PART 1 - NICK LOWE AND STIFF RECORDS | |
A Bay
City Rollers We Love You - The Tartan Horde B Rollers Theme - The Tartan Horde 7": UA UP-35891 (UK/Germany) 7/1975 7": Liberty LLR-20114 (Japan) 1975 The first of the post-Brinsleys pre-Stiff (in release, not spirit) obscure singles. This was "carefully sculpted" with the aim of getting himself fired from UA. Was a hit in Japan so it didn't quite work. |
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A Let's
Go To The Disco - The Disco Brothers B Everybody Dance - The Disco Brothers 7": UA UP-36057 (UK) 1/1976 The A side was recorded at Rockfield at the "Keep It Out Of Sight" sessions. The B side was recorded at the Hope and Anchor Studio (same session as Fool To Long). A hit nowhere and achieved the aim of being released from UA. |
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A Rollers
Show - The Tartan Horde B Allorolla - The Tartan Horde 7": UA CM-66 (Japan only) 1977 The followup single that was supposed to pre-empt a Japanese only Tartan Horde album. The tapes of the rest of the "album" have been lost. |
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Tartan
Horde & Disco Brothers EP 7": UA 5C 016-60123 (Holland only) 1977 Compiles the two UK releases on an EP with picture sleeve. |
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A Keep
It Out Of Sight B Truth Drug 7": Dynamite DYR 45007 (Holland, ps) 1976 7": Dynamo DYR 45007 (US Bootleg, no ps) 197? Recorded at Rockfield with Dave Edmunds and Terry Williams and released only in Holland. The A side is a Dr Feelgood song written by Wilko Johnson (from the Down By The Jetty album). |
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A So
It Goes B Heart Of The City 7": Stiff BUY1 (UK, no ps) 14/8/76 Produced by Nick Lowe and Jake Riviera. The first ever Stiff. At least two English music papers made the B-side 'a record of the week'. Recorded as a publisher's demo for 45 pounds all-in. Nick played all the instruments except the drums (Steve Goulding). Another song was recorded in this session but never released. Reissues have complete centres as opposed to the original push-out ones. Matrix: 'Earthlings Awake' / 'Three Chord Trick, yeh' |
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A
Bunch Of Stiff Records - various artists I Love My Label - Nick Lowe; Food - The Takeaways LP: Stiff SEEZ2 (UK/Germany) 4/1977 LP: Stiff/Festival L36259 (Aus) 1977 LP: Stiff/EMI SEEZ2 (Aus) 1977 (reissue) The Takeaways produced by Stan Francisco (?!). A punk 'cash-in' record, all the acts were old friends of Jake Riviera or Dave Robinson. I Love My Label is a typical Nick Lowe ditty, written while he was still under contract to UA! The Takeaways were Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Larry Wallis and Sean Tyla. Nick produced half the tracks on this album! |
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Bowi
EP A Born A Woman Shake That Rat B Marie Provost Endless Sleep 7": Stiff LAST1 (UK/Belgium) 5/1977 7": Stiff 6.12198AE (Germany) 1977 7": Stiff SRS510.034 (Holland) 1977 7": Stiff 2C006-99.176 (France) 1977 12": Stiff LAST1 (UK, promo) 1977 The title is a tribute to David Bowie as Bowie called his album Low. It features the same personnel as BUY 1, except for Shake That Rat, which had Pete Thomas on drums, and Marie Provost which added Roger Bechirian on organ and Dave Edmunds on backing vox. It gained some notoriety for the couplet in Marie Provost, 'she was a winner/who became a doggies dinner'. Some Euro copies on yellow vinyl. Matrix: 'lively Stereo' / 'Pretty deadly' |
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Hits
Greatest Stiffs - various artists Heart Of The City LP: Stiff FIST1 (UK/Germany) 28/9/77 LP: Stiff/EMI SEEZ5 (Aus) 1977 |
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A Halfway
