overview” of this sort is bound to be radically incomplete for two reasons:

(1) There’s at least 600 indies lurking around out there, and (2)I’m writing it! Don’t feel slighted if your favorite indie has beemoverlooked; mine has too. (I refer to Giggling Hitler Records down in F-L-A. I’ve never heard of any of their stuff but Adolf my cap'to them anyway.)

Here we go with all the ooze that’s fit to muse, oftentimes in the ooze’s own words. The labels range from the little and local to the damped-near major and certainly national.. .but they all share humble origins and undoubtedly put out consistently better stuff than the robber barons.

☆ ☆ ☆

ACE OF HEARTS RECORDS, P.O. Box 579, Kenmore Station, Boston, MA 02215. “It’s always been, like, there’s Boston and then there’s the ‘real thing’ in New York. It became apparent, at least to us, that what was happening in Boston was at least relevant and what was happening in New York was ridiculous.”—Rick Harte. So say we all, Rick. The Bosstown relevance is perhaps best represented by Harte’s, inexplicably-rtamed Ace of Hearts label. The 31 -year-old producer has put out some of the glitziest (graphic-wise) singles extant with the Classic Ruins, Infliktors, the Neighborhoods, and Mission of Burma turning up so far. And you happy consumers aren’t just buying the box: these are a well-produced bunch of discs any prospective indie could go to school on. Kordosh’s kasual fave: Mission of Burma’s “Acadamy Fight Song,” which I don't understand. When last seen, Hartie was working on 12” EPs by the Naybs, Lyres, MOB, and a compilation album. Should we tell MGM quick?

AUTOMOTIVE RECORDS, 117471 Mitchell, Hamtramck, MI 48212. “The only people who really care are the musicians. Everyone else wants everything for free—your latest record, their name on the guest list, or your gig money. It’s a very small-time, semi-pro scene.”—Bob Tremain. With that cheery attitude, Automotive’s put out two singles by obscure groups, even by Detroit standards: the White Lines’ “Cause You’re Not” and the now-deceased (literally) and semi-legendary Vampires’ glam rock slam, “Don’cha Touch Our Rock ’n’ Roll.” In 'a sudden reversal, though Automotive’s serving up Detriot On A Platter, a compilation LP with the Motor City’s elite (e.g., the Torpedoes, the Reruns, the Mutants, Destroy All Monsters, Cynecide, the Ivories and more) all contributing. Top pick from Platter: Master Cylinder moaning “The African Limbo,” perhaps the greatest single song ever written, played, or recorded. BESERKLEY RECORDS, 1199 Spruce Street, Berkeley, CA 94704. “Listen, I financed this thing with the Reverend Ike Prayer Club. ’’—Matthew Kaufman. Back in ’73, when I was only nine years old, Kaufman and the band Earthquake—> who’d just been released from their contract with A&M—started one of the mushrooms on the indie lawn, Beserkley. “We shocked ourselves,” Kaufman recalls. “I’d say that we pressed, initially,; about one or two thousand units, and when we got to about eleven thousand units we knew that we had hit upon something.” Shrewd thinking, Matthew. Greg Kihn, the Rubinoos, and huggable Jonathan Richman quickly found a home at what Kaufman terms “a conceptual art trip,” and all surfaced on the sod-breaking Chartbusters LP in early ’75. Since then, the “compilation album” has become to independent labels what the phrase “the cause of the fire is not known” is to newspapers.

Beserkley has managed to sail the uncharted waters gracefully, though, marketing their product initially through mail-orders and “sympathetic retailers” in the Bay Area, and then by any number of distribution deals here and abroad. The “Home of the Hits,” Berkeley’s easygoing ambience is unassailable. My fave: shy-guy Richman, especially his Fisher-Price live LP, which Kaufman calls “a miracle.” I agree—the bush was burning. But the cause of the fire?

BOMW

BOMP RECORDS, P.O. Box 7112, Burbank, CA 91510. “We became the label that could help bands go from local obscurity to the level where the national industry would notice them and sign them. ”—Greg Shaw. Notable pop historian Shaw belongs in a category all by himself, and as soon as he makes it up I’ll gladly roll over and go back to sleep. This is not to slur the extremely active and prolific publisher of Bomp! magazine, it’s just that I reach for the Valium whenever 1 hear words like “aesthetics” fighting for breath in the same sentence with the Flaming Raspberries.

Even so, Bomp’s history as a record label is almost mind-boggling, if only in terms of PVC tonnage. Shaw began gathering unreleased master tapes back in (yep) the early 7Q’s, starting with—aw, shucks, you say it Greg, I can’t—“The actual impetus for starting the label was the Flamin’ Groovies, who’d come back from England with a bunch of stuff they’d cut with Dave Edmunds. And nobody would pick it up. They’d been to every record company and been turned down, and I thought that stuff was about the best thing I’d heard in the 70s.” Well, wouldn’t you know that hard work paid off, and by ’77 Shaw “started looking around the country and over the next two years started working with groups like DMZ, the Real Kids, the Shoes, and the Romantics. I wanted to work with local people in their local scenes around the country and give them a national outlet,” he says. Most prominent among these, perhaps, was Warner Brothers’ future spackling paste, Devo.

We work hard and we have enough money to get it done and no more.

—Rick Tee, Solid Smoke Records

The Bomp catalogue nowadays is a lengthly compendium including LPs by Darrell Wayne, the Nuns, Stiv Bators, the Weirdos, the Sonics, the Hypsterz, Jimmy Lewis and the Checkers, the Crawdaddys, Jon and the Nightriders, Nikki and the Corvettes, and last—but certainly not last— the Last. Plus scads of compilations. Plus “lots of red-hot singles and EPs, too numerous to list.”

