Richard Balls - The Stiff Records Story
by Lisa Torem
published: 10 / 5 / 2018
intro
in her regular 'Raging Pages' book column Lisa Torem finds that Richard Balls' book ‘Be Stiff’, which is about the rise and fall of Stiff Records, imbues a classic, cultural relevance and that its heroes made an indelible mark on pop/punk music.
This illuminating book is about the making of an essential record label formed by Jake Riviera and Dave Robinson in 1976, which was known for its quirky marketing acumen—i.e., glossy, coloured vinyl and irreverent sales slogans, as well as a cornucopia of unique clients: Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Madness, The Pogues, etc. But the weirdness didn’t stop there — in one instance, Stiff released an Akron, Ohio compilation project entitled: ‘The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan’ which consisted of (shades of John Cage…) 45 minutes of silence. Like many labels, it couldn’t sustain itself and came to a halt in 1987. But through the wit and grit of Trevor Horn, it became resurrected again in 2006 with the release of ‘Bom Bom’ by Sam & The Womp. Like a cool, can’t-put-it down novel, the reader will enjoy a lot of back story and character portraiture. Chapter four, for example, provides a glorious narrative of Elvis Costello (‘Elvis is King.’) “‘My Aim It’s True’ delivered Stiff its first hit record,” confirms author Richard Balls , despite some folks fearing the Declan MacManus might have been mooching off the Elvis Presley legacy… There’s a strong element of humour in the chapter titles and beyond: ‘Undertakers to the Industry,’ ‘Stop The Cavalry’... This levity allows for a freely-flowing read and because each chapter is so well-ordered, it is possible to make a choice between taking in one at a time or devouring many in a single night over a glass of wine. Like most books of this ilk, there is a healthy tendency towards gossip, especially here in regards to the Damned and the Sex Pistols: “I don’t know how much rivalry there was between Jake and Malcolm (McLaren), but I’m sure there must have been some,” asserts drummer Rat Scabies, and as most rock readers might contend, that’s one element that fans never seem to get enough of in the mad world of rock lit, so bring it on… Most exploratory was the discussion of what caused the label demise: “Paul Conroy cites the lack of songwriters at Stiff as one of the reasons for that.” Clearly, they were not able to keep coming up with “the hits.” Richard Balls, who also wrote ‘Sex and Drugs and Rock ‘N Roll: The Life of Ian Dury', unquestionably did his homework, as the research was born of fifty interviews of integral players, including label illuminati and subsequent artists, such as Graham Parker, Wreckless Eric and more. The book also includes a section of never-seen-before photos and other memorabilia, buthowever, for a book of this length— three hundred plus pages, I would have liked to have seen a few more. This is a fascinating account of a business bursting with originality but eventually waning financially due to a few predictable happenings as well as surprises. Yet they achieved greatness in a fairly short amount of time - turning “pub rockers such as Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello and Ian Dury into hip new wavers” and heralding the UK’s first punk single, 'New Rose' by the Damned. And in a still-mysteriously run industry, ‘Be Stiff’ remains an important book, as it is thick with emotional and commercial history and equally generous with the telling of colourful, artist stories. Readers may note that this is not a newly published book, yet 'Raging Pages' says it still stands as a phenomenal and timeless resource.
Also In Raging Pages
Beatles (2022)
Benjamin Orr (2018)
Bernard Purdie (2015)
Billy Bragg (2017)
Billy J. Kramer (2016)
Bob Boilen (2016)
Bob Dylan (2018)
Bob Marley (2019)
Brian Wilson (2017)
Byrds (2024)
Clive Davis (2015)
Common (2020)
Damned (2021)
Don Short (2020)
Donovan (2022)
Elliott Murphy (2019)
Elvis Costello (2015)
Felix Cavaliere (2022)
Frank Sinatra (2023)
Frank Zappa (2017)
Gary Wright (2014)
Gene Simmons (2015)
Geoff Emerick (2018)
George Harrison (2022)
George Martin (2019)
Graham Nash (2023)
Ian Mclagan (2016)
Iron Maiden (2014)
Jann Wenner (2019)
Jerry Lee Lewis (2015)
Jerry Nolan (2018)
Jim Summaria and Mark Plotnick (2019)
Jimmy Webb (2022)
Joe Perry (Aerosmith) (2014)
John Lennon (2017)
Kinks (2014)
Lani Hall Alpert (2019)
Laurence Juber (2014)
Liberty DeVitto (2021)
Lisa Robinson (2021)
Lita Ford (2021)
Little Anthony (2014)
Louise Harrison (2015)
Luke Haines (2024)
Manic Street Preachers (2017)
Mary Wilson (2021)
Michael Bloomfield (2020)
Michael Dorf (2019)
Miscellaneous (2014)
Ozzy Osbourne (2014)
Pamela Des Barres (2017)
Paul McCartney (2020)
Radiohead (2022)
Renee Rosen (2018)
Rick Wakeman (2023)
Ringo Starr (2015)
Robby Krieger (2022)
Roger Daltrey (2020)
Rolling Stones (2016)
Ronnie Wood (2015)
Roy Bond (2023)
Sam Phillips (2018)
Sean Madigan Hoen (2014)
Silas House (2020)
Spencer Vignes (2017)
Spirit (2023)
Suzi Quatro (2023)
Sylvain Sylvain (2018)
Thin Lizzy (2016)
Tommy James (2021)
Tori Amos (2020)
U2 (2021)
Who (2014)
Will Romano (2015)
Woody Woodmansey (2018)
Zz Top (2014)
most viewed articles
current edition
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.Dennis Tufano - Copernicus Center, Chicago, 19/7/2024
Elliott Murphy - Interview
Wreckless Eric - Interview
Adrian Gurvitz - Interview
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #16: Living in the Minds of Strangers
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #17: Tom Robinson
Norman Rodger - Interview
Chris Spedding - Interview
Penumbra - Interview
previous editions
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EPIn Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #5 - ‘We all have good intentions/ But all with strings attached’: Music and Mental Health Part 2
Trudie Myerscough-Harris - Interview
Allan Clarke - Interview
Dwina Gibb - Interview
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Beautiful South - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Jimmy Nail - Interview
Sound - Interview with Bi Marshall Part 1
Nerve - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Groovy Uncle - Making ExcusesBill Wyman - Drive My Car
Hawkestrel - Chaos Rocks
Philip Parfitt - The Dark Light
Ross Couper Band - The Homeroad
Deep Purple - =1
Jules Winchester - The Journey
Popstar - Obscene
John Murry and Michael Timmins - A Little Bit of Grace and Decay
Splashgirl and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - More Human
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart