Some Bizzare Records

Some Bizzare [sic] Records is 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.

History

1981-1989

One of the first bands that Some Bizzare worked with was B-Movie. 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 Soft Cell, under a deal with Phonogram. Their cover of "Tainted Love" topped the charts.

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 by the companies mentioned for the best deal.Soul Mining was eventually released in 1983. 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.

Bizarre Records

Bizarre Records was a record label formed for artists discovered by rock musician Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen.

History

Bizarre was originally formed as a production company. In 1967 Zappa's label, Verve Records, missed the deadline to renew their option on Zappa's recording contract after his second album, Absolutely Free, recorded with his group the Mothers of Invention. This gave Zappa and Cohen the upper hand in negotiating their own production deal with Verve. The purpose of forming his own production company was to give Zappa complete creative control over his work and the works he planned to produce for others.

The first albums associated with Bizarre were released in early 1968. These included We're Only in It for the Money by the Mothers of Invention and Lumpy Gravy, Zappa's first solo album. Other Zappa-related releases were Cruising with Ruben & the Jets (1968) and the compilation album Mothermania (1969). The company also produced the late 1968 release Sandy's Album Is Here at Last by singer-songwriter Sandra Hurvitz, now better known as Essra Mohawk. These albums were all released by Verve Records under the "Bizarre Productions" imprint.