I-can’t-sit-still-Shaw is currently promoting Bomp’s “Psychedelic Summer” campaign, which threatens to unleash this damned “garage music” he’s all the time talking about on everybody. 20 shows, 20 cities, local music...where’s my Valium?! Ah well, it’s all part of his Stand Up And Be Counted, American Bands notion to wipe out the Limeys. Jeez, just when I was starting to like ’em, too. Inexplicably, Bomp’s latest signing, The Barracudas, are British. Now how can they be the “Paul Revere & The Raiders of the 80’s,” Greg? No wonder I’m confused and listen to Burl Ives.

In any case, it’s interesting to remark that much of the modern independent scene has been spawned by fans who, like Shaw, felt disenfranchised from the industry, The refreshing thing about Bomp is that it shows what a truly zealous record fan can do once he puts his mind to it. Bomp is certainly among the most credible indies afoot, is mucho eclectic, and is even spinning off new labels—Voxx and Quark. Plenty of fish in this pop pond, lots of weeds, too. CLONE RECORDS, P.O. Box 6014, Akron, OH 44312. “Although Clone artists remained loyal throughout the ups and downs of their careers, Clone found itself in a strange position.”—Nick Nicholis. How all this stuff came out of Akron/Cleveland in the first place is beyond me, but, hey—it’s beyond them too, now. Clone has seen the Bizarros, Tin Huey, the Waitresses, the Human Switchboard, and the Rubber City Rebels all move up and away,, and that doesn’t even count their Akron Compilation LP, which enjoyed a considerable vogue as well.

The “strange position” Clone found itself in is that they didn’t have enough bucks to keep the boys down on the farm. Boy, that’s really weird, not having lots of money. I do feel for the common people and their labels.

No point in being redundant about their artistic viability; there’s still plenty of product laying around the Akron warehouse that you can have. Thirteen releases, to be exact, heavy on the Huey. Even if you hate Akron and the one or two things it stands for, you gotta give Clone credit for having pushed more acts up the ladder than just aboutanyone.

415 RECORDS, P.O. Box 14563, San /Francisco, CA 94144. “We don’t have large amounts of cocaine to give these idiots that make the big decisions of what to push and what not to push.”—Howie Klein. Well, if not them, how about me, Howie?? Likeable and outspoken, Klein runs down a few of the problems indies face these days: “FM radio is bankrupt and corrupt. Kids don’t even know that their favorite deejays don’t have any choice in playing what music they hear. I mean, it just comes off lists. They play the songs they’re told to play and in the order they’re told to play therm And that, of course, is the big, big problem—the stranglehold the majors have on distribution and on radio.” Hey, I thought I was just making all that stuff up! ;

Not one to sit and pout, Howie and co-miscreant Chris Knab began “disturbing the peace” in 1978 with a single by the Nuns. Their latest release is Romeo Void’s LP It’s A Condition, a semi-mainstream offering that you should buy right now unless you want to hurt my feelings. In between, 415 has become an eminently viable firm, churning out various vinyl by the Units, the Offs, the (San Francisco) Mutants, the Imposters, and—their hottest number of all—SVT, whom I would describe as a “rock” group, but then again, I’ve always been adjective-crazy. SVT’s moved about 40,000 units and “that’s one of the biggest selling independent records around,” according to Howie. A curio in their catalogue is some early work by Pearl Harbour and the Explosions before they Warnerized and I lost track of ’em.

As for 415, Klein is happy and seeemingly optimistic. “I’ll be frank with you and tell you that independent labels have a lot of problems with their distributors. The smaller you are, the bigger the problems.” It’s all in what you want, though, sez in-the-know Howie: “It doesn’t matter to me if I don’t make a lot of money—that’s not the purpose. And, fortunately, it doesn’t matter that much to the bands. They want to be able to live, but they’re not looking for what Journey’s looking for.” Which I can only presume is Rick Johnson’s home address.

GULCHER RECORDS, P.O. Box 1635, Bloomington, IN 47402. “The main problem around here is that Indiana is sort of backwards.”—Jamie Jetson. Sort of backwards? Yeah, and I sort of paid my taxes this year. Oh well, you almost have to like Gulcher, who began their subversive tenure under the aegis of Bob Richert and the patron piranhas of amateur fun, the Gizmos, back in ’76. Blessed with one-track minds (and studios), the ’Mos debut EP remains tunelessly , offensive. “Muff Divin’”—unquestionably the pinnacle of their career—is particularly noteworthy for its stumbling timing and shameless reaching for pornographic metaphor with no regard for jmeter or phrasing. Although there’s lots more Gizmos product in the Gulcher listings, the band has slowly disintegrated into an allbut-unrecognizable line-up with professional ambitions.

Other Gulcher notables include the exceptional debut EP of MX-80 Sound(since on Island, and, nowadays, Ralph Records), which includes the you-musthear-it-to-believe-it “Train To Loveland,” a Johnny Cougar EP (“Before he became John,” dryly notes the Gulchalogue), Dow Jones and the Industrials, and the Panics. Recent product: an Indiana sampler and a single by the Jetsons “all about death and stupidity.” Well, about time somebody saw the connection!

INFIDELITY RECORDS, P.O. Box 3208, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10017. “Most of what I want to do is unsettle what people expect.”—Charles Ball. Say, it’s about time we peeked in on NYC. Or is it? Watch it, art school’s out and recondite phrases like no-wave, white noise, and dance patterns are seeping your way.

“When I first started Lust/Unlust (his— and Infidelity’s—production company) it was really meant to be an alternative to the new wave,” sez Chas. Former tour manager for the unforgettable... uh... oh, yeah, Suicide.. .Ball’s been operating L/UL for two or three years. A one-time partner of Terry Ork’s, Ball did much of his early work with the Cramps, the Fellies, Richard Hell, and Television. After returning from England in ’78, Ball claims he “was interested in finding a lot of people I could work with on a long-term scale—so we could grow together.” Among the growling lot: Martin Rev’s LP—synthesizer music, you know—an extended 45 (don’t ask me!) and an LP by the Love of Life Orchestra, and an EP (World Trade) by Jeff and Jane Hudson. And coming up, fin LP by Sick Dick and the Volkswagens. Where you been keeping yourself, anyway, Sick?

