What does the phrase "If it ain't Stiff ..." mean

That's one of the phrases used to advertise the Stiff Records label, shining beacon in the world of independent record labels. The final section of the phrase being ''It ain't worth a (expletive deleted) gave rise to a number of fans being hauled before the courts on obscenity charges for proudly wearing slogan tee-shirts in public

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So it's an important label then

Stiff is the embodiment of the spirit of punk rock in England in the mid- 1970's. The foundation of the label, and its eclectic signing policy could really only have happened in England in 1976 ' Stiff Records is a product of time and place,

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The story began in 1975 ' England was reaching the nadir of its 'progressive rock' phase ' album sales dominated, and the music press was full of weekly treatises on the meaning of fifteen minute guitar solos and sword-and-sorcery lyrics that would have caused Professor Tolkien to grind his pipe to matchwood. In the large Victorian pubs dotted around London, a few hardy souls lived hand-to-mouth attempting to preserve the notion that pop should be about three-minute songs of a boy-meets-girl-and-both-are-card-carrying-Labour-Party-members persuasion. Two such dreamers were Andrew Jakeman, who had dyed his name to Jake Riviera, and Dave Robinson, who attended to the interests of pub rock stalwarts Chilli Willi And The Red Hot Peppers, and r 'n' b flag-wavers Doctor Feelgood respectively. They talked, they dreamed, the got some (very little) cash together, including a loan from Feelgood vocalist Lee Brilleaux, and began making their dream a reality.

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What made Stiff Records different

The whole ethos behind Stiff was the belief of its founders that the artists signed should be heard by a wider public, and not that those artists were a rapid meal ticket to fame and fortune ' in fact, the opposite turned out to be true, apart from a notable few.

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So it wasn't about making a fortune then

Far from it. The concept of allowing artists to record and release a few singles, even if they didn't make any money, or particularly trouble the charts, was part of the D.I.Y. mentality that made punk rock the vital shot in the arm that stopped the UK music scene disappearing up a convenient orifice with a loud twang.

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Looking back, it is possible to see the visionary approach to artist signing that made Stiff so vital ' household names like the late Kirsty MacColl, Ian Dury, Madness, Elvis Costello, all got their initial break with Stiff. The Sex Pistols may have garnered the glory for punk, but The Damned were the first punk band with a single ' and it was on Stiff Records. The list of eccentric, bizarre and unusual singers and bands that populated the Stiff roster reads like a who's who of British weirdness ' Lene Lovitch, Wreckless Eric, Department S, Alvin Stardust, and perennial Christmas favourite Jona Lewie all passed through the Stiff portals on their way to a place in the hearts of indie music fans everywhere.

How successful was Stiff Records

That depends on how you measure success. In terms of allowing artists creative freedom, and the ability to fail spectacularly without the label losing faith, and providing living proof that it is possible to keep a label going with the bare minimum of financial return on investment, the Stiff Records was a shining example of how music ought to be made. There is no doubt that the ethos pioneered by Robinson and Riviera ' have a go and you'll find an audience eventually ' spread throughout the UK music business, in attitude if not necessarily in fact, and that attitude has lead to the healthy abundance of musicians who record and distribute their work without the corporate support of the multi-national media giants that fund the upper echelons of the pop charts. If you are looking at cash returns for outlay and effort, then Stiff was probably a poor showing, take the balance sheet approach, or the buzz and reputation approach, and measure accordingly.

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Does the legacy live on

In the finest never-say-die British spirit, the essence of Stiff lives on. The original partnership of Robinson and Riviera split some time ago, but Dave Robinson continued to sign acts with the same gung-ho approach. Robinson also showed considerable artistic ability in his production of the criminally under-rated videos for Madness. The label was eventually bought by ZTT in 1987, and a healthy series of re-issues keeps the name and the meaning of Stiff Records alive. Stiff did manage one million seller Ian Dury's joyfully contrary output yielded Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick as the icing on a long and eclectic career.

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Will there ever be another label like Stiff Records

It's doubtful ' Stiff was of its time and place. The music industry was moribund, and the listening public were ready for something new, done by people at their own level. Thanks to the label's demonstration that anyone can make a record if they want to, the current music scene boasts a diversity and breadth of style that was singularly lacking back then. There is no need for music to be rescued by far-sighted entrepreneurs like Riviera and Robinson, where hug dreams overcame miniscule bank balances, and we should all be accordingly grateful to them for that.