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SST Records
Image:Sst logo.jpg
Founded 1978
Founder Greg Ginn
Distributing label Koch Records (retail)
The Orchard (digital)
Genre Hardcore punk
Punk rock
Alternative rock
Indie rock
Jazz
Country of origin United States
Location Taylor, Texas
Official website http://www.sstsuperstore.com

SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. Gregory Regis Ginn (born June 8, 1954) is a Guitarist, Songwriter and singer Koch Records, the primary subsidiary of Koch Entertainment LP is the largest Independent record label in the United States. The Orchard is a New York City based Digital distribution and new media services firm that works with independent bands The company was started in Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13575 at the 2000 census it was 15014 in the 2005 census estimate The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An independent record label (or indie record label) is a Record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the Major record labels Long Beach is a city located in southern California, USA, on the Pacific coast Gregory Regis Ginn (born June 8, 1954) is a Guitarist, Songwriter and singer The company was initially called Solid State Tuners through which Ginn sold electronics equipment. Ginn repurposed the company as a record label to release material by his band Black Flag. Black Flag was a Hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in southern California, largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn: the guitarist

Music writer Michael Azerrad wrote, "Ginn took his label from a cash-strapped, cop-hassled store-front operation to easily the most influential and popular underground indie of the Eighties". Michael Azerrad is an American Author, Journalist and Musician. [1] SST initially focused on releasing material by hardcore punk groups from Southern California. Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U As many of the bands on the label sought to expand beyond the limitations of the hardcore genre, SST released many key albums that were instrumental in the developement of American alternative rock, including releases by the Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, the Meat Puppets, Sonic Youth, and Dinosaur Jr. Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of The Minutemen were an American Punk rock band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980 For other uses see Husker Du. Hüsker Dü was an American Alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis-St "Meat Puppet" redirects here For other uses see Meat puppet. Sonic Youth is an American Alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1981 After a peak release schedule in the late 1980s, SST began venturing into jazz releases. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States SST is now based in Taylor, Texas. Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13575 at the 2000 census it was 15014 in the 2005 census estimate Many former SST bands, including Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr, have sued to reclaim the rights to their material in later years.

Contents

History

Early years

Greg Ginn created Solid State Tuners (SST) in the 1970s at the age of twelve. SST was a mail-order business that sold modified World War II surplus radio equipment. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The business was small but thrived well into Ginn's early adulthood. [2]

In 1976 Ginn formed the punk rock band Panic. Panic recorded eight songs in January 1978, but no labels were interested in releasing the music aside from Los Angeles, California record label Bomp! Records. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Bomp! Records is an American indie label featuring punk pop powerpop garage rock new wave old school rock neo-psychedelia and much more By late 1978 Bomp had still not formally agreed to release the music on record, so Ginn decided he had enough business experience with SST to release it himself. [3] Pressing records turned out to be a simple matter; "I just looked in the phone book under record pressing plants and there was one there", Ginn recalled, "and so I just took it to them and I knew about printing because I had always done catalogs. " SST Records released the music recorded by Ginn's band (now named Black Flag) as the Nervous Breakdown EP in January 1979. This article refers to a music recording For the more general use of this term see Mental breakdown. An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify [4]

Many early Black Flag shows ended in violence, often involving the Los Angeles police. As a result the police tapped the label's phones and kept surveillance on the SST office. [5] Ginn claims undercover police posing as homeless people sat close to SST's front door. The band were unable to hire a lawyer because of a lack of money; Ginn later explained: "I mean, we were thinking about skimping on our meals. [. . . ] There was no place to go". [5] By 1980, L. A. clubs had begun to ban hardcore punk shows, adding to SST's troubles. [5]