Anyone who wants to make up whimsical eulogies for David Byrne and Eno can come over to my place for coffee while the Infidelity crew pins down a definitive meaning for the word twonky. As Ball is so neatly puts it: “Most of my records... if they’re played loud they’re, like, experiences.” I’ve always wondered what was like an experience.

POLISH RECORDS, 250 West 57 Street, New York, NY 10019. “As far as breaking new acts, the independents are the backbone of the industry.”—Steve Musick. But, in fact, Polish broke an old act—Ronnie Spector—on her 1980 LP Siren. The brainchild of Musick and singer/ producer/ex-Gingerbread Genya Ravan, Polish (as in, “Hey, I can see myself!”) evidently plans on being a discriminating label, limiting their roster to a select few because they “believe in working very closely with our talent.” And now for the talent: the Metromen, Mr. Lucky (“Popsicle City!” enthuses Musick), El Futuro (“an all-Puerto Rican three-piece with an album coming out in Spanish and English”), and Cheetah Chrome and the Music Industry Casualties. And, of course, Genya herself, who was working onya live disc in April and will write a nasty letter to CREEM if she doesn’t like what I’ve said. Hold that pen, Gen: maybe they’ll let Johnson review the album! Don’t say I didn’t warn you.. .Ronnie might make an OK seventh vertebra but I’ve always liked Koda better than Cheetah myself.

RALPH RECORDS, 444 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. “Who’s farther out?”—Jay Clem. Nobody, Jay, and that’s the straight dope. Ralph (which is owned by the Cryptic Corporation) is obviously best-knowrt for the Residents, the only group of musicians that actually deserve to be from Louisiana. The never-seen noisemakers have put out seven or eight LPs, including Eskimo (which “tells legends and adventures entirely through the use of sound”...what else could they use, Liquid

"As far as breaking

new acts, the Independents are the backbone of the industry.

Steve Musick, Polish Records"

Paper?), Not Available (hey, I get it), and The Residents’ Commercial Album, which consists of 40 songs that are 60 seconds long. Or is that 60 seconds too long?

No matter. Ralph’s got artists in the woodpile who are probably better (no, I -'really mean it) than the Rezzes. Not-to-beHenry-Cowed Fred Frith is available on Gravity, and Frith’s guitar work is always of interest to fans and critics alike (I am neither). Tuxedomoon and Snakefinger aren’t as dumb as their names, and Yello (Swiss “popsters”) has a downright interesting future if their LP Solid Pleasure isn’t kidding. Best of all: MX-80 Sound, who someday will actually be acknowledged as well worth listening to.

If you get the idea that these guys are really weird then they’ve fooled, you, too, but that’s the way they like it. “(Our) major problem may, in fact, be with the material itself,” Clem acutely notes. Ralph is indeed a label you’ll either love or wonder about for sometime.

RANDOM RADAR RECORDS, P.O. Box 6007, Silver Springs, MD 20906. ”It’s very comfortable right now; we have total control over the records.”—David Newhouse. Laid-back musicos like Newhouse (also a member of RR’s own Muffins) seem to comprise the Radarists. They’ve put but the Art Bears (aka Henry Cow) Hopes and Fbars LP, which I strongly recommend to anyone who wants to become seriously depressed. If that’s not a good enough clue, howsabout Michael Bass’ Parchesi Pie or Painting By Numbers (on which he was helped out by his “Moderately-Sized Orchestra.”)? Other progressos: Steve Fiegenbaum & Tom Scott (Things Are More. Like Now Than They Ever Were Before) and Viktor Koncept (an “improv band” according ot RR, but couldn’t we have tried to guess?) My advice is don’t question ’em too closely and let ’em have fun. Of course they’ve got a compilation LP. What kind of stupid question is that? RHINO RECORDS, 11609 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064. “In addition to our reverence for the great rock ’n’roll of the past, Rhino’s credo is that rock should be entertaining, uplifting, and— most of all—fun.”— Harold Bronson. And a fun four years it’s been for Rhino, who keep churning out product like Ronco admen on speed. They cover everything from rock (The Low Numbers, The Weirdos, The Wedge), re-issues (Best of Love, the Barbarians, the Turtles, Richie Valens, ets.), to novelty and comedy (e.g., The Devotees Album, 12 groups imitating ...uh, I give up... Johnny Cash?)

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CONTINUED FROM PACE 22

Fact is that Rhino’s novelty/comedy catalogue is probably the best in the industry, running the gamut from Allen Sherman and Henny Youngman to Wildman Fisher, The Firesign Theatre, Dr. Demento, Rodney Dangerfield, and Bebe Buell. And who can resist The International Elvis Impersonators Convention, with “All Shook Up” by Hound Dog Fujimoto and “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Von Borman? Certainly one of America’s top five indies.

SHAKE RECORDS

ki-77 ioo ruin n\ New York, NY 10010. “/ just thi basically, that things could be restructu so that a record that sells 100,000 cot could make-rather than lose-money. Alan Betrock. A bizarre notion, to be si But ol New York rocker and girl-gr( started testing his the with the dBs, who probably remain Shal best-known act. The ’Bs seem to be on tl rwfRU?iSmce th!eir first LP (Stands ™*rbioSpWa.S pnTked UP by Albion Recc them “a ^n9lfnd‘ Tbe NME even ca ImToon ? of future Sreatness,” so u am 1 gonna do, argue?

