Stiff Records

The Stiff Records record label was created in 1976, at the height of the punk boom by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera.

Related Topics:
Record label - Punk - Dave Robinson - Jake Riviera

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The label entered a distribution deal with Island Records. Riviera left Stiff in 1977 to form Radar Records. In 1984 Stiff became part of Island Records. The deal wasn't a success and Robinson regained control in 1986 of the newly independent label. After a serious cashflow crisis, ZTT Records bought the label for a reported £300.000.

Related Topics:
Island Records - Radar Records - ZTT Records

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Stiff billed themselves as The World's Most Flexible Record Label. The label had a lot of attitude.

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Other slogans were "We came. We saw. We left." and "If it ain't Stiff it ain't worth a fuck."

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Another legendary slogan -which came printed onto some promotional clocks- reads "When you kill time you murder success".

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Less known, but worth mentioning, is the small pun which can be found, for example, on the label of Stiff's sampler compilation "Heroes & Cowards" : "In '78 everyone born in '45 will be 33-1/3"

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Stiff is also well known for their eccentric but highly effective promotional campaigns, such as Elvis Costello's "buskin-for-CBS-raid" or the 12 different sleeves printed for Ian Dury's second album "Do It Yourself".

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Barney Bubbles was responsible for the graphic art associated with Stiff Records.

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Although Stiff had the punk reputation, it hosted a wide variety of players. Artists who recorded on Stiff include:

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• Elvis Costello, angry young rocker
• Ian Dury and the Blockheads, 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 and more
• Tracey Ullman, over-the-top pop
• Larry Wallis, crazed punk, on his own and with the Pink Fairies and the first version of Motörhead.
• Dave Edmunds, rockabilly revivalist
• The Adverts
• Graham Parker
• Jona Lewie
• Devo, kitschy futuristic new wave
• The Damned
• Any Trouble
• Richard Hell and The Voidoids, punk to be sure
• Nick Lowe, "Looking for love in the heart of the city"
• Sean Tyla and the Tyla Gang, early power pop
• Plasmatics
• The Pogues
• Lene Lovich
• Rachel Sweet
 
Stiff Records: See also ►