Album Notes

Stiff Records, and its weird and wonderful roster of artists, was the obvious punk rock model for the future independent label honchos who bring you this tribute to the finest independent label of its era. The disheveled, loopy collection of characters on Stiff offered a scene to which awkward, music-loving teens like ourselves could aspire. The classic cool of The Clash or the menacing glare of The Sex Pistols may have been out of reach, but lanky, long-haired Nick Lowe; jumpy, bespectacled Elvis Costello; and the rest of that rag-tag roster seemed just a few pints removed from our sorry lot in the Future Rock Star Sweepstakes. Stiff let us in on a joke that was long overdue in a bloated age of "Corporate Rock." Beyond the giddy images and sly slogans, the music delivered in 3-minute bursts that did not discriminate among various styles rock 'n roll. While paving the way for punk's DIY esthetic, Stiff allowed for celebration of rock 'n roll's young and innocent past, releasing straightforward cover versions of AM radio staples by the likes of Tommy James and the Shondells, Carla Thomas, and Dusty Springfield. Childhood fascination with pop music and adolescent ambitions for its future coalesced. It is for these reasons and all the unstated commercial ones that we assembled The Stiff Generation. We hope you get as much enjoyment out of this collection as we had compiling it. We're counting on you to agree that each contribution maintains the high level of energy, originality, fun, and artistry that made the original versions so worthy of tribute!