Other Shakers you can reach the 100K mark: a Richard Hell/Neon^ Boys compilation EP, Randy Gun (who’s done business with the Necessaries and—we’re in New York, remember—The Love of Life Orchestra), and the surely-they-just-existon-paper Cosmopolitans, who consist of Janie Sims and Nel Moore. They’re cute and so is their “celebrated” tune “(How To Keep Your) Husband Happy.” Not by regaling him with New York street singing, it says here. C’mon, I want a compilation 45! SLASH RECORDS, 7381 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. “.. .X is the greatest band in the history of modern music.”— Robert Biggs. Not only that, X might also be “the finest American band that isn’t contracted to a major label,” accordingto the New York Times. X? Why? See, it’s like this: over in LA, uncompromising young white musicians are a big deal . And nobody uncompromises more then X, whose debut LP Los Angeles, has moved over 40,000 copies. Yeah,

yeah,yeah. Slash followed up with a soundtrack LP, The Decline of Western Civilization, which not only features the finest; it also includes tunes by Black Flag, the Germs, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, the Alice Bag Band, and Fear. Plus, germane commentary from erudite Angelenos, like Mary (“1 like making a spectacle of myself.”)

SOLID SMOKE RECORDS, P.O. Box 22372, San Francisco, CA 94122. “We work hard and we have enough money to get it done—and no more.”—Rick Tee. The tip-off here is the name of the label, which conjures all the schizo imagery SS deserves. Actually two labels in one, Solid Smoke proper has issued ancient masterpieces like Johnny Burnette & The Rock ’n’ Roll Trio, the Sheppards, and James Brown’s remarkable Live And Lowdown at the Apollo (1962), while their “contemporary” bedpartner War Bride Records pushes the likes of ex-Groovie Roy Loney (and the Phantom Movers), Holly Stanton, and a compilation, Rising Stars of San Francisco. Even though it’s clear what the good stuff is here, Ms. Stanton deserves a listen, too, particularly on the title track of her LP Temptation: Having it both ways, Solid Smoke is a solid label.

STIFF RECORDS, 157 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019. “J think we should be an independent within the American context^— Bruce Kirkland. But, as matters stand, Stiff/America is more of a hand-holder, distributor, and merchandising agent (buttons, tee-shirts) for their British big brothers. Since CBS has first refusal rights on Stiff product stateside, the New York office has been left with the Plasmatics, Desmond Dekker, Jona Lewie, and Any Trouble. Slim pickings, perhaps, but Kirkland looks forward to happier days; “Stiffs name should be seen with developing new artists. If not, then we’re no longer-an independent...we’re out of the ball game.” With Stiffs credibility and. distribution clout, Kirkland would like to see the label sign American acts—possibly as a “singles” label—but is evidently still waiting for the phqne to ring.

TITAN RECORDS, P.O. Box 5443, Kansas City, MO 64131. “The scene stinks.”—Tommy Sorrells. That’s just because you’re too close to Illinois, Tommy. Anyway, out in Kaycee “It’s All Pop!” according to the Titan bunch. Hey, they’re not kidding... their half-dozen singles (Gary Charleson, the Gems, the Boys, the Secrets, and Arlis) and their “various artists” LP, Just Another Pop Album, say so. It’s too bad Titan’s sitting around gnashing their teeth over distribution hard-times and local doldrums; all you harmony-hook addicts can stop looking once you’ve found Titan. TREMOR RECORDS, 403 Forest, Royal Oak, MI 48067. “I feel sad reading Billboard.”—Gary Reichel. Firmly at home in the real world, Tremor is sort of a hail-fellow-well-met among independents. The label labelized in August if ’77 when Reichel’s group Cinecyde released “Gutless Radio,” a friendly, well-meaning tribute to the waves. Meandering along, the guys started doing business with the Ivories, 27, the Cubes, Service, and Rushlow-King, a deceptively-named duo, until the inevitable compilation album germinated.

Tremor’s m.o. can best be discerned by Reichel’s very strange opinions e.g., “I didn’t ever really think we put together a record for the purpose of getting it played on local radio and be signed by a major label,..I have a very skewed feeling about the ‘industry.’ Most of them haven’t got the faintest idea of what they’re doing: one guy is trying to tell another guy what the next big thing is. It’s sort of following tail-tonose.” Cheer up, Gary, My Weekly Reader not only makes more sense than Billboard, it’s a lot cheaper to boot.

WILD CHILD RECORDS, 3009 Gala xie Road, Garland TX 75042. “The Nervebreakers are Texas’ top new wave band.”—Tom Orden. Well, since X has the whole world, I guess Texas is about the best you could settle for. The ’Breakers have a bunch of well-produced records on Wild Child, including “I’d Much Rather Be With The Boys,” which they do better than the Stones and their long-awaited LP, We Want Everything. Don’t look at me, guys.

Other Alamojo maniacs on Wild Child include the Explosives (“danceable pop”), ex-Moby Grape guitarist Peter Lewis (Goin ’ Down To Texas),, and “Texas’ premier rockabilly band (jeez, these guys won’t settle for second best),” The Silver Spurs. Look for Wild Child to be around for a while...they write better promo than half the major labels. Oh yeah, the bands are really good, too.

ZE RECORDS, 154 W. 57th Street, New York, NY 10019. “If you want to get technical, we’re more of a production company.”—David Salidor. And a bouncing 18-month old baby among indies, too. Ze started out with dat old no-wave attitude, pushing James White and Lydia Lunch while being distributed by Arista. Antilles was next through the revolving door of distribution, and Ze presented them with King Creole & The Coconuts’ first LP. Well, who needed Antilles, anyway? Sire moved in, and nowadays Ze artists include Davitt Sigerson (a singer/songwriter who used to be a rock wjriter...huh?), Was/Not Was, and Material, a jazz group. I only wish X would move to Ze.

☆ ☆ ☆ Whew. A lot of indies, you bet. Now if you’re interested in finding out more (or the truth) about these l’il guerillas, a couple of good places to start would be Volume, which deems itself “the first international discography of New Wave/Punk music (non-union typesetters, too!),” or Sub/ Pop, who claim to be the only fanzine in existence that gives the indies definitive, localized coverage. Try Volume at 110 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007; Sub/Pop is published by the Lost Music Network, P.O. Box 2391, Olympia, WA 98507.

