Happy Music Monday! Today Scott's got nothing on the calendar so he's gonna indulge himself by talking about one of his favorite record labels: STIFF. Join him, won't you?
Nick Lowe never really caught on so hard in the United States, but those who know of him know that he's cool. In the UK, of course, he's even cooler than that. Lowe's early work isn't just excellent songwriting. It's some of the backbone of Stiff Records. A lot of what the label was and became was due to the direction it took right out of the gate. Because even when it was winding down, it still stayed cool.
There's more to come! Get Stiff with us today!
Ian Dury - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
First of all, Ian Druy had polio, which is not something many rock stars can say. Secondly, he created an indie rock 'n roll classic that still gets radio airplay today, something else not many rock stars can say. "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" is still something that kids find and are amazed by even now. And some adults, even.
Elvis Costello - Watching The Detectives
Elvis Costello did pretty all right for himself, but some of his earliest work started out on Stiff. If you don't already know why Elvis Costello is important, I can't help you any more. You need to learn to do things for yourself. Get out there and catch up with the rest of us!
The Sapphires - My Baby Must Be A Magician
My favorite part about Stiff, though, isn't the famous a-list they cultivated. It's the little songs like this one, tiny well-crafted singles that never made it to this country but are still so lovely with that of-their-time sound.
This cool moody synth song isn't really known and wasn't really a hit. Why? I DO NOT KNOW. It's one of the glorious Stiff experiments that somehow never got noticed by the mainstream. But it's never too late, right? C'mon, gang! Let's make it a hit again!
There's plenty more Stiff songs waiting to be discovered. Share some of your favorites and let the world know what they don't know! Also let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use. See you next week.