Stiff Records - Various

Stiff was, without a doubt, the quirkiest record label of them all. It picked up the outsiders and the outcasts. It was fearless and damned goofy. It barely made money and any time one of its acts made good a major showed up and whisked them away. Its short history was a potpourri of musical choice, some good and some not, but it made for one hell of a ride.

Any hipster band worth their cred could mine these four discs for covers and put a shine on their act with ease. There's just so much here. Try Wreckless Eric's Whole Wide World, or the power pop of Rachel Sweet - I promise there is something here that will ring your bell.

amg:

Stiff Records was a maverick among British independent record labels, partially responsible for starting the punk and new wave revolution of the late '70s. Under the guidance of house producer Nick Lowe, Stiff turned out an enormous number of seminal punk and new wave singles in their first years, including classic tracks by the Damned, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, the Adverts, Ian Dury, and Lowe himself. But what really gave the label its wild, original flavor were minor artists like Ian Dury, Wreckless Eric, Tenpole Tudor, the Yachts, Lene Lovich, Rachel Sweet, and Mickey Jupp, who turned out a series of raw pop gems that were everything good rock & roll singles should be — catchy, energetic, and memorable. Over 100 of Stiff's finest tracks are collected on this wonderful four-disc box set. While most of these songs weren't hits, they are classic rock & roll. The first three discs are excellent; the fourth disc contains some bright moments, but by that time, their artists were pretty much spent. However, the box remains one of the most compulsively listenable sets ever assembled, providing the definitive retrospective of arguably the most important and influential British record label of the late '70s.


Disc 1
1. So It Goes - Nick Lowe
2. Heart of the City - Nick Lowe
3. Between the Lines - The Pink Fairies
4. Cincinnati Fatback - Roogalator
5. Styrofoam - Sean Tyla
6. New Rose - The Damned
7. Blank Generation - Richard Hell
8. Stab Your Back - The Damned
9. Less Than Zero - Elvis Costello
10. England's Glory - Max Wall
11. Maybe - Jill Read
12. One Chord Wonders - The Adverts
13. Alison - Elvis Costello
14. Jo Jo Gunne - Dave Edmunds
15. Whole Wide World - Wreckless Eric
16. Kill - Alberto y los Trios Paranoias
17. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll - Ian Dury
18. Razzle in My Pocket - Ian Dury
19. Suffice to Say - The Yachts
20. Let's Loot the Supermarket Again (Like We Did Last Summer) - Mick Farren
21. Watching the Detectives - Elvis Costello
22. My Old Man - Ian Dury
23. Police Car - Larry Wallis
24. Yankee Wheels - Jane Aire
25. Back to Schooldays - Graham Parker

Disc 2
1. I Love My Label - Nick Lowe
2. Marie Provost - Nick Lowe
3. What a Waste! - Ian Dury
4. I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself - Elvis Costello
5. Whoops-A-Daisy - Humphrey Ocean
6. I Think We're Alone Now - Lene Lovich
7. Jocko Homo - Devo
8. Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury
9. Semaphore Signals - Wreckless Eric
10. I'll Get by in Pittsburgh - Jona Lewie
11. B-A-B-Y - Rachel Sweet
12. Lucky Number - Lene Lovich
13. Solitary Confinement - Members
14. Frozen Years - The Rumor
15. Take the Cash (K.A.S.H.) - Wreckless Eric
16. They Don't Know - Kirsty MacColl
17. You'll Never Get Me Up in One of Those - Mickey Jupp
18. Who Does Lisa Like? - Rachel Sweet
19. Drive Friendly - Motor Boys Motor
20. Win or Lose - Lew Lewis & Reformer
21. Hop - Theatre of Hate Listen
22. One Step Beyond - Madness
23. Emotional Traffic - The Rumour
24. Inbetweenies - Ian Dury
25. Lucky Seven - Lew Lewis & Reformer

Disc 3
1. My Girl - Madness
2. Israelites - Desmond Dekker
3. Buena - Joe "King" Carrasco
4. Stupefaction - Graham Parker
5. You'll Always Find Me in the Kitchen at Parties - Jona Lewie
6. Trouble With Love - Any Trouble
7. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted - Dave Stewart
8. Mercury Poisoning [*] - Graham Parker
9. Let Go - Dirty Looks
10. Baggy Trousers - Madness
11. It's My Party - Dave Stewart
12. Green, Green Grass of Home - John Otway
13. Three Bells in a Row - Tenpole Tudor
14. Stop the Cavalry - Jona Lewie
15. Going Left Right - Department S
16. Is Vic There? - Department S
17. If You Need Me - The Equators
18. Wunderbar - Tenpole Tudor
19. Allamana - Desmond Dekker
20. Pretend - Alvin Stardust
21. Loud Music in Cars - Billy Bremner
22. Throwing My Baby Out With the Bathwater - Tenpole Tudor
23. Just One Cornetto - Pookiesnackenburger
24. Who Likes Jazz? - Via Vagabond
25. You Broke My Heart in 17 Places - Tracey Ullman

Disc 4
1. Sign of the Times - Belle Stars
2. Sweet Memory - Belle Stars
3. Language Problems - Electric Guitars
4. Breakaway - Tracey Ullman
5. Like Dust - Passion Puppets
6. Dangerous Dreams - Jakko
7. Destination Lululand (Humdiddlededumhoowahayha) - King Kurt
8. Sick Bed of Cúchulaínn - The Pogues
9. Pick Me Up - Inspirational Choir of the Pentecostal First-Born Church of the Living God
10. Here Is My Number - Makin' Time
11. Dark Streets of London - The Pogues
12. Wild Child - The Untouchables
13. New England - Kirsty MacColl
14. Pretty One - Jamie Rae
15. Free Yourself - The Untouchables
16. Sally MacLennane - The Pogues
17. Brilliant Mind - Furniture
18. Don't Wait Up - Dr. Feelgood
19. Killer Joe (Right Cross) - Tommy Chase
20. Shake Like Judy Says - Furniture
21. Hunting Shooting Fishing - Dr. Feelgood

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