Alternative Records

Last updated
Alternative Records
Founded1989 (1989)
FounderRandy Layton
StatusActive
Genre Christian, rock
Country of originU.S.
Location Eugene, Oregon

Alternative Records is an independent record label based in Eugene, Oregon. The label started in 1989.

Contents

Formed from its previous incarnation as a mail order record company starting in 1979, Randy Layton started the label as an outlet for former Exit Records artists Steve Scott and The 77s to release back catalogue and unreleased works. The label took on other artists over time, and after distribution deals with BMG and Word Canada ended, the company would begin to focus more on fan club releases and reissues.

Since 1998, Alternative Records has been known for its many collector's versions of its albums. More Miserable Than You'll Ever Be by The 77s was issued as a box set with a 7" single, a 3-track CD single, and a 4-track cassette as a numbered, signed edition of 1,000 before being reconfigured for CD with a different track listing.

A successful fundraising campaign allowed Layton to reissue the 1977 Pantano-Salsbury Hit The Switch album on CD in the early 2020s. [1] Despite poor health issues, Randy would also continue record sales through online sales forums. His speaking engagements would include TrueTunes podcasts [2] and others. [3]

Along with continued fundraising campaigns for reissue projects, Randy Layton announced in 2024 via social media that his son Matthias would be taking over direction of the label in the future. [4] Plans would include a future release of the previously unavailable Steve Scott LP Emotional Tourist (not the artist's retrospective by the same name.) Randy Layton died of multiple myeloma on June 28, 2024. [5]

Artists

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Choir (alternative rock band)</span> American alternative rock band

The Choir is an atmospheric alternative rock band currently comprising Derri Daugherty on guitar and lead vocals, Steve Hindalong on drums and percussion, and Dan Michaels on saxophone and Lyricon. Long-time bass guitarist Tim Chandler died in 2018, and guitarist Marc Byrd was the fifth member of the band between 2005–2014. As of 2024, the band has released 21 full-length studio albums, four EPs, six live albums, one single-disc compilation album, one retrospective box set, and is still actively recording new material.

<i>Rude Awakening</i> (Prong album) 1996 studio album by Prong

Rude Awakening is the fifth studio album by American metal band Prong. It is an enhanced CD but was also released as a special limited edition on 12" red vinyl. The album was reissued in 2008 as a digipak version, featuring four remixes of the "Rude Awakening" single and a new booklet.

<i>Diary of a Madman</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Ozzy Osbourne

Diary of a Madman is the second studio album by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. It was released in October 1981, and re-issued on CD on 22 August 1995. This is the last Osbourne studio album to feature guitarist Randy Rhoads and drummer Lee Kerslake. An altered version appeared in 2002 with the original bass and drum parts removed and re-recorded. In 2011, a Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition was released with all original parts restored. To date, the album has sold over 3 million copies worldwide.

<i>No More Heroes</i> (album) 1977 studio album by the Stranglers

No More Heroes is the second studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. It was released on 23 September 1977, through record label United Artists in most of the world and A&M in the United States, five months after their debut album, Rattus Norvegicus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Final (band)</span>

Final is a project of English musician Justin Broadrick, creator of the band Godflesh, which he started when he was 13 years old. Unlike Godflesh, Final is primarily electronic in nature, taking on a space-like, dark ambient sound.

<i>Stars</i> (Cher album) 1975 studio album by Cher

Stars is the twelfth studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released in April 1975, by Warner Bros. Records. A covers album of rock, pop and other hits, Stars was one in a string of commercial disappointments for Cher in the late 1970s. It charted at number 153 on the Billboard 200 at the end of May 1975. Cher's earnest delivery of ballads and uptempo numbers was overwhelmed in a market newly dominated by disco. After two more albums that sold even less well, Cher made a successful comeback in 1979 with the disco album Take Me Home.

<i>Onobox</i> 1992 box set by Yoko Ono

Onobox is a 1992 comprehensive 6-disc collection of Yoko Ono's work from 1968 to 1985. The discs are grouped by era and theme. Disc one centers around the albums Fly and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, while Disc two features nearly the entirety of Approximately Infinite Universe in a different running order and most of the tracks remixed exclusively for this boxed set. Disc three features the entire Feeling the Space project, which was originally conceived and recorded as a double album before being edited down, while disc six is the previously unreleased 1974 album A Story, which was later reissued separately with an expanded track listing, along with the rest of Ono's back catalogue.