ALPHABETICAL ENTROPY REVERSAL: Labels You’ll Love

Just in case you thought I was kidding about the mind-boggling number of indies out there, here’s a quick run-down on scads of other prominent American labels. You’ll surely want to write ’em, collect their records, and possibly correspond with Reverend Al, too. In other words—you need never again buy another Journey or Talking Heads LP, CREEM, or even feed your dog! No kidding!

☆ ☆ ☆

AMALISARECORDS, P.O. Box4559, Long Island City, NY 11104. Multi-national, multi-

media state-of-the-artjsts. Next release: Lucy singing “The Ulitmate Military Parade.” I couldn’t make this up.

AMBITION RECORDS, 10 E. 49th St./ Third Floor, New York^ NY 10017. Formed in 1980 to release the big-bucks Declaration Of Independents LP, Ambition has recently released Philly’s Reds, who’ve also done business with A&M, and Class of ’81 Featuring Ritchie Cordell, who must own up to co-production of Joan Jett’s solo album.

ANAMASE RECORDS, 1802 Ocean Parkway, Suite 2A, Brooklyn, NY 11223. Frontmen for Startoon, who did OK with their first single, “Rockin’ On The Bowery.” They’ll put out another single and, what’s more, you can huy it.

ASIA RECORDS, Box 2397, Rapid City, SD 57701. Featuring the, uh, hard-rock group “Asia,” a bunch of logo-weed eaters who might consider changing their name to Sri Lanka. AYATOLLAH RECORDS. 836 S. Missouri, Springfield/, MO 65806. They specialize in versatility, and to prove it they’ve got a band with no name. Might I suggest “Iraqi Reactor”? BACKLASH RECORDS, P.O. Box 49217, Los Angeles, CA 90049. Pushing an EP by the Last and an album by “Jamaica’s hottest trio,” Ivan, Mikey and Rudy. Sounds Jamaican to me too, Rudy. No chumps, Backlash is looking to reissue master tapes from the 50’s and 60’s. BEAT RECORDS, P.O. Box 20321, Long Beach, CA 90801. Pick of their lot: a Plimsouls LP that got the cool guys into the big leagues. Other acts to follow are ex-Blondie bassist Gary Valentine and the Furys. I didn’t even know Blondie had a present bassist. Who the hell is Blondie, anyway?

BEET RECORDS, G.P.O. Box 110, New York, NY 10001. This might very well be the finest label in the world, if only for the presence of Citizen Kafka, who informs me he needs a new typewriter. What’s more, he probably feels guilty about it.

BIG RECORDS, 6420 Drexel Ave., L. A., CA 90048. The label of fit-to-be-tied Wazmo Nariz (of Tele-Tele-Telefame), Big also promises to release a single by a previously-unheard musical genius known only as Yug. Or is that threatens? Only 18c to find out, cats.

BLACK SHEEP RECORDS, 109 Lansing Ave., Mercerville, NJ. Two acts to grind here: Tom and Tomfoolery. I’m told the Toms’ first LP sold 12,000 copies by word of mouth, but how did they make change?: Likeable Black Sheep describes Tomfoolery as “a power pop unit in the Toto, Alan Parsons vein.” Yukyuk.

BLOTTO RECORDS, Box 1786, Albany, NY 12201. Whacko Blotto should be a must in everyone’s collection, especially the meaningful “I Wanna Be A Lifeguard.” America’s second funniest band; buy ’em now!

BOGUS RECORDS, 4806 Liberty Ave., Pittburch, PA 15224. 6heck out volumes one, two and three of the Made In Pittsburgh comp series. Steal city, you betcha.

BREAKER RECORDS P.O. Box 20326, Minneapolis, MN 55420. Sub-zero punk, and they won’t compromise, either. “We have no distribution and no promotion,” they say. Guess what, guys?

CACHALOT RECORDS, 55 Mercer St., New York, NY 10013. Here’s the goods: Robert Derby, who is—God bless him—a chemist—as well as your to-be-expected biting wit. His LP, I’m Normal even takes on lesser talents like John Lennon (“You’re A Loser”). Boy, that’s biting. Ian North’s My Girlfriend’s Dead is also available: Cachalot sez his wit is lacerating. Are these guys mad about something??

CIA RECORDS, 1231 Ashland, Houston, TX 77008. Strange name for a label with a band called Really Red, eh? Other subversives: Mydolls and the Ruse. Roll over, George Bush. CIRKLE RECORDS, 1939 North Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL60614. Epicycle (two45s and an LP, Special First Edition) are the sort of nononsense band described as “Bold,” “energetic,” “fresh,” and so on. Despite that, they’re worth a listen: check out “High School Junkie” on the LP. It’s bold and energetic. Others in the fold: the Imports and Identity Crisis. DANCE-A-THON RECORDS, P.O. Box 13584 Station K, Atlanta, GA 30324. 01’ 60’s psychedeliacs the Night Shadows returneth, along with a whole host of hunka hunka burning satire, both C&W (Alex James & the Texas Rhythm Rangers) and rock (Schmaltz). And even Diamond Lil, a female impersonator. Nobody’s appetite’s this,insatiable.

DB RECORDS, 432 Moreland Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30307. They brought us the B-52’s; thanks, guys, we’ll call you when we need another favor. Better stuff: the Swimming Pool Q’s, Pylon, and the Regiment of Women. Amazing how much better Georgia sounds now that they’ve rid themselves of the 52’s, a band I don’t particularly like, just in case you missed the sly innuendo there. DB’s a good, pro label, though, so don’t hit me or anything.

DOE RECORDS, 437 E. 12th St., New York, NY 10009. “The future is female inspired,” says Doe, only to find that nobody’s gonna argue with that one. The female in this case is Susan Springfield (“The Tenant Of The Room”) who might have a chance if she changes her first name.

