stiff records

The Stiff Records record label was created in 1976, at the height of the punk boom by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. 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. Stiff billed themselves as The World's Most Flexible Record Label. The label had a lot of attitude. Other slogans were "We came. We saw. We left." and "If it ain't Stiff it ain't worth a f*ck." Barney Bubbles was responsible for the graphic art associated with Stiff Records. Although Stiff had the punk reputation, it hosted a wide variety of players. Artists who recorded on Stiff include:

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 Motrhead.
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

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See also