Some Bizzare Records
Encyclopedia
Some Bizzare Records is a British independent record label
owned by Stevo Pearce
. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of Some Bizzare Album
, a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode
, Soft Cell
, The The
, Neu Electrikk
and Blancmange
.
. They were touted as the next "New Romantic
" act to follow Visage
and Spandau Ballet
.
After working with B-Movie the label achieved notable success with Soft Cell, an electronic duo whose Mutant Moments
EP Stevo Pearce
had championed in Sounds
. Pearce went on to manage Soft Cell, got them a deal with Phonogram
under the Some Bizzare umbrella, and their cover of "Tainted Love
" topped the charts.
In the early eighties Stevo Pearce gained a reputation for being a maverick. He licensed The The's Soul Mining album to three different record labels. After delivering the album to Phonogram he then took it from them and sold it to Warner Bros. Records, then sold it on again to Columbia Records CBS. The one recording was sold to three companies, each time signed off by the companies mentioned for the best deal. Soul Mining was eventually released in 1983. The The released further albums with Some Bizzare, including Infected in 1986. Matt Johnson
from The The
also recorded with Some Bizzare act Marc and the Mambas
.
Later acts on the record label's roster included Cabaret Voltaire
, Psychic TV
, Test Department, Einstürzende Neubauten
, Coil
, Swans
, Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel
, and various Soft Cell solo and off-shoot projects. Many of these bands were included on the label's 1985 compilation album If You Can't Please Yourself, You Can't Please Your Soul
.
and confession
box for would-be-signings to go through the solemn hand-over of demo tapes.
2001 saw Stevo Pearce
compile a new compilation album titled I'd Rather Shout at a Returning Echo than Kid Someone's Listening
. It included the Soft Cell
track “God Shaped Hole”, recorded by the newly reformed band. The compilation also saw the inclusion of two tracks recorded by Cabaret Voltaire
's Richard H. Kirk
. Between 2001 and 2005 Some Bizzare's output was very minimal.
In 2006 Some Bizzare signed acts The Dark Poets
, Monkey Farm Frankenstein, Meka and Mainstream Distortion. The compilation album Redefining the Prologue
was released on October 2006 to mark the label's 25th anniversary provides an overview of the label's output. This album coincided with a Some Bizzare exhibition at the Horse Hospital
arts venue in Bloomsbury
, London
. The exhibition included original artwork from bands like The The
and Marc and the Mambas
.
2007 saw Some Bizzare Records sign some new acts including Pedro INF
a Portuguese dance music producer and UK artist Kontour
, releasing the album Scanners
. These new artists were featured on the Some Bizzare Double Album
compilation released in 2008. The album featured 32 new artists discovered on MySpace
. Other acts included Risqué, who were a French / Welsh electronic group made up of Nathalie and Huw Williams. Their music consisted of robust driving rhythms and ethereal vocals. They record their music in a studio based in Barcelona. Huw Williams is a well established producer working with bands like “Rubikon” and “Rookie”. The album Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down was released by Some Bizzare in August 2009.
In 2010 The album of Satanicpornocultshop
Arkhaiomelisidonophunikheratos was released by Some Bizzare in May.
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
owned by Stevo Pearce
Stevo Pearce
Stephen John Pearce, commonly known as Stevo, is the owner of British record label, Some Bizzare Records.-Biography:Pearce was born in 1962 and came from Haverhill. He left school at sixteen without any qualifications and entered a work training placement with ‘Phonogram Records’...
. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of Some Bizzare Album
Some Bizzare Album
Some Bizzare Album was the first album by Some Bizzare Records. It was released in 1981 as a sampler of the label's musical ethos. The acts were not actually signed exclusively to the label at the time.-Information:...
, a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, Soft Cell
Soft Cell
Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...
, The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
, Neu Electrikk
Neu Electrikk
Neu Electrikk is a British experimental music group that were based in Croydon, London, formed in 1978. .Neu Electrikk stood apart from many of the synth dominated bands of that era. Their inventive approach touched on many different styles and genres, including, industrial music, post punk, new wave...
and Blancmange
Blancmange (band)
Blancmange are a British synthpop band who came to prominence with a string of hits in the early to mid 1980s.-Biography:Blancmange was formed in Harrow, Middlesex in 1979 by singer Neil Arthur and instrumentalists Stephen Luscombe and Laurence Stevens...
.
1981-1989
One of the first bands that Some Bizzare worked with was B-MovieB-Movie (band)
B-Movie were a futurist band from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, active in the first half of the 1980s. They were signed to the Some Bizzare record label, and had a track "Moles" featured on the original Some Bizzare Album.-Background:...