To Paradise B I Don't Want The Night To End 7": Stiff BUY21 (UK, no ps) 10/1977 7": Stiff BUY21 (Belgium) 10/1977 7": Stiff 6.12194AC (Germany) 1977 7": Stiff MO1818 (Spain) 1977 Nick's poignant farewell to Stiff: 'so near, yet so far away'. At this point nobody is giving a damn for Stiff's chances without Jake, Elvis and Nick. Nick's face appears on the custom label, but the effect is spoiled by the push-out centre. The tracks were rumoured to be from a forthcoming Stiff album, Aerials Over Orkney, which never saw the light of day. Belgian issue was on Yellow, Orange Yellow/Brown Vinyl, sleeve had a pic of leaves strewn on the ground. How very Belgian. Matrix: 'A man can be a wimp' / 'But a wimp can't be a man' |
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Light Up The
Dynamite - various artists Truth Drug LP: Dynamite TAKE DYR 3304 (Holland) 1977 LP: Magnum Force MFLP006 (UK) 1983 |
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A Heart
Of The City B I Don't Want The Night To End 7": Stiff SRS 510.054 (Holland) 1978 This sleeve is pictured on the "Wilderness Years" slick. |
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Stiffs
Live Stiffs - various artists I Knew The Bride - Nick Lowe; Let's Eat - Nick Lowe; Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll & Chaos - All artists LP: Stiff GET1 (UK) 2/1978 LP: Stiff/EMI SEEZ7 (Aus) 1978 LP: Stiff/Arista STF0001 (US) 1978 LP: Music For Pleasure MFP50445 (UK) 1980 (as Live Stiffs in a new cover) LP: Demon DIAB851 (UK) 198? CD: Mau Mau Records MAUCD621 (UK) 1992 Recorded on the RAK Mobile and mixed by Peter Jenner, Laurie Latham, Larry Wallis, Dale Liberator and Barry Blew. In 1977 Stiff put together a 60s style package tour to take their five main acts around the country (others were Messrs Costello, Dury, Wallis and (Wreckless Eric) Goulden). The individual sets were all the same length, the running order rotated and the PA shared. Nick's backing was by a pick-up band, The Last Chicken In The Shop, who were Larry Wallis, Terry Williams, Pete Thomas, Dave Edmunds and Penny Tobin. The album was culled from the Norwich, Leicester and London Lyceum dates. Some of the UK copies were on coloured (Blue?) vinyl. |
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Excerpts
From Stiff's Greatest Hits - various artists 7": Stiff FREEB2 (UK, promo, no ps) 1978 Twelve classic snippets from the first 24 Stiffs. I'm not sure what Nick Lowe track is sampled. |
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Heroes
and Cowards - various artists Heart Of The City; Born A Woman; Marie Provost LP: Stiff SEWL1000 (Italy) 1978 |
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Rock
'N' Roll High School - various artists s/track So It Goes LP: Sire QSR6070 (US/Canada) 11/1978 LP: Sire SRK6070 (Aus) 1978 |
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Stiff Singles
Box 1 - various artists BUY1: Heart Of The City/So It Goes 10x7": Stiff (UK) 1978 Stiff singles BUY1 through 10 in a pressing of 5000. |
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The
Wilderness Years Fool Too Long Let's Go To The Disco Everybody Dance Bay City Rollers We Love You Allorolla Pt 1 Rollers Show Heart Of The City Halfway To Paradise Truth Drug Born A Woman Endless Sleep Shake That Rat I Love My Label I Don't Want The Night To End So Heavy Keep It Out Of Sight Heart I Got A Job LP/CD: Demon FIENDCD203 (UK) 1991 At last! The album that compiles most of the tracks mentioned above, as well as unreleased tracks from the era, with very revealing sleeve notes from Nick himself. |
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Stiff
Records Boxed Set - various artists So It Goes; Heart Of The City; Marie Provost; I Love My Label 4xCD: Demon/Rhino STIFFBOX1/R2 71062 (US/UK) 1992 |
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DIY
Teenage Kicks: UK Pop 1 (1976-79) - various artists So It Goes; Marie Provost CD/CT: Rhino R2 71173 (US) 12/1992 |
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A
Hard Nights Day - various artists Heart Of The City CD: MCD60047 (UK) 1997 |
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The Best Punk
Album In The World... Ever! 2 - various artists So It Goes CD: Virgin (UK) 1997 |
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