Richard Youngs is an English musician based in Glasgow since the early 1990s. His catalogue of solo and collaborative work formally begins with Advent, first issued in 1990. He plays many instruments, most commonly choosing the guitar, but he has been known to use other instruments including the shakuhachi, accordion, theremin, dulcimer, a home-made synthesizer and even a motorway bridge. He also released an album which was entirely a cappella.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Effigies</span> American punk band

The Effigies are an American punk rock band from Chicago. The band played its first show in 1980 and was active initially for approximately a decade, undergoing multiple personnel changes before disbanding in 1990. The band released 3 albums, 2 EPs and one single during this initial run, most on the record label they founded in 1981, Ruthless Records, which was distributed by Enigma. Later albums were released on the Fever Records and Roadkill Records labels. They toured the U.S. and Canada, sharing bills with bands such as Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys, UK Subs, PIL, The Birthday Party, The Plasmatics, SS Decontrol, GBH and The Circle Jerks at iconic venues, including Metro, CBGB, Maxwell's, First Avenue, Mabuhay Gardens, Paycheck's, Exit and The Rathskeller among others. They were heavily featured in the underground press, and received a significant amount of national airplay on college radio at a time when it was the only medium for alternative music.

<i>Ella and Basie!</i> 1963 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie

Ella and Basie! is a 1963 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, with arrangements by Quincy Jones. It was later reissued with slightly different cover art as On the Sunny Side of the Street.

Halo is a drone/sludge metal band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1994, which is now based in London, England. It is currently signed to Relapse Records.

<i>Carlo Cokxxx Nutten II</i> 2005 studio album by Bushido and Baba Saad

Carlo Cokxxx Nutten II is a collaboration album between the German rappers Bushido and Baba Saad, released in 2005. It is a follow-up to 2002's Carlo Cokxxx Nutten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Briscoe Hay</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1955)

Vanessa Briscoe Hay is an American singer for the Athens, Georgia bands Pylon, Supercluster and Pylon Reenactment Society.

Cheer-Accident is an American progressive rock ensemble headed by Thymme Jones. Jones took the name of the band from a Hallmark Cards shopping display, and first formed the group in 1981 with singer Jim Drummond and drummer Mike Greenlees.

DJ Sharpnel is a Japanese music duo composed of Jea and Lemmy, who are signed under their independent record label Sharpnelsound. They are credited for pioneering the J-core genre, recognized for their speedcore, gabber, happy hardcore and trance productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The VSS</span> American rock band

The VSS was an American rock band from Boulder, Colorado, United States.

Mary Sharon Vaughn is an American musician, songwriter and producer who was previously based in Sweden. She has written hits for artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reba McEntire, The Oak Ridge Boys, George Jones, Kenny Rogers, Keith Whitley, Randy Travis, Patty Loveless, Agnes, Kate Ryan, Claire Richards, Boyzone, September, and Dimash Qudaibergen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Someone Else's Eyes</span> 2009 single by Amanda Lear feat. Deadstar

"Someone Else's Eyes" is a 2009 song by French singer Amanda Lear and Italian singer Deadstar. It was released by the independent label Just Good Music for Your Ears as the lead single from Lear's album Brief Encounters.

The Alley Cats are a Los Angeles, California-based punk rock trio formed in 1977. The original line-up, featuring Randy Stodola, Dianne Chai and John McCarthy (drums), was a fixture of the early L.A. punk rock scene. Signed to Dangerhouse Records alongside other seminal California-based punk bands including the Bags, Black Randy and the Metro Squad, and X, they released their first single "Nothing Means Nothing Anymore" backed with "Give Me a Little Pain" on March 30, 1978. They are among the six bands featured on the 1979 compilation album Yes L.A. and appear in the 1982 film Urgh! A Music War.

<i>Long Live the Kings</i> 2010 studio album by Kottonmouth Kings

Long Live the Kings is the tenth studio album by American hip hop group Kottonmouth Kings. It was released on April 20, 2010, via Suburban Noize Records. Recording sessions took place at the "Cannibus Cabin" in Tehachapi, California and at the Subnoize Compound and Electric Ghetto in Los Angeles, with additional vocals recorded at Spidey Hole Studios in Bend, Oregon. Production was handled by Mike Kumagai, Jim Perkins, and member Daddy X, who also served as executive producer together with Kevin Zinger. It features guest appearances from Big B, BJ Smith, Dogboy, Insane Clown Posse, Tech N9NE, Vicky Calhoun, Jason Nava and Sonny Tipton.