. They were touted as the next "New Romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
" act to follow Visage
Visage
Visage are a British New Wave rock band. Formed in 1978, the band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their 1980 hit "Fade to Grey".-New Wave years :...
and Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles...
.
After working with B-Movie the label achieved notable success with Soft Cell, an electronic duo whose Mutant Moments
Mutant Moments
Mutant Moments is a short EP, independently financed and produced by Soft Cell, a synthpop/new wave duo who would later achieve fame with their groundbreaking hit cover of the Gloria Jones song "Tainted Love"...
EP Stevo Pearce
Stevo Pearce
Stephen John Pearce, commonly known as Stevo, is the owner of British record label, Some Bizzare Records.-Biography:Pearce was born in 1962 and came from Haverhill. He left school at sixteen without any qualifications and entered a work training placement with ‘Phonogram Records’...
had championed in Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
. Pearce went on to manage Soft Cell, got them a deal with Phonogram
Phonogram Records
Phonogram Records was started in 1962 as a joint venture between Philips Records and Deutsche Grammophon. In 1972, Phonogram was merged with Polydor Records into PolyGram....
under the Some Bizzare umbrella, and their cover of "Tainted Love
Tainted Love
"Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of The Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965. It attained worldwide fame after being covered by Soft Cell in 1981, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart, and has since been covered by numerous groups and...
" topped the charts.
In the early eighties Stevo Pearce gained a reputation for being a maverick. He licensed The The's Soul Mining album to three different record labels. After delivering the album to Phonogram he then took it from them and sold it to Warner Bros. Records, then sold it on again to Columbia Records CBS. The one recording was sold to three companies, each time signed off by the companies mentioned for the best deal. Soul Mining was eventually released in 1983. The The released further albums with Some Bizzare, including Infected in 1986. Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson (singer)
Matt Johnson is a musician best known as the founder and only constant member of the group The The. Johnson is known for his often deeply introspective lyrics. Musically he ranges from slow acoustic hooks to techno-pop....
from The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
also recorded with Some Bizzare act Marc and the Mambas
Marc and the Mambas
Marc and the Mambas was a new wave group, formed by Marc Almond, in 1982 as an off-shoot project from Soft Cell. The band's line-up changed frequently, and included Matt Johnson from The The and Annie Hogan, with whom Almond worked later in his solo career....
.
Later acts on the record label's roster included Cabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire (band)
Cabaret Voltaire were a British music group from Sheffield, England.Initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk and Chris Watson, the group was named after the Cabaret Voltaire, a nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland that was a centre for the early Dada movement.Their earliest performances...
, Psychic TV
Psychic TV
Psychic TV or PTV, is a video art and music group that primarily performs psychedelic, punk, electronic and experimental music...
, Test Department, Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
, Coil
Coil (band)
Coil were an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as "Jhonn Balance"—and his partner Peter Christopherson, aka "Sleazy". The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be...
, Swans
Swans (band)
Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
, Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel
Foetus (band)
Foetus is the primary musical outlet of industrial music pioneer J. G. Thirlwell. Until 1995 the band underwent various name changes, all including the word foetus. Monikers adopted at different times include Foetus Under Glass, You've Got Foetus On Your Breath and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel...
, and various Soft Cell solo and off-shoot projects. Many of these bands were included on the label's 1985 compilation album If You Can't Please Yourself, You Can't Please Your Soul
If You Can't Please Yourself, You Can't Please Your Soul
If You Can't Please Yourself, You Can't Please Your Soul is the second compilation album released by Some Bizzare and features tracks by Einstürzende Neubauten, Cabaret Voltaire, Coil and Marc Almond.-Cover Artwork:...
.
1990-Present
Some Bizzare built a reputation for madcap behavior. For example, during the nineties Stevo Pearce's offices, based in Mayfair, included a private chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
and confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
box for would-be-signings to go through the solemn hand-over of demo tapes.
2001 saw Stevo Pearce
Stevo Pearce
Stephen John Pearce, commonly known as Stevo, is the owner of British record label, Some Bizzare Records.-Biography:Pearce was born in 1962 and came from Haverhill. He left school at sixteen without any qualifications and entered a work training placement with ‘Phonogram Records’...
compile a new compilation album titled I'd Rather Shout at a Returning Echo than Kid Someone's Listening
I'd Rather Shout at a Returning Echo than Kid Someone's Listening
I'd Rather Shout at a Returning Echo than Kid That Someone's Listening is the fourth compilation album released by Some Bizzare and featured the first new track from the recently re-formed Soft Cell. It also included two tracks "Nye " and "Uniform Spaces" by Cabaret Voltaire member Richard H. Kirk...