SST issued the Minutemen's debut EP Paranoid Time as its second release in 1980. The Minutemen were an American Punk rock band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980 Paranoid Time is the first EP and first ever recording by punk / Alternative rock band The Minutemen. [6] The songs were recorded and mixed in a single night for $300. Minutemen bassist Mike Watt recalled, "It was at that point we realized all you had to do was pay for the pressings, that records weren't a gift from Mount Olympus . Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957 in Portsmouth Virginia) is an American Bass guitarist singer and Songwriter. . . Maybe it was from Greg's experience with ham radios, but he believed if you try, you can get things beyond your little group. "[7] Facing hostility towards hardcore punk, SST groups like Black Flag and the Minutemen played wherever they could, mainly at house parties and in basements early on. [8] Black Flag began traveling up the California coast to play Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco, making seven trips in total. The Mabuhay Gardens (aka The Fab Mab) was a San Francisco Nightclub located at 443 Broadway on the Broadway strip of North Beach, an area best The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city SST house record producer Spot went along as sound-man and tour manager, a job he would perform for several years, along with helping to record much of the label's music. In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing SPOT, (born Glen Lockett in 1951) was the house producer and engineer for the influential independent punk Record label [9]

SST sold its releases to small distributors at a deliberately low price; however, since the distributors typically sold import records, the records usually ended up in specialty shops where they would sell for high prices. Ginn decided to release the first Black Flag album Damaged (1982) via a mainstream distributor. SST struck a deal with MCA Records to co-release Damaged on Unicorn Records, a smaller label distributed by MCA. MCA Records was an American -based record company owned by MCA Inc Just prior to the album's release, MCA deigned to release Damaged due to its "anti-parent" subject matter. [10] SST sued Unicorn claiming the label did not pay rightful royalties and expenses for the album. Unicorn countersued and obtained an injunction preventing Black Flag from releasing further material until the case was settled. When SST released the Black Flag compilation Everything Went Black, Unicorn took SST to court in July 1983. Everything Went Black is a compilation album by Black Flag, released in 1983 Ginn and Black Flag bassist Chuck Dukowski (who had become a co-owner of SST) were found in violation of the injunction and were sent to the Los Angeles County Jail for five days. Chuck Dukowski (b Gary McDaniel, February 1, 1954) is an American Punk rock musician best known as a founding member and original bass player Late in 1983 Unicorn went bankrupt and Black Flag was able to release records again. [11]

Expansion and diversification

Despite its legal troubles, SST continued to release records by artists including the Minutemen, Saccharine Trust, and the Meat Puppets. Saccharine Trust is a band from California that was started in 1980 by singer Jack Brewer and guitarist Joe Baiza "Meat Puppet" redirects here For other uses see Meat puppet. In 1982 Minneapolis hardcore group Hüsker Dü became the label's first non-West Coast signing. For other uses see Husker Du. Hüsker Dü was an American Alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis-St [12] Following the resolution of the debacle with Unicorn Records, SST released four Black Flag albums in 1984. The multiple Black Flag albums, along with the double album releases Zen Arcade and Double Nickels on the Dime by Hüsker Dü and the Minutemen, respectively, stretched the label's resources. A double album is an audio Album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold (especially records and Compact Discs. Zen Arcade is the third Studio album from the American rock band Hüsker Dü, released in July 1984 on SST Records. Double Nickels on the Dime is the third album by American Punk rock trio the Minutemen, released on the Californian Independent record label While SST believed Zen Arcade would be a sizable underground hit, pressings of over 5,000 copies were unknown territory for the label, so it erred on the side of caution and did not print over that number in its initial pressing. Despite critical acclaim by several mainstream media outlets, Zen Arcade sold out quickly and remained out for print for months. [13] Ginn decided to the cut promotional costs of the Black Flag albums by issuing them in quick succession and having the band tour solidly behind the releases. [14]

During the mid-1980s Hüsker Dü became SST's star attraction, becoming the key link between hardcore and the developing sound of college rock. College rock was a term used in the United States to describe 1980s Alternative rock before the term "alternative" came into common usage [15] The steady recording and release of records by the band (which released three albums over the course of 1984 and 1985) created an influx of income for the label and afforded it leverage to gather payment from distributors for other releases. [16] However, the band felt that SST did not devote enough attention to its releases; Hüsker Dü drummer Grant Hart said after the band left the label, "I think there's a little reluctance on their part to let anything get a little more attention than Black Flag. Grantzberg Vernon Hart (born March 18, 1961) is an American Musician, best known as the Drummer and co- Songwriter for the "[17] In 1985, Hüsker Dü wanted to self-produce its third studio album, New Day Rising. New Day Rising is a 1985 album by the Minnesota band Hüsker Dü, released on SST Records. Ignoring the band's wishes, SST assigned Spot to supervise the sessions. Grant Hart later explained: "We had no other choice but to work with him. SST made us work with him". [18] Aware of the tension, Spot "had to do what the record company wanted". [19] New Day Rising, as a result, became one of the last recordings Spot did for the label,[19] and the band soon signed to major label Warner Bros. Records. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. [20]