DUMB RECORDS, 625 Post St:, Suite 129, San Francisco, Ca 94109. Starting as a “musical joke,” Dumb has expanded to include a subsidiary label, Nth Degree. Dumb proper features artists like Novak, who sings about Farrah Fawcett and covers “Yummy Yummy Yummy.” Yeah, that sounds pretty dumb, all right. Others in the Dumoinion are the Survivors (a 45 recalling the Guyana massacre), Ixna (who write their lyrics in a “newly developed human language,” which, in SF could be English), and Bob. I wonder if fhat’s the same Bob I know? EAT RECORDS, 400 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970. Cool label, featuring the likes of Human Sexual Response, the Tweeds, and the Commercials. Food for thought, anyway. ENGRABq RECORDS, Box 2305, Seattle, WA 98101. Popdance music—Jesus, there’s a lot of labels in Seattle—but the Engrammists will also give you their stuff on cassette. In fact, most of it is only available on cassette. The Seattle Syndrome compilation is a good place to start, if only to wonder in amazement at a band called Body Falling Downstairs.

E = MC2 RECORDS, 25 E. Brinkerhoff Ave., Palisades Park, NJ 07650. I’ll let them say it: “Orchestrated electronic pop music with spirit.” As if we’ve ever heard it without spirit. FAMILY ONLY RECORDS, P.O. Box 32, Buffalo, NY 14222. Serving up the Vores and the Paper Faces in the gnu waive tradition. C’mon, they’re from Buffalo, for Christ’s s^ke. Buy ’em.

FRONTIER RECORDS, P.O. Box 22, Sun Valley, CA 91352. Semi-punkoids with the likes of the Circle Jerks, Adolescents, China White, Detours, and the True Sounds of Liberty. Circle Jerks and the Adolescents are even touring America. Don’t worry, guys: we’ll all Angelenos out here.

GAMMON RECORDS, P.O. Box 14243, San Francisco, CA 94114. Best known for the Deaf Club. Use your imagination and think progressive.

GUSTAVE RECORDS, P.O. Box 452, New Have, CT 06502. It might be fun to check out their aptly-titled compilation, It Happened But Nobody Noticed. No, I didn’t say would1. HAPPY SQUID RECORDS, 2430 Federal Ave., WLA, CA 90064. Just when their best-known act, the Urinals, were living up to... well, anyway, they changed their name to 100 Flowers. Ack ack ack ack.

THE HOWARD BLOOM ORGANIZATION, LTD., 135 E. 55th St., New York, NY. Accent on the limited, peoples. You take the Copeland Family, I’ll take the Partridge Family, then we’ll try to figure out who’s more contrived. I still like the Police, though. This is I.R.S., in case you haven’t guessed.

HUMBOLDT’S HIGH RECORDS, P.O Box 713, Trinidad, CA 95570. Featuring, (thank Jah) just one act, reggae-rich Airhead. Sure to arouse the envy of your record-collecting pals. JIMBOCO RECORDS, Box 203, Ansonia Station, New York, NY 10023. A growing label, with good product by the Nails (“apocalyptic rock/reggae”), Nervus Rexr pop-rockabillyites the Rousers, and Wayne Kramer, who used to play in...uh, Frost. No, Savage Grace. No, the Up. Fuck it, it was one of those bands from Detroit and he’s a good guitar player.

KLEEN 'KUT RECORDS, P.O. Box 253, Teaneck, NJ 07666. The Clap’s “Disco Jesus,” the Afrika Corps’ “Music To Kill By’”...well, 1 could just go on and on. But fair’s fair. LUMANIARECORDS, P.O. Box 67215, Los Angeles, CA 90067. Likeable hippie combo Barnes & Barnes’ “Fish Heads” is the best tuna here. You’lldike-a “Boogie Woogie Amputee,” too.

LITTLE RICKY RECORDS, 186 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. The Cyclones—a NY three-piece fronted by deeply personalized songstress Donna Esposito—are the big babalu on Little Ricky. However, they also have a couple of early Zantees cuts available, and plan a 12-incher by the Ex-Husbands, (“a sort of cross between the Fleshtones and the Romantics”). You figure it out, then tell me.

LIVE WIRE RECORDS, 5254 Meadow Creek D,r., Austin, TX 78745. Long tall Texans, the Delinquents “Alien Beach Party” possibly remains one of America’s real latterday indie classics. They’ve got an album, too. Live Wire’s also pushing Pelvic Thrust, an “electronic white noise band.” Does it all sound too good to be true? Yep...the Delinquents have recorded an album with sqme other delinquent named Lester Bangs called Jook Savages On The Brazos. You be the critic.

MAX’S KANSAS CITY RECORDS, 213 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10Q03. Havingjbowed in with a couple of comp albums, the MKCers are peddling “Johnny Thunders’ favorite band” the Senders, live LPs by the Troggs and the Heartbreakers, and singles by the Offs and the Terrorists. Cool, but / wanna know what Johnny Thunders’ favorite distant relative of man is.

MR. BROWN RECORDS, P.O. Box 445, Olympia, WA 98507. Golly, Mr, Brown, what’s that onyour turntable? Rock ’n’ roll with experimental overtones? I like these guys called the Beakers, Mr. Brown. I bet they do experiments. Gosh, it sure rains a lot out here, doesn’t it, Mr. Brown? What’s aft experiment, Mr. Brown??

99 RECORDS, 99 MacDougal St., New York, NY 10012. Rhythm-oriented bunch, best known by the Bush Tetras (“Top Many Creeps,” discostuff) and E.S.G. Lotsa women on this label, but they claim it’s “not the result of a deliberate policy.” Well, it should be, you jerks. Sort of a typical NYC label, only more pro.

NO THREES RECORDS, 4602 N.E. 103rd, Seattle, WA 98125. Pushing the latest in Seeaddled talent, Nein Drei is OK with me. Pick up the Accident singing their happy-go-lucky “Kill The Bee Gees.”

MiG RECORDS, Box 5421, Austin, TX 78763. More happy sentiments, this time from Skylab (“Eno’s Funeral”). Others you’li enjoy: Radio Free Europe and Bump Supper. “Avant noise,” they call it, but when avant noise, I’ll.ask for it.

