Sonic Youth - Confusion is Sex (SST, 1987)

Shimmy Disc (1990)

This label is from the 1990 Shimmy Disc album "Rutles Highway Revisted," a compilation of Rutles tracks covered by 90s independent artists and Downtown New York musicians. The compilation was put together by Shimmy Disc founder Mark Kramer, a Downtown producer who was then a member of Bongwater with "Making Mr. Right" star Ann Magnunson. Kramer has been affiliated with pretty much every weird artist working in the US since the late 80s, including Daniel Johnston, Danielson Famile, Butthole Surfers, John Zorn, Ween, and even GWAR. He seems like a pretty interesting guy, but lost active control of the Shimmy Disc label after a lawsuit with Magnunson in 1991. It was later revived as the house label of Knitting Factory, where Kramer still works as an A&R man. Reportedly he's spending less time on music and more on his new love, the theatre--he's become a member of the Actor's Studio, studying with "Bonnie and Clyde" director Arthur Penn. Oh, Kramer... What a character.

Animal Records (1982)

Animal Records, a sub-label of Chrysalis, was founded by Blondie's Chris Stein in 1982. This indulgence was probably granted on the basis of "Call Me"'s massive success, and credit is due to Stein for keeping the label firmly grounded in the changing Downtown scene. Along with James White (née James Siegfried, aka James Chance), the label also hosted Walter Steding, a Basquait pal and solo violinist, Iggy Pop, for his "Zombie Birdhouse" album, and Los Angeles expats Gun Club. Most awesomely, the label has a ton of cred in the hip-hop community for having released the groundbreaking soundtrack to Wild Style, a reminder of hip-hop's New York roots and early reception in the only half-gentrifying LES art scene.

Alas, the run of Animal Records was short lived--in 1984, Stein's illness forced him to shut down the label after only two years. It must have been a rough time for the guy--descriptions of his illness seem kind of weird, and it was around this time that he and Deb Harry ended a relationship that had started before Blondie had even formed. It probably didn't help that Blondie followed up "Call Me" with 1982's "The Hunter," took a nose dive critically and commercially, and subsequently split.

As far as James White and the Blacks are concerned, it was reported that "Sax Maniac" was very nearly a breakthrough album for what was ultimately a very weird, very cool band. But a proposed "Saturday Night Live" appearance never materialized and James White/Chance moved off to Paris and split the core group. The early 80s were probably even worse to White/Chance than to Chris Stein--"Sax Maniac" is dedicated to the memory of his long-time manager/girlfriend Anya Philips, a legendary scene-maker in the No Wave era, who succumbed to cancer in 1981. When White/Chance last appeared in Chicago, backed by Watchers and billed as James White and The New Contortions, his brother served as his hype-man and his parents stood in the front row. He didn't punch anyone in the face this time around, let alone any girls, but it was nice to see him back in the game.

Vacuum Records (1979)

Policeband: Stereo/Mono
A story and then facts.

Several years ago I went to a lecture at the Art Institute by New York curator/writer Bob Nickas. I’d met him a year or so earlier, liked him, respected him, and he seemed to get along with me well enough. We found a quick music and bourbon bond. A late November evening he gives me a call, and tells me he’s coming to Chicago, I should check out the lecture, and that he has a gift for me. “Something you’ll never expect and freak out over.” An obscure record that he learned only recently was actually produced and released by an acquaintance of his; and not just that, this person still had copies. So Bob bought a bunch to give as gifts to the appreciative.

This is great. Fantastic. I’m giddy.

Reality hits--shit, I should give him something. The day of the lecture I grab a copy of a recent book I had published by an artist I am sure he knows and likes. Dike Blair’s Again: Selected Interviews and Essays. Bob and I meet-up real briefly before the talk. He hands me this 7”, I hand him the book. He laughs. Bob didn’t know that I knew Dike and had been working on this book. Predictable really: Dike was the one who released Policeband: Stereo/Mono, the person from whom Bob bought a stack. I love a balance that blindsides you.

Back to the recording: there is a real truth in advertising to the band name and song titles on this one. A nice simple design all around. You can still get a copy.