. It included the Soft Cell
Soft Cell
Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...
track “God Shaped Hole”, recorded by the newly reformed band. The compilation also saw the inclusion of two tracks recorded by Cabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire (band)
Cabaret Voltaire were a British music group from Sheffield, England.Initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk and Chris Watson, the group was named after the Cabaret Voltaire, a nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland that was a centre for the early Dada movement.Their earliest performances...
's Richard H. Kirk
Richard H. Kirk
Richard H. Kirk is an English musician specialising in electronic music since the 1970s.-Background:Richard H. Kirk first came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the seminal industrial band Cabaret Voltaire...
. Between 2001 and 2005 Some Bizzare's output was very minimal.
In 2006 Some Bizzare signed acts The Dark Poets
The Dark Poets
Dubbed "Drum and Bass for Goths" The Dark Poets are an electronic [Rock]/breakbeat outfit from the UK.-Background:The Dark Poets originally rose to prominence with their soundtrack for Alex Chandon's cult Cradle of Filth horror movie 'Cradle of Fear'. - Which gained the attention of Some Bizzare...
, Monkey Farm Frankenstein, Meka and Mainstream Distortion. The compilation album Redefining the Prologue
Redefining the Prologue
Redefining the Prologue, Some Bizzare's fourth compilation album, was released in 2006 .- History :In 1981, Some Bizzare was launched with the compilation Some Bizzare Album of then unsigned new wave groups including future alternative icons Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The and Blancmange...
was released on October 2006 to mark the label's 25th anniversary provides an overview of the label's output. This album coincided with a Some Bizzare exhibition at the Horse Hospital
Horse Hospital
The Horse Hospital is an arts venue in central London, England, which caters for literary and spoken word events, underground film and avantgarde media screenings, and visual art exhibitions...
arts venue in Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The exhibition included original artwork from bands like The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
and Marc and the Mambas
Marc and the Mambas
Marc and the Mambas was a new wave group, formed by Marc Almond, in 1982 as an off-shoot project from Soft Cell. The band's line-up changed frequently, and included Matt Johnson from The The and Annie Hogan, with whom Almond worked later in his solo career....
.
2007 saw Some Bizzare Records sign some new acts including Pedro INF
Pedro INF
Pedro INF is a Portuguese electronic music artist, currently signed to Some Bizzare Records.-Background:Pedro INF is an alterego of Pedro Granja De Carvalho, a musician whose main style can be categorized as IDM, braindance, or experimental electronic music...
a Portuguese dance music producer and UK artist Kontour
Kontour
Kontour is an English electronic music artist, currently signed to Some Bizzare Records.-Background:Early work included recordings of distorted telephone calls and late night television. He uses a range of vintage recording equipment and analog synthesisers, electronic percussion and drum...
, releasing the album Scanners
Scanners (album)
-Background:Recorded in West Sussex, 2007. The Executive Producer was Stevo Pearce head of Some Bizzare Records. The album was recorded using no MIDI instruments or personal computers, instead primitive music sequencers, tape effects and Drum Machines were used...
. These new artists were featured on the Some Bizzare Double Album
Some Bizzare Double Album
Some Bizzare Double Album is the sixth compilation album released by Some Bizzare and featured tracks by The Grid, The Dark Poets, Pedro INF and Kontour. The tracks include a Cabaret Voltaire cover of Nag Nag Nag, recorded by Sudden Infant. The double album was compiled by Stevo Pearce...
compilation released in 2008. The album featured 32 new artists discovered on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. Other acts included Risqué, who were a French / Welsh electronic group made up of Nathalie and Huw Williams. Their music consisted of robust driving rhythms and ethereal vocals. They record their music in a studio based in Barcelona. Huw Williams is a well established producer working with bands like “Rubikon” and “Rookie”. The album Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down was released by Some Bizzare in August 2009.
In 2010 The album of Satanicpornocultshop
Satanicpornocultshop
Satanicpornocultshop is a Japanese experimental music group known for assemblage-style compositions that incorporate a variety of musical styles and techniques...
Arkhaiomelisidonophunikheratos was released by Some Bizzare in May.
Some Bizzare artists
|
Satanicpornocultshop Satanicpornocultshop is a Japanese experimental music group known for assemblage-style compositions that incorporate a variety of musical styles and techniques... Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret... |