 | |
| Founded | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Stevo Pearce |
| Distributor(s) | Plastic Head |
| Genre | Experimental, electronic, post-punk |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Official website | https://www.somebizzare.com |
Some Bizzare[ sic ]Records was 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.
One of the first bands that Some Bizzare worked with was B-Movie. [1] 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 . After Soft Cell signed to Some Bizzare, he went on to manage them, under a deal with Phonogram Inc. Their cover of "Tainted Love" topped the charts. [1]
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 CBS. The one recording was sold to three companies, each time signed off for the best deal by the companies mentioned. [1] Soul Mining was eventually released in 1983. [2] 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. [2]
Later acts on the record label's roster included Cabaret Voltaire, Psychic TV, Test Department, Einstürzende Neubauten, Coil, Swans, and Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel. 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.
Some Bizzare built a reputation for madcap behavior. For example, during the nineties Stevo Pearce's offices, based in Mayfair, included a private chapel and confession box for would-be-signings to go through the solemn hand-over of demo tapes. [3] Stevo was also partial to aggressively insulting young record shop employees at this time, should they be unfortunate enough to be working in a shop that sold Coil's recordings (the recordings that they made money from at that period in time).
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 minimal. [4]
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 and 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. [1]
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. [5] 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". [5] The album Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down was released by Some Bizzare in August 2009. [6]
The band Einstürzende Neubauten actively discourages purchasing any of their releases from Some Bizzare or their American licensee, Thirsty Ear, as they have been and continue to be sold without paying any royalties to the band. [7]
The label is now effectively defunct. The website has been offline for several years and there have been no releases. Pearce's whereabouts are currently unknown. The label's catalogue is now sold through One Little Indian.
Stevo has since resurfaced alongside the new Some Bizzare Book "Conform to Deform", written by Wesley Doyle which released in February 2023. It has been said multiple times in recent times by Stevo that the label is due a revival via a new development which is being created internally by a team of developers.
The second word of the name is spelt "Bizzare", not "Bizarre". Pearce said: "I like ambiguities. It's Some Bizzare, spelt B I Z Z A R E. The idea of the label was to be aware of people's expectations and do the opposite almost." [1]
Soft Cell are an English synth-pop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their platinum-selling debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.
Peter Mark "Marc" Almond is an English singer best known from the synth-pop/new wave duo Soft Cell and for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has also had a diverse career as a solo artist. His collaborations include a duet with Gene Pitney on the 1989 UK number one single "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart". Almond's career spanning over four decades has enjoyed critical and commercial acclaim, and he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. He spent a month in a coma after a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2004 and later became a patron of the brain trauma charity Headway.
Marc and the Mambas were a new wave group, formed by Marc Almond in 1982 as an offshoot 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.
David James Ball is an English producer and electronic musician, who has played in bands such as Soft Cell and The Grid, and collaborated with other producers including Ingo Vauk and Chris Braide. He is usually called Dave Ball on record sleeves.
Halber Mensch is the third studio album by German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten, released on 2 September 1985 by Some Bizzare Records in the U.K. and by What's So Funny About GmbH in Germany. In the U.S., the album was distributed by Rough Trade Records.
Haus der Lüge is the fifth full-length studio release by the German band Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1989 by Rough Trade Records. It was reissued in 2002 by Some Bizzare Records in the U.K., the band's own label Potomak in Europe and Thirsty Ear Recordings in the U.S.
Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala is the fourth full-length studio album by the German experimental rock band Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1987 through Some Bizzare Records in the U.K. and What's So Funny About GmbH in Germany. It was reissued in 2002 through the band's own label, Potomak.
Test Dept, sometimes credited as Test Department is a British industrial music group from London, England, that was one of the most important and influential early industrial music acts. Their approach was marked by the use of "found" material, re-constructed to better serve their purpose, of making "more" with "less".
The Dark Poets are an industrial music group who originally rose to prominence with their soundtrack for Alex Chandon's cult horror movie Cradle of Fear. The Cradle of Fear soundtrack was released by Silvascreen Records in the UK and Silva America in 2001
Stephen John Pearce, commonly known as Stevo, is a British record producer and music industry executive, best known as the owner of indie record label Some Bizzare Records.
Some Bizzare Album is the first album issued by Some Bizzare Records. It was released in 1981 as a sampler of the label's musical ethos. The acts were not signed exclusively to the label at the time.
The following list details the discography of the British independent record label, Some Bizzare Records. The label is notable for hosting such artists as Soft Cell, The The and Marc Almond. The discography is broken down into different media type sections.
I'd Rather Shout at a Returning Echo than Kid That Someone's Listening is the fourth compilation album released by Some Bizzare Records, containing the first new track from the then recently re-formed Soft Cell. It also included two tracks "Nye " and "Uniform Spaces" by Cabaret Voltaire member Richard H. Kirk. These were recorded under the names "Sandoz" and "Orchestra Terrestrial".
Kontour is an English electronic music artist, signed to Some Bizzare Records.
Pedro INF is a Portuguese electronic music artist, currently signed to Some Bizzare Records.
Scanners is the second album by Kontour, released on Some Bizzare Records.
The discography of the English singer, songwriter and recording artist Marc Almond consists of music recorded since the late 1970s. He has recorded as a solo artist and with several other groups, these include Soft Cell, Marc & the Mambas, The Willing Sinners and Flesh Volcano. He has also worked with Michael Cashmore, and has contributed to numerous one-off releases with a variety of artists.
Neu Electrikk are a British experimental music group that were based in Croydon, England, and who formed in 1978.
Naked Lunch are an English band formed in 1979, by Tony Mayo who advertised for like-minded people in the Melody Maker. Mick Clarke replied and they then moved into a flat to work on further material. In preparation to play live further members were advertised for and Tim Yorke, Paul Nicholas Davies and Cliff Chapman joined and then, in 1981, by Mark Irving who replaced Yorke.
Untitled is the first studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond's band Marc and the Mambas. It was released by Some Bizzare in September 1982.