SST's roster was further diminished by the 1985 demise of the Minutemen (the result of the death of guitarist D. Boon) and the 1986 breakup of Black Flag. D Boon (born Dennes Dale Boon, April 1, 1958 – December 22, 1985) was an American Singer, Songwriter The label replaced these bands with new signings Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, and Bad Brains. Sonic Youth is an American Alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1981 Bad Brains are an American Hardcore punk band formed in Washington D Sonic Youth mentioned SST often in interviews and in music writer Michael Azerrad's estimation, "seemed to be actively campaigning to get signed to the indie powerhouse";[21] in turn, Sonic Youth was instrumental in getting SST to sign Dinosaur Jr. Michael Azerrad is an American Author, Journalist and Musician. Gerard Cosley, owner of Dinosaur Jr's previous label Homestead Records, said, "SST was the label everyone wanted to be on [. See also Homestead Records (1920s Homestead Records was a New York City based sublabel of Dutch East India Trading. . . ] Everyone's favorite bands were on the label; SST was funnier and cooler and it also had the machinery. "[22]

In 1986, Ginn bought New Alliance Records from Mike Watt, who had founded the label with D. Boon. New Alliance Records was the Record label founded by The Minutemen 's D Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957 in Portsmouth Virginia) is an American Bass guitarist singer and Songwriter. D Boon (born Dennes Dale Boon, April 1, 1958 – December 22, 1985) was an American Singer, Songwriter [23] Ginn and SST proceeded to reissue some of New Alliance's key releases - albums by The Descendents, Hüsker Dü's Land Speed Record, and all of The Minutemen's non-SST releases - on SST. This article is about the band For other uses see Descendant. Land Speed Record was the first full-length record by Hüsker Dü, released in January 1982 He then converted New Alliance to a label based around unusual jazz, rock, and spoken word releases.

In the late '80s and early '90s, Ginn started two SST-distributed sub-labels. The first, Cruz Records, which started in 1987, released three solo records by Ginn in the space of a year, and also released records by ALL, Big Drill Car, and Chemical People. Cruz Records was a Record label similar to SST Records, owned by the Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. All is a Fort Collins Colorado based Punk rock band formed by Descendents members Bill Stevenson, Karl Alvarez, and Stephen Big Drill Car is a Pop punk / Melodic hardcore group from Huntington Beach California, who were active from the late 1980s to mid-1990s Chemical People are a now-defunct Punk rock band formed in 1986. The second, the short-lived Issues Records, concentrated on spoken-word releases, including a double album by former NBA player Bill Walton with music by Ray Manzarek. William Theodore "Bill" Walton III (born November 5 1952 is a retired American Basketball player and current Television Sportscaster Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr or Manczarek (b 12 February 1939 Illinois) is an American Musician, Singer, producer

Decline in prominence

Several artists left SST in the late 1980s. By 1987 Sonic Youth had grown disenchanted with the label. Guitarist Thurston Moore said, "SST's accounting was a bit suspect to us", and the group's other guitarist Lee Ranaldo criticized the label's "stoner administrative quality". Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958 in Coral Gables Florida) is an American Musician best known as a Singer, Lee M Ranaldo (born February 3 1956) is an American Singer, Guitarist writer and record producer best known as a co-founder of the [24] The band was also dissatisfied with Ginn's newer signings. Unhappy that income from their records was ultimately helping fund "lame-ass records", Sonic Youth unamicably left the label and signed with Enigma Records in 1988. Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative Record label in the 1980s [25] Dinosaur Jr left SST for Blanco y Negro Records in 1990. Blanco y Negro Records was established in 1983 by Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records. Frontman J Mascis said, "I like Greg Ginn and stuff, but they wouldn't pay you. J Mascis (born Joseph Donald Mascis on December 10 1965) is an American Musician, perhaps best-known as the singer Guitarist "[26]

In 1987 SST released over 80 titles, a "ridiculous amount even by major label standards", according to Azerrad. [25] SST's prestige declined and by 1990 Seattle-based indie label Sub Pop had upstaged SST. Sub Pop is an Independent record label (though funded and sharing distribution outlets with Warner Music founded by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman SST's reputation was damaged severely when sound collage group Negativland fought a long legal battle with SST in the wake of its sampling lawsuit over their notorious "cover" of U2's hit "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", on 1991 U2 single. Negativland is an Experimental music and Sound collage band which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s In Music, sampling is the act of taking a portion or sample, of one Sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording " I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For " is the second track from U2 's 1987 album The Joshua Tree, and was released as the album's second The case was settled when Ginn and SST agreed to fully release most of Negativland's masters (mainly their Over The Edge series of cassettes) in exchange for completing work on a live album that had been planned long before their legal battles began, as well as keeping Negativland's three SST releases on the label for a short period (the copyright in those has since reverted to Negativland). This entire battle was later the basis for Negativland's 1995 book/CD, Fair Use: The Story of the Letter U and the Numeral 2. Fair Use The Story of the Letter U and the Numeral 2 is a 270 page book and ten track CD released in 1995 by Negativland detailing their lawsuits with U2's record label

SST went into near-hibernation in the mid-90s, deleting much of its jazz output, and releasing little new material apart from Ginn's projects (including Confront James, Mojack), but still keeping the catalogs of Black Flag, The Minutemen, fIREHOSE, Hüsker Dü, The Descendents, and Bad Brains in print. Confront James is a Los Angeles musical group It's leader is Greg Ginn, who plays guitar and bass on all records Mojack is an instrumental rock band formed by ex- Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. Firehose (stylized as fIREHOSE) was an Alternative rock band consisting of Mike Watt (bass vocals Ed Crawford (guitar vocals Several artists formerly on the label, including Sonic Youth and the Meat Puppets, sued SST to reclaim their master recordings, claiming unpaid royalties. Sonic Youth is an American Alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1981 "Meat Puppet" redirects here For other uses see Meat puppet. A master recording is an original Recording, from which copies may be made [27]

In 2002, Ginn signed a new distribution deal with Koch Records and promised that new material by his various musical projects was forthcoming[1], these releases eventually appeared on their homepage. Koch Records, the primary subsidiary of Koch Entertainment LP is the largest Independent record label in the United States. In 2006, independent digital music distributor The Orchard announced that 94 titles from SST's back catalog would become available on digital services like eMusic and the iTunes Music Store. The Orchard is a New York City based Digital distribution and new media services firm that works with independent bands The company was started in eMusic is an Online music store that operates by Subscription. The iTunes Store is a software-based online Digital media store operated by Apple Inc

Discography and roster

Main articles: SST Records discography and List of SST Records bands

References

Notes

  1. ^ Azerrad, p. 14
  2. ^ Azerrad, p. 16
  3. ^ Azerrad, p. 18
  4. ^ Azerrad, p. 19
  5. ^ a b c Azerrad, p. 21
  6. ^ Azerrad, p. 68
  7. ^ Blush, p. 53
  8. ^ Blush, p. 54
  9. ^ Azerrad, 2001. p. 23
  10. ^ Azerrad, p. 36
  11. ^ Azerrad, p. 37
  12. ^ Azerrad, p. 171
  13. ^ Azerrad, p. 182-83
  14. ^ Azerrad, p. 44-45
  15. ^ Azerrad, p. 159
  16. ^ Azerrad, p. 184
  17. ^ Azerrad, p. 187
  18. ^ Azerrad, 2001. p. 185
  19. ^ a b Azerrad, 2001. p. 186
  20. ^ Azerrad, 2001. p. 190
  21. ^ Azerrad, p. 261
  22. ^ Azerrad, p. 358
  23. ^ Azerrad, p. 94
  24. ^ Azerrad, p. 268
  25. ^ a b Azerrad, p. 269
  26. ^ Azerrad, p. 374
  27. ^ Azerrad, p. 496

External links

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