Sire's Salad Days

With all of these recent Sire posts featuring acts from the '80s and '90s, it sort of feels like an appetizer without an entree. The real legend of the label was born in the mid- to late-'70s when Seymour Stein spent his evenings on the Bowery in New York City soaking in the atmosphere of CBGB. Stein took one famous pass, saying in has book 'Siren Song: My Life in Music,' "I'm a little embarrassed to say that like so many others who saw Blondie perform in the early days, I just didn't see any star of Bethlehem twinkling on the stage," but otherwise, Stein did quite well for his burgeoning label, bagging the likes of the Dead Boys, Richard Hell and, arguably, his biggest signings ever outside of Madonna in Ramones and Talking Heads. As today's picks below clearly illustrate, Stein wasn't shirking his duties on the other side of the pond during this period either.

A few words about Steins's book before I close it for good. Obviously, I thought "Siren Song' was a hell of a read. Surprisingly, I was most riveted not by his days at Sire but by his fascinating early years breaking into the business, first by hanging around the offices at Billboard and then by getting a real education from his mentor, Syd Nathan at King Records. This is a warts-and-all telling, and he doesn't puff himself up as rock royalty, even if he is. There are squirm-worthy tales about his parenting skills and leading a double life as a homosexual and heterosexual, and your jaw will hit the floor when you read the story about Dee Dee Ramone. Every good book needs an antagonist, though, and Mo Ostin head of Warner Bros. Records, makes quite an interesting villain, and he pops up to make trouble for Stein time and time again. As I closed in on the final chapters, I read slower because I didn't want the book to end. That's about the best praise a reader can give.

Here is a taste of what Sire was up to between 1976 and 1980, along with a quick impression from Stein's book about each band. I chose these songs because these are among my faves from their early years.

Ramones - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
"This was the filthiest sugar and the sugariest filth."

Talking Heads - Pulled Up
"I was being sucked in through the door, like a snake being charmed by an Arabian flute."

Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Blank Generation
"...[Blank Generation] could either take off if given a real push or stiff in total embarrassment if mishandled."

The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
"['Teenage Kicks'] came on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was such an obvious classic, I almost wet my pants."

Pretenders - The Wait
"I was completely knocked off my feet.... It wasn't cheap, but even Warner knew we were onto a surefire hit and coughed up the money without any moaning."

Echo and the Bunnymen - Rescue
"I count [Echo and the Bunnymen] among the brightest lights on my A&R résumé."

The English Beat - Twist and Crawl
"We got them touring with Talking Heads and the Pretenders, almost double bills that never failed to blow away audiences everywhere they played."