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Conform To Deform: The Weird And Wonderful World Of Some Bizzare
£13.20£16.10 (-18%)
Along with Factory, Mute, and Creation, Some Bizzare was the vanguard of outsider music in the 1980s. The label s debut release reads like a who s who of electronic music, featuring early tracks from Soft Cell, Depeche Mode, Blancmange, and The The, while over the next decade its roster would include artists such as Marc Almond, Cabaret Voltaire, Einsturzende Neubauten, Foetus, Swans, Coil, and Psychic TV. For a time, Some Bizzare was the most exciting independent record label in the world, but the music is only half of the story. Self-styled label boss Stevo Pearce s unconventional dealings with the industry are legendary. Sometimes they were playful (sending teddy bears to meetings in his place), other times less so (he and Marc Almond destroyed offices at Phonogram and terrorised staff). Despite this, he was a force to be reckoned with. His preternatural ability to spot talent meant his label was responsible for releasing some of the decade s most forward-thinking, transgressive, and influential music. The Some Bizzare story spans the globe: from ecstasy parties in early 80s New York to video shoots in the Peruvian jungle, from events in disused tube stations to seedy sex shows in Soho. There were million-selling singles, run-ins with the Vice Squad, destruction at the ICA, death threats, meltdowns, and, of course, sex dwarves. For a time, Stevo had the music industry in the palm of his hands, only for it all to slip through his fingers. But he and Some Bizzare left a legacy of incredible music that still has an influence and impact today.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Jawbone (14 Feb. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 288 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1911036955 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1911036951 |
| Dimensions | 15.24 x 3.18 x 21.59 cm |
by Peter Windle
collection of interviews patched together to tell the tale of an awesome record label and its unconventional manager Stevø. although we might know it’s not going to end well, lovely to get an insight into the bizarre world of Some Bizzare and the 80s record industry. extra points for finally getting me to listen to Foetus. should have known to do that years ago.
by Valdemar
Soft Cell, The The, Swans, Einsturzende Neubauten, Cabaret Voltaire… Some of the most groundbreaking, iconoclastic music of the 1980s only came to prominence because of the sheer bloody-mindedness and occasional ingenuity of a teenage entrepreneur from Dagenham known only as Stevo. His rise and inevitable fall is a fascinating tale, and Wesley Doyle has put in the hard yards necessary to tell it here. There are interviews with all the main players; acts of madness; grandiose schemes which occasionally come off; and the inside track on how some truly amazing records were made.
If your tastes tun to the leftfield, or if you have any interest in the history of independent music, you need this book in your life.
by nephilim1
Very interesting format, insightful documentation, very much recommended
by Jeffrey Glibson
Very interesting format, wonderful documentation.
by craig boswell
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.
1990–present
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]