OBLIQUE RECORDS, Box 15667, New Orleans, LA 70175. The label of poet/jazzman Ron Cuccia (Music From The Big Tomato). Good stuff for those who want to hear what’s really going on in Kingfishville.

PALACE OF LIGHTS RECORDS, P.O. Box 4141, Seattle, WA 98104. Glitzy indie with the accent on solo artists, as in K. Leimer (Making Sense Of The Symbols), Marc Barreca (Industrial Dance Music), Steven Peters, and a group, Savant. Do contact them.

PARK AVENUE RECORDS, P.O. Box s19296, Seattle, WA 98109. Concentrating on the Wipers (Is This Real?), who’ve been critically acclaimed all over the place. Their new EP, Alien Boy, is also available for critical acclaim. Else-wise, the Parkers have re-issued the legendary (but who isn’t?)'Sonics (early punks), Wailers (not Marley’s, another mid-60’s bunch), and Paul Revere and the Raiders. PERMANENT RECORDS, 70 Liberty St., Dover, NJ 07801. These guys are so permanent they specialize in cassette tapes and flexi-discs. The EP you’ll wanna see is by the redundantlynamed TV Toy.

PHANTOM PLAYTHING RECORDS, 338 South St., Philadelphia, PA 19147. Newest release: Steel Tips’ five-song EP, produced by Bily Altman. An excellent record, marred only by the production. (Hey, this is fun!) All kidding aside, PP looks to be a qualify label. PHYSICAL RECORDS, P.O. Box 125, Cambridge, MA 02140. Likely to be the weirdest collection of acts under one label, putting out “the funniest Communist band in North America (Red Shadow),” folk as in folk music (Mrs.1 Etta Baker, et.al.), sever} women from the Balkans singing a capella, and whatever else you want. My request: 93 Ukrainians singing Corn-Husking Hymns Of The Don Volga.

PIG RECORDS, P.O. Box 2700, Huntington Beach, CA 92647. So far, the home of the Loved Ones (Gary Gold and Frank Gonzales), a dreaded two-man band. They play pop, as in young/commercial/melodic/kill the Bee Gees. There is no one else like them in the world, not counting Chad.

POWER PLAY RECORDS, Box 40818, Memphis, TN 38104. They had a Scruffs LP, but it’s gone; too bad. Aw shucks. They have a Scruffs 45 and an LP by the Tommy Hoehn Band. You can have ’em, tocr. Hey, it’s only money!

POSH BOY RECORDS, P.O. Box 38861, Los Angeles, CA 90038. Eclectic hepcats with an L.A. comp and LPs by acts'from the who’s-got’em-next? Nuns to the ominous synthesized Baby Buddha. Bqst 45 offer in the world, too, by T.S.O.L. The Poshers claim that if you guess what the acronym means, you get the single of white c. vinyl. If not, on black. Howsabout Turtles Suck On Lugnuts?

PRIMAL STOMP RECORDS, 4924 Aberseen Ave., Baltimore, MD 21206. Another cassette label, their hottest act has been oysterville’s Ebenezer and the Bludgeons. Other product: the Graphic Shadows, Alter Legidn, and the Curious Siblings. Curious about what??

± QUANTA RECORDS, 52 Spring St. *2, New York, NY 10012. Representing the R’s, and their immortal—and I do mean immortal— pop/ rock tune, “Hanging On A Cross.” The Apes will enjoy a second coming with “New York to London” b/w “Butch the Brain.” All of which proves thattalent may, indeed, be quantized.

Q V Q RECORDS, P.O. Box 40515, San Francisco, CA 94140. Queue Andy’s only got one act, the Contradicitons, who’ve put out only one record, “Rules and Regulations.” But an EP for the tour-crazed band is in the works, so buy it or something. The Contradictions, eh? Maybe I’m La mazed.

REALTY RECORDS, 820 Mission St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Inside info: Realty’s act, JJ 180, kicked out their keyboardist/singer/songwriter, Polio Ferrari. I think they should have kicked Mr. & Mrs. Ferrari out of Santa Cruz for naming their kid Polio—doesn’t “J.” sound a lot better? Ah well, four-piece 180’s still on wax. Reagan’s still the president, too.

REBOB RECORDS, 1054 W. Wrightwood, Chicago, IL 60614. Featuring Bob Riley, who’s funnier than—uh—anybody? Everybody? Somebody? Obvious sharpie Riley has put out some of the most ludicrous (yet quite good) material you can get, particularly his real-blues masterpiece, “I’m A Pope.” Dat’s spelled P-O-P-E, child. Hey, he’s500% more Pope than I’ve ever seen.

RECCA RECORDS, 134 Chester Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11218. Solely representing The Fast, tour-happy popsters with the oddly-named The Fast For Sale LP available. Produced by Ric Pcasek. An exceptional record, marred only be the production.

RETREAD RECORDS, P.O. Box 282, Wheaton, IL 60187. Hey, an honest-to-gosh humor label...speaking-type humor that is, with an occasional weirdo gaggle of musicians. Their latest?...The Luchs Brothers’ We Are Farmers And Comedians Too EP, which they describe as “sort of a Chinese propaganda comedy record.” You can’t deny we’ve been needing one. RIPSAW RECORDS, 121N. 4th St., Easton, PA 18042. Rockabilly’s their meat, led by Billy Hancock, whose material’s been leased to Solid Smoke. Other rip-it-ups: Martha Hull, Johnny Seaton, and the semi-legendary Tex Rubinowitz. ROUGH TRADE RECORDS, 1412 Grant Ave., San Francisco, CA 94133. Lotsa good stuff here, including Pere Ubu, the murky Joy Division, a nifty comp album (Wanna Buy A Bridge?), and the reggae-flavored bunch known as The Pop Group, who you should be listening to right now. (Latest LP: For How Much Longer Will We Tolerate Mass Murder?) Drop Rough Trade a line to be amazed at their diversity and quality.

SAY DAY-BEW RECORDS, 1307 Main Ave., Northport, AL 35476. Say what? Improv music from a school of self-styled conceptual artists. Alabama, huh?

SCREWBALL RECORDS, P.O. Box 4222, Boulder, CO 80306. Stiff-upper-lippers Screwball’s best represented by the Nails (“Cops Are Punks”), the John Martine Group (“Good Idea”), and the Transistors (“‘R’ Love Is Approaching Critical Mass,”) Good enough to listen to, and ^-believe me—that’s a compliment. SECO RECORDS, P.O. Box 651, Malden, Ma 02148. The label of Boys Life, who are all teenagers. But are they all boys?

SELECT RECORDS, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. Hey, I’ve got a five-month-old kid that’s older than this label! The big news: Select plans to release a song by Chuck E. (of “in love”) Weiss. Whoops, the kid’s crying. SQUARE RECORDS, 146 S. Water St. *2, Kent, Ohio, 44240Nothing square about the Human Switchboard, who’ve issued a live LP on this label. The HS has moved up, though, so Square’s waiting for the next cool guys from Kent to come along.

SOUNDS INTERESTING RECORDS, P.O. Box 54, Stone Harbor, NJ 08247. Started—and run—by Charles P. Lamey, who once upon a time wrote a couple of Rock-aRamasforCREEM. Having thus conquered hack writing, Charles is now involved with the likes of The Space Negroes (who had two members from Mission of Burma), the Lyres (see also Ace of Hearts), the Fast (via distribution—check Recca Records), and Memphis’ Scruffs. Whew, these indies get pretty convoluted, darn ’em. Good anglophiles, they also distribute Derislandz’s (Sabotage Records) cover of the Kinks’ krazy “P m On An Island.” They plan to reissue a series of obscure British and American 60’s noise. And no one can stop them!!

STARLUST RECORDS, P.O. Box 322-P, Bay Shore, NY 11706. Long Island talent is thenlong suit: Steve Starlust (“Girly Books And Magazines”) and an EP by Industry, with a clever ditty called “Make Hanna Whine.” But please, not before her time.

STRAIGHT-FACE RECORDS, Box 324, Newark, DL 19711. Everything teensy Delaware’s got, from rock to country to rockabilly to Teflon. Their latest (“It Ain’t True”) is by the One, but don’t be deceived! There’s more! STREET RECORDS, 945 North Hunter, Birmingham, MI 48011. The label of singer/ songwriter Doug Brown, who, i according to Street “captures vulnerability and emotion that can rarely be expressed.” Unless you’ve got some kryptonite or something. 01’ dues-paying Doug has hobnobbed with the likes of Chuck Berry, Tommy Bolin, and the Four Tops, too. All well and fine, but I’m sure glad I don’t live 'in Birmingham. Jesus, the land of blue-eyed soul. SUBTERRANEAN RECORDS, 912 Ban croft, Berkeley, CA 94710. Incredibly diverse label with more acts (36) than records (11). Don’t panic, they’ll get ’em all out just as soon as'they can. Hurry!!

UGLY DOG RECORDS, Box 1583, Bradford, Ontario, N3T, 5V6. I know this is supposed to be all-American, but who can resist Brian’s Children, named after some guy that used to play in the Kinks or Stones or one of those bands. Anyway, this guy died or was murdered or something terrible happened to him and these guys from Canada named their band after him... and their first song, “Cut Her Hair” is about this guy’s girlfriend whp cut her hair, I guess. Canada’s an exciting place, like everybody says. U.S. APE RECORDS, Suited, 212 Sullivan St., New York, NY 10012. Their act? U.S. Ape, who have played—and counted—78 times the last I heard. Please let me use the same joke three times in article: or is that 78 times too many? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. OK, they’re a NY new mysic group, which says it all.

VARULVEN RECORDS, P.O. 2392, Woburn, MA 01888. Another Boston area bunch, representing a whole slew of stuff a)id has been at it for five years now. You’ll like Willie Alexander, but you’ll love Slow Children. They’re easy to trick.

WHAT RECORDS?, P.O. Box 49593, Los Angeles, CA 90049. Well-established with the Dils (“I Hate The Rich”), the Germs, the Controllers, the Tidal Waves, Hilary Laddin, and, most recently, an EP by Kaos. Clever, germane, interesting, writethemnow, etc. A good label, what?

TOO BAD RECORDS, P.O. Box 10008, Detroit, MI 48210. Hey, I didn’t pick their name! They’ve got the Cult Heroes, who’ve put out two 45s (“The Prince And The Showgirl/Berlin Wall” and “Amerikan Story/Don’t Like It”). Gosh, they spelled “American” wrong! Well, they say they “want to play music in the vein of the Stooges and MC5 and all the other Detroit bands of the 60’s.” Why has no one thought of this before?

WHIPLASH RECORDS, 150 Gorman St., Naugatuck, CN 06770. Punk, pop, and rockabilly. Hey, they’ve got a group called the Corpse Grinders! Must be the rockabilly faction. WILD RECORDS, P.O. Box 80222, Lincoln,. NE 68501. More rockabilly, but it sounds more plausible from the corn-huskers. That is to say, the real thing for all you rockabilly billions. WHIZEAGLE RECORDS, 308 S.W. Washington, Portland, OR 97204. I like this label. They’ve got three bands: Zipper, King Bee, and the Rat$, who are heavy metal, R&B, and new wave. It’s up to you to match the name with the genre! Buzz awhile.

WM RECORDS, P.O. Box 68, Garwood, NJ 07027. They say their first 45, “Life Size Rubber Doll,” (by Billy and the Boys) was “a touching ballad.” Pretty cute, guys, wanna help me finish this article? Other fodder: Stinky and the Spuds. Go get ’em, Stinky.

WORLD RECORDS, P.O. Box 5836, San Diego, CA 92105. Their biggies are the Nutrons and the Standbys, but I prefer the Wigs! and their daring cover of “Sugar Sugar.” Chuck and the Tigers and DFX2 are cool, too. Another .excellent-yet-impertinent independent label.