Imaginary Records (UK Label)

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Does anyone knows the discography (CD/CD Single/Other formats)?

― AndreNY (AndreNY), Monday, 26 April 2004 21:18 (twenty-two years ago)

So have you searched the web for this? I mean I can name a few things I remember on the label, but...maybe you should do a specific search on AMG or Gemm. Have you tried that?

― bimble (bimble), Monday, 26 April 2004 22:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Weren't Cud their biggest act? ...plus those tribute albums.

― Jez (Jez), Monday, 26 April 2004 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Barbel were the best band they ever released stuff by, in my uninformed opinion.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 26 April 2004 22:20 (twenty-two years ago)

they put out swirl and bandit queen as well if my memory serves

― the surface noise (electricsound), Monday, 26 April 2004 23:32 (twenty-two years ago)

As well as a slew of Chameleons archival releases, for which I will be forever grateful.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 26 April 2004 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Good I wasn't wrong about the Chameleons connection in my memory, then. I also recall a compilation of bands doing Byrds covers? It had Ride...doing "Eight Miles High" I think. Some cover by Ride.

― bimble (bimble), Monday, 26 April 2004 23:53 (twenty-two years ago)

i wonder how favorably Burgess & Co. look upon Imaginary since that unauthorized 'Tony Fletcher' reissue on "Bone Idol" (Northern Songs).

― echoinggrove (echoinggrove), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 01:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Tribute albums

The Imaginary label did the one where various did Syd Barrett solo songs, the purpose being doing them as 'full band' arrangements whereas before they were skeletal by default. "Beyond the Wildwind" it was. You can't get this thesedays. And so, the modern tribute album was born. Many albums later, many different sources, mostly pointless as in 99% of cases, the original renditions were fine and dandy as they were.

Tributes tend to fall into 2 categories:
1) Way too faithful copies of the original
2) Way too quirky 'in our own way' rubbish re-evaluations.

Classic 1) - Tears for fears "Ashes to ashes" - it would take about one minute thirty into the track before you realise it's not David Bowie
Classic 2) EMF 'do' some track by shouting motherfucker over and over above some number one hit 'realignment' I dont even remember which one now...

(When I say Classic, I mean Dud there obv.)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 07:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I also recall a compilation of bands doing Byrds covers? It had Ride...doing "Eight Miles High" I think. Some cover by Ride.

I'm pretty sure that Ride weren't on that particular album. Stuck for who was actually on it though... Off the top of my head, all I can remember is The Cateran did 'My Baby Don't Care About Time' (if that's the title), Thin White Rope did 'Everybody's Been Burned', and err, Robyn Hitchcock & Peter Buck did 'Wild Mountain Thyme'. Wasn't it called Time Between?

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 08:20 (twenty-two years ago)

that mock turtles song 'can you dig it'? was first released on imaginary

― wretchedmatt (wretchedmatt), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 09:25 (twenty-two years ago)

that mock turtles song 'can you dig it'? was first released on imaginary

This is sort of true - it was on their Imaginary-released debut album Turtle Soup but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a single til they signed with, uh, whatever major it was in about 1990.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 09:35 (twenty-two years ago)

NickB, I remember that Byrds album, esp the Dinosaur Jr version of Feel A Whole Lot Better, which would have been brilliant, but they got some nerdy guy to sing loudly and badly all over the top of it, why???

― mzui, Tuesday, 27 April 2004 09:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yeah, that's right - it sounded like Big Bird.

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 10:04 (twenty-two years ago)

ride's 'eight miles high' was on 'through the looking glass 1966', imaginary 023

wasn't the nerdy guy j mascis?

― koogs (koogs), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 10:34 (twenty-two years ago)

the Opal song on the Syd Barrett tribute was brilliant

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 10:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I've got a Bill Nelson CD on Imaginary. It was a good label for a while, those tribute albums were sometimes great.

― Rob M (Rob M), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Only one band was any good: The Bachelor Pad

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 14:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I have a Green Telescope 45 on Imaginary, I think. That Barrett tribute wasn't too good (excepting that Opal track, which I finally slsk'd successfully last week,) nor the Beefheart one which I believe they did as well.

