Bizarre Records
Bizarre Records was an American record label, founded by the composer and rock musician Frank Zappa and his former manager Herb Cohen in October 1968. On the label, especially records by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, but also productions of Lenny Bruce, Wild Man Fischer and Sandy Hurvitz published.
History
As the label MGM / Verve failed to exercise an option to extend his contract with the Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa and his manager Herb Cohen formed the Bizarre Records record label in October 1968. It was created by renaming of the company founded in 1967 Labels Bizarre Productions and was part of Zappa 's own entertainment company Bizarre Inc.. Besides the launched in the spring of 1969 sister label Straight Records were also a management company, the PR and advertising agency Nifty Tough & Bitchen (NT & B), the music publisher Third Story Music, a film production company and a book publisher.
The company, of Zappa as " a kind of semi - independent label " refers to (p. 96f ), had its headquarters in Los Angeles. The company logo was designed Cal Schenkel; it shows the line drawing of an old medical pump. This logo can be seen already on the record sleeves of the Mothers albums Cruising with Ruben & the Jets and Mother Mania and on the plate Sandy's Album Is Here At Last by Sandy Hurvitz. These records were still released by MGM - Verve - a compromise that Zappa and Cohen had to take in order to solve the old treaty finally can. The distribution of the Bizarre Records productions, the label Reprise Records had been given, which then as now heard as a label for Warner Bros. Pictures Group. Under the agreement, Warner could initially have the Zappa productions. Had the Group not used this possibility, as Zappa was allowed to publish the material on his Straight label.
Under the logo of Bizarre Productions had already been released in 1967 by Verve plates. The earliest publications are sent to disc jockeys promotional single " Lonely Little Girl" / "Mother People" and the albums We're Only in It for the Money and Lumpy Gravy, all of the Mothers of Invention. It was followed by the already mentioned three albums by Sandy Hurvitz and the Mothers, with Cruising with Ruben & the Jets with other promotional singles ( " Deseri " / " Jelly Roll Gumdrop " and " Any Way The Wind Blows" / " Jelly Roll Gumdrop " ) advertised been. The 1971 distributed by United Artists film music of Frank Zappa 's 200 Motels decided the era of Bizarre Productions. All Zappa-/Mothers-Alben, which appeared under the Bizarre Productions logo, placed in the United States in the top -200. With room for 30, the most successful of them We're Only in It for the Money was.
The first release for Bizarre Records was born on September 10, 1968 on the market: the single " The Circle " / " Merry- Go-Round " by Wild Man Fischer, a singer and street musician from Los Angeles. The first album was brought out from the label in February 1969, the double LP The Berkeley Concert of American stand-up comedian and satirist Lenny Bruce, the Man Fischer's double album An Evening With Wild Man Fischer followed in April game.
His first Mothers album Bizarre Records published in April 1969: Uncle Meat. He was followed by the end of 1972, when Bizarre Records was resolved in favor of the new Zappa 's Discreet Records label, up to and including the album The Grand Wazoo all other publications of this group and Frank Zappa. Even under the new name of the label remained commercially successful. Except for the last album all the other made it into the top -200. With a ranking of 38, the live album Fillmore East, June 1971 achieved the best result among them.