References

  1. ↑ "Help Re-Issues Pantano-Salsbury's "Hit the Switch" on CD". Down The Line Magazine. 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  2. ↑ Thompson, John (2023-03-30). "More "Alternative" Than You'll Ever Be (Randy Layton's Long Strange Trip)". www.truetunes.com. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  3. ↑ "A Rock So Big I Cain't, by Josh Rude". Josh Rude. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  4. ↑ "Facebook Update: RV Riverhouse Campaign". Facebook.
  5. ↑ "Here is something to look forward from Alternative Records in the near future! Per Randy Layton, "This was a classic thread on Steve Scott's classic, legendary (insert any effusive praise) Emotional Tourist. Unreleased at the time, it maintains legendary status. Hopefully comments and pics turn up on this thread. Matthias Layton will, along with Buttons, will be the face of Alternative Records, but quite happy to share you'll have the chance to experience the exact replica on limited edition vinyl, perhaps with a side of rice, this year. While many of the songs would find homes on other projects myself and my late, lamented poodle oversaw, these will be the original mixes with the original artwork as submitted to A&M." Stay tuned for more developments on a revisit of Emotional Tourist (the album- not to be confused with Emotional Tourist the retrospective!)". Facebook. 2024-05-04.
  6. ↑ "Au Go-Go's – All Over Town-Rare and Unreleased (2005 version) (2005, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  7. ↑ "The Commodores – Unfinished Dream: The Complete Commodores, Cutups, & Harper Valley P.T.A. Sessions (2018, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-20.
  8. ↑ "Roy Cordell – The Melody Lingers On-The Roy Cordell Archive Project (2014, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17.
  9. ↑ "Help Re-Issues Pantano-Salsbury's "Hit the Switch" on CD". Down The Line Magazine. 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  10. ↑ "Sonny Richter – Sonny Sings! Standards & Practices (2018, CD) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  11. ↑ "Two Pound Planet | Christian Music Archive". www.christianmusicarchive.com. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  12. ↑ "Love & War-The Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Deluxe by Robert Vaughn & The Shadows, by Robert Vaughn & The Shadows". Alternative Records. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  13. ↑ "The Western Gentlemen – Live At The Cowboy Bar, 1958 (2020, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  14. ↑ "Sam White – Sweet Dreams: The Sam White Anthology (2018, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  15. ↑ "Steve Scott Music 1". alivingdog.com. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  16. ↑ "77s.com - Summer 1996: Michael Recycles". www.77s.com. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  17. ↑ "Phileas Phogg: Review - Steve Scott, Magnificent Obsession". Archived from the original on 2008-02-23. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  18. ↑ "Phileas Phogg: Review - Steve Scott, Magnificent Obsession". Archived from the original on 2006-06-17. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  19. ↑ "CMT.com : Robert Vaughn & The Shadows : Songs from the Riverhouse". www.cmt.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06.
  20. ↑ "Songs from the Riverhouse by Robert Vaughan on MSN Music". music.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-15.
  21. ↑ "Two Pound Planet on MSN Music". music.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-14.
  22. ↑ "Robert Vaughn & the Shadows - White Trash Supper Club CD". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  23. ↑ "MichaelRoe.com - Michael Roe Discography". www.michaelroe.com. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  24. ↑ "Daniel Amos : TimeLine 1993". www.danielamos.com. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  25. ↑ MusicMatch: Whispering Delicious
  26. ↑ "Decayed Volume One, by Robert Vaughn". Robert Vaughn. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  27. ↑ "Skeleton Closet – Skeleton Closet (1995, CD) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  28. ↑ "Eagle Park Slim – Northwest Blues (1998, CD) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-13.
  29. ↑ "Robert Vaughn And The Shadows – Love And War: Special Edition (2000, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  30. ↑ "Au Go-Go's – All Over Town-Rare and Unreleased (2005 version) (2005, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  31. ↑ "Roy Cordell – The Melody Lingers On-The Roy Cordell Archive Project (2014, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17.
  32. ↑ Decayed: 1979-1992
  33. ↑ "Sonny Richter – Sonny Sings! Standards & Practices (2018, CD) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  34. ↑ "The Commodores – Unfinished Dream: The Complete Commodores, Cutups, & Harper Valley P.T.A. Sessions (2018, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-20.
  35. ↑ "Sam White – Sweet Dreams: The Sam White Anthology (2018, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  36. ↑ "Sonny Richter – Sonny Richter's Guitar Lounge Volume Two:1958-1992 (2020, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  37. ↑ "The Western Gentlemen – Live At The Cowboy Bar, 1958 (2020, CDr) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  38. ↑ "Robert Vaughn And The Shadows – Love And War Thirty-Fifth Anniversary Edition (2022, CD) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21.
  39. ↑ "Josh Rude – A Rock So Big I Cain't (2023, File) - Discogs". www.discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-12.
  40. ↑ "Help Re-Issues Pantano-Salsbury's "Hit the Switch" on CD". Down The Line Magazine. 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
  41. ↑ "Australia EP, by Josh Rude". P-ROO Records Official. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  42. ↑ "Workin' For A Livin' (Single), by Josh Rude". P-ROO Records Official. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  43. ↑ "Gotta Go To Church! (Josh Rude Vs. The Churchgoers) (Single), by Josh Rude". P-ROO Records Official. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  44. ↑ "Robert Vaughn & The Shadows Love & War Fan Page". Facebook.
  45. ↑ "Painted Eyelids (Single), by Josh Rude". Discogs. Retrieved 2024-10-21.

See also

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.