The Chills were on that Byrds one, right? I always wanted to hear their version of "Draft Morning," but never have.

― M Specktor, Tuesday, 27 April 2004 14:24 (twenty-two years ago)

they did a lot of fantastic "tribute" comps

the outlaw blues series (bob dylan covers by everyone from moose and the boo radleys to thurston lee and kim)

heaven and hell (vu covers including a fucking bang up cover of "sunday morning" by james, the sublime "she's my best friend" by gedge and the boys, and nirvana doing "here she comes now") i've been after volume 2 of this for a long time now with no luck

through the looking glass 196x (where they took a year and had 10 or so covers of the "bigger hits" from that year covered by a variety of largely-ignored-at-the-time-but-celebrated-now acts)

there was also a rolling stones cover/tribute album and a captain beefheart one

i'd love to find a discography but no such luck anywhere so far

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 17:42 (twenty-two years ago)

The "Eight Miles High" cover on Time Between was by The Moffs, about whom I know nothing other than that I think they were Australian.

― Snnap Dragon (snnap dragon), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 22:29 (twenty-two years ago)

moffs had one totally classic single ("another day in the sun") and a few not-quite-as-good subsequent singles and LPs

― the surface noise (electricsound), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 23:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I believe there were three Velvet Underground "Heaven and Hell" comps.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 29 April 2004 09:45 (twenty-two years ago)

yes there were... I've got one and three - been after two forever

― rentboy (rentboy), Thursday, 29 April 2004 10:09 (twenty-two years ago)

four months pass...

Just revisiting this thread and still marevelling at the lack of Imaginary Records info on the interweb.
I've just found an LP of Heaven and Hell Vol 2 on GEMM, but I've sworn to myself not to buy any more vinyl... it has Echo and the Bunnymen, Shelleyan Orphan, Fatima Mansions, Beef, Levellers, etc doing VU Covers

Also, that Ride version of "8 Miles High" mentioned above is on the Through The Looking Glass 1966 comp, not the Byrds tribute.

And EIL is charging crazy exorbitant prices for their Imaginary backstock - http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=268310
!!!

Also, here's a bit of what I put together. i've got more of these comps at home and will try to at least cobble together more info.

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

hmmm. that didn't work out quite as expected

A Tribute To The Velvet Underground Heaven And Hell Volume One 1990 UK 10-track LP, ILLUSION016)

1. Lady Godiva's Operation - Chapterhouse
2. Candy Says - The Telescopes
3. Here She Comes Now - Nirvana
4. She's My Best Friend - Wedding Present
5. All Tomorrows Parties - Buffalo Tom
6. Sunday Morning - James
7. What Goes On - Screaming Trees
8. Run Run Run - Motorcycle Boy
9. I'm Set Free - Terry Bickers & Bradliegh Smith
10. European Son - Ride

Heaven & Hell A Tribute to the VU, Vol 3

1 Jesus - SWERVEDRIVER
2 Ocean - ELEVENTH DREAM DAY
3 Beginning To See The Light - INTO PARADISE
4 Stephanie Says - LEE RENALDO
5 I Heard Her Call My Name - HALF JAPANESE
6 Who Loves The Sun - THE DYLANS
7 Head Held High - THE ORIGINAL SINS
8 I'm Set Free - NEW FAST AUTOMATIC DAFFODILS
9 I'm Sticking With You - JELLYFISH KISS
10 Sister Ray - BADGEMAN

Shangri-La - A Tribute To The Kinks (1989 UK 14-track LP ILLUSION003).

1. Turn To Flowers - Village Green Preservation Society
2. The Chesterfield Kings - Live Life
3. The Thanes - You Shouldn't Be Sad
4. The Fleshtones - Too Much On My Mind
5. The Cardiacs - Suzannah's Still Alive
6. The Mock Turtles - Big Sky
7. Wolfhounds - I'm Not Like Everybody Else
8. The Droogs - She's Got Everything
9. The Crocodile Shop - I Need You
10. The Thunderbyrds - This Strange Effect
11. The Cateran - Tired of Waiting
12. Patch-Up Boys - Big Black Smoke
13. The Reegs - See My Friends
14. Cud - Lola

Stoned Again (1990 Dutch 14-track LP featuring A Tribute To The Stones Great cartoon caricature picture sleeve! ILLUSION006).

