Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Stiff Records was one of the best music labels of the 1970s and 1980s. The story behind their creation is itself a charming one --- Dr. Feelgood, a British rock band, lent David Robinson and Jake Riviera 400 quid to start up a record label (but themselves did not record for Stiff until it was almost out of business) that was a bit different. As we are informed in the introduction to the wonderfully exhaustive 86 page booklet by Ian Peel which accompanies The Big Stiff Box Set, the idea behind Stiff was implement the John Lennon/Instant Karma creative ethic, which was “have idea/write song/record song/press it/release it” in a matter of days, not weeks or months. For artists growing up in an era of digital files and the internet, this sounds ho-hum. Stiff was doing this (or at least as close to it as was possible) in 1975. And it wasn’t just that they were doing it, it is who they were doing it with. Elvis Costello, Madness, The Damned, Devo (whose cover of the Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, included on The Big Stiff Box Set, sounds incredibly contemporary some 30 years removed). Any Trouble, Tracey Ullman (whose television show introduced a weird cartoon family known as The Simpsons)…the list goes on. I had forgotten, or never knew, how many stalwart and influential bands, bands who exercise influence on pop and rock music to this day, recorded for Stiff at some point in their careers.

Stiff, combining marketing savvy (cheerfully obscene tee-shirts, limited edition 45s even as the format was going the way of the dodo), artistic innovation (many of the tracks on The Big Stiff Box Set became the grandparents of the punk movement), and give-a-fuck attitude, was a label whose imprint meant, more often than not, that you should buy the record, dammit, because Stiff was releasing it. There may well not have been an alternative music genre without Stiff, which was an alternative label. Being a very British label did not stop Stiff from releasing sides from Devo, Rachel Sweet, and Jane Eire and the Belvederes, three groundbreaking bands for Akron, Ohio, as well as an entire LP devoted to the Akron sound. The label ultimately became a victim of its own success; now, Stiff is back, thanks to a vigorous rebirth consisting of reissues and brand new material.

The Big Stiff Box Set consists primarily of hits and misses from its first incarnation, with tracks from Madness, Costello (Less Than Zero), Devo, the Go-Gos (yes!), the Pogues, and the Damned, as well as obscure bands such as Electric Guitars, The Prisoners, Rueflex, and Jona Lewie. There are unexpected tracks from Desmond Dekker, Motorhead for God’s sake, and the aforementioned Dr. Feelgood. There are also new tracks from new bands, (Eskimo Disco, The Tranzsmitors) and --- I love this --- That Sound from Any Trouble‘s new Stiff CD, LIFE IN REVERSE, representing both the group’s and Stiff’s rebirth.

The music? Four CDs stuffed to the gills with great tracks (and a few…curiosities), mastered so beautifully that they’ll bring tears to your eyes. The accompanying booklet tells you everything you need to know about each act which is represented on The Big Stiff Box Set, as well as an exhaustive history of the label. Such is the quality of this project that even if you never heard of Stiff Records or anyone on this project (highly unlikely if you’ve listened to popular music over the past 30 years) you will love this set from first disc to last. The Big Stiff Box Set is meant to be played, and played repeatedly, and you will. Very highly recommended.