ABSURD
A peculiar label from
the late '70s, based in Withington, Manchester. The three Absurd
singles I've heard were distinctly off-the-wall, ranging from the minimal
electronics of Gerry & The Holograms to the vaguely Ian-Dury-like Cairo
record. The fifth release, 'The Emperor's New Music', took absurdity
to its extreme - it consisted of old Rabid Records stock with new labels
stuck on; the records were then glued inside paper sleeves, making them
unplayable. The same method was adopted on the second release on
Paranoid Plastics; reportedly the same man, C.P. Lee, was behind both
singles. Initially marketing was by Rabid and distribution was by Rabid /
Rough Trade; numbering was in an ABSURD-0 series. Pinnacle took over in
1980, when the prefix on the records changed to ASK; the
covers seem to have kept the 'ABSURD' prefix. Several items
were re-released in September 1982 through Rock Steady / The Cartel,
keeping the same number but using an 'ABS' prefix rather than the original 'ABSURD' one. Manufacture
was done in France, an option taken by several small
independents around this time. Labels were mainly injection-moulded (1, 2) but there was one single with paper
ones (3). The injection-moulded type came in several other colours, including
lilac and blue; the 1980 issues were also injection moulded
but they were red and were of a different design.
Copyright 2008 Robert Lyons.