1. Respectable - The Shop Assistants
2. Sympathy For The Devil - The Prudes
3. 2000 Light Years From Home - Dr Phibes
4. Child Of The Moon - The Bounty Hunters
5. Standing In The Shadow - The Bomb Party
6. Salt Of The Earth - Death Of Samantha
7. The Last Time - 3 Imaginary Boys
8. Under Cover Of The Night - What? Noise
9. Tell Me - The Henry Kaiser Band
10. Anjie - The Membranes
11. 19th Nervous Breakdown - The Thunderbirds
12. Gimme Shelter - Inspiral Carpets
13. As Tears Go By - The Waltones
14. Rocks Off - The Family Cat

Through The Looking Glass 1966, (UK 12-track compilation LP ILLUSION023).

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

The Bachelor Pad album "Tales of Hofmann" (ILLCD900) is fantastic. They are totally due some comprehensive reissuing.

― everything, Wednesday, 22 September 2004 19:07 (twenty-one years ago)

And EIL is charging crazy exorbitant prices for their Imaginary backstock

That doesn't surprise me considering they charge exorbitant prices for anything I've ever wanted in their stock. I don't even bother with them anymore. I know what you mean about refusing to buy vinyl, but sometimes I just can't help myself when things aren't on slsk and I worry I'll miss out on the LAST copy for sale on earth...

A poster by the name of koogs up above already cleared up that Ride was on Through The Looking Glass. I like your listings, though. I should probably give Bachelor Pad another listen.

― Bimble (bimble), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 19:26 (twenty-one years ago)

i'd like to second the Batchelor Pad love, the album and the two self released 12"s are great records which have been overlooked for two long. and they sure knew how to end a song!

― zappi (joni), Wednesday, 22 September 2004 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

http://www.bobsy.per.sg/imaginary.htm

― bobsy, Tuesday, 11 October 2005 02:08 (twenty years ago)

if anyone could provide me mp3s of the 1st 5 imaginary singles (except the mock turtles pomona) i'd be eternally grateful...

― bobsy, Tuesday, 11 October 2005 02:10 (twenty years ago)

I found a copy of the Imaginary compilation "Fifteen Minutes: A Tribute To The Velvet Underground" in Perth Library today. Listening to it now - it's ok. Tracklisting for anyone who wants it:

FIFTEEN MINUTES: A TRIBUTE TO THE VELVET UNDERGROUND
Various Artists
Imaginary - ILLCD047P

01 NIRVANA Here She Comes Now
02 SWERVEDRIVER Jesus
03 LEE RONALDO Stephanie Says (1.15.91)
04 BUFFALO TOM All Tomorrow's Parties
05 NEW F.A.D.S. I'm Set Free
06 FATIMA MANSIONS Lady Godiva's Operation
07 JAMES Sunday Morning
08 ELEVENTH DREAM DAY Ocean
09 ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN Foggy Notion
10 SCREAMING TREES What Goes On
11 THE WEDDING PRESENT She's My Friend
12 HALF JAPANESE I Heard Her Call My Name
13 THE MOCK TURTLES Pale Blue Eyes
14 RIDE European Son

― Michael Lambert (Michael Lambert), Thursday, 20 October 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

http://www.bobsy.per.sg/imaginary.htm

-- bobsy (bobsy...), October 10th, 2005 11:08 PM.

wow, bobsy's done god's work here and i'd missed it until just now.
nice one

― rentboy (rentboy), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 22:29 (twenty years ago)

five months pass...

Forty releases on Imaginary. Loads of real collectables. Reading above The Mock Turtles released lay Me Down as a 12" on the label that did reasonably well. Other bands of note were Cud, The Prudes, Benny Profane (Ex The Room) Blammo, Cherryblades, Chemistry Set and the Reegs (Reg from the Chameleons. Reg and Dave Fielding also did artwork and PR

If Anyone wants a full discography - give me a shout.

Tim

― Telford Soul Boy, Monday, 15 May 2006 11:06 (twenty years ago)

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