I’ll let Dike speak for the record:
"Policeband was a one-man act - the man being Boris, a New York City kid and a classically trained musician who picked up on performance art while studying and teaching at Cal Arts in the early 70s. Boris became Boris Policeband after a live performance in 1976 during which he monitored, on headphones, police communications from a scanner and recited their chatter while he accompanied himself on electric violin. Boris was fascinated by cop culture and the often prosaic and sometimes poetic reality of law enforcement. Over the next couple years the cop-talk and violin-screech coalesced into discrete songs. His live performances were extremely loud/edgy aggressive/dissonant, and even though most songs were under a minute long and a set rarely exceeded 10 minutes, Boris could quickly empty a room; and that was something he took pride in. The rooms he cleared included CBGBs, Maxs and the Mudd Club; as well as other venues like the Kitchen and Artists Space. Boris, a self-proclaimed Materialistic-Socialist and Antidisestablishmentotalitarian, was a character and downtown club fixture. His days were spent combing thought thrift and pawnshops for material to add to his collection of used books, sunglasses (which he was never seen without), and wristwatches. Every night he was in clubs where he leaned against a wall while listening to classical music with an ear plug on his transistor radio and bouncing his pink Spaulding off the walls and deftly catching it; all the while engaging in snappy repartee and/or swapping insults with passersby. Boris put Policeband down in the mid-80s to pursue his classical viola practice. His present whereabouts are unknown.”

SOS (1993)

Free Kitten
Företag Special Groupie 7"
"Cleopatra" b/w "Loose Lips"

I have always had a soft spot for Free Kitten (more so than Sonic Youth to be honest). Headed by Kim Gordon and Julie Cafritz, the band usually has Yoshimi P-We on the drums, and then Mark Ibold on bass if need be. This 7” was released for the Lollapalooza tour of 1993, with only Gordon and Cafritz, joined by Wharton Tiers on drums just to mix things up. A true band with an attitude, Free Kitten has cornered the market on a certain insouciant come-hither bratty quality that in a split second of amplifier squall spills over into sweetness or spite. Dreamy. Free Kitten understands infatuation like no other. The less they care, the more I love them. Funny thing is, they can care, aren’t afraid to be fans, and show the love when and where it is deserved. Maybe I just haven’t earned that right.

Who could say it better? “Hey, we want a piece of the action!”

Cat Collectors' (1983)

The aforementioned Elodie Lauten record. Awesome label name, even better logo, and what might be a fish and a butt (but probably aren't) thrown in for good measure.

99 Records (1981)

99 Records didn't last long (1980-84), but the had a pretty damn good four years: Bush Tetras, Y-Pants, ESG, and Liquid Liquid were all on the roster at one time or another. One of the label's last releases was Glenn Branca's debut long-player, The Ascension. The cleanliness of the label's design belies the dissonance and clamor of the album, a rock-ish hybrid that hints at the massive guitar symphonies Branca would soon endeavor to compose. Side B's 99 logo is pretty nice, but we can't confirm or deny if it's present on all of the label's releases. The A side seems a little drab, if uncluttered and attractive, until one notices the old A/B switcheroo, a little bit of graphic trickery that we can't recall ever seeing on any other labels, surprisingly enough. Also worth checking out is the design on the 7" singles released by Branca's rock bands, The Static and The Theoretical girls. The Ascension is adorned with some really nice Robert Longo cover art, but that will have to be exhibited in some other blog.

Rockin' Horse (1981)

Elodie Lauten is an under-appreciated composer and keyboardist who has done all sorts of exciting things over the years, but this album might be the most unique. An album of new wave songs, Orchestre Modern features not only some great song titles, but a really nice label design, with Rockin' Horse's mascot floating above a warped grid (or maybe it's a net?) in stark black and white. Other early releases of piano work (recently reissued!) were put out on a label with the charming name of Cat Collectors (we think Elodie's own) which feature a handsome little feline who might just grace this blog over the next few days...

Shandar (1973)

Today is the day! I thought I had two more left, but no--this is it. Thanks to Alexander for inviting me to participate on the blog.

So, I will now leave you with this final post: SHANDAR's 1973 La Monte Young&Marian Zazeela Dream House release, something very dear to my heart. Everything here is perfect, but I especially appreciate the hand-made quality of the layout -- the weaving design around the label name is one-of-a-kind. A real gem!