About Me
Tim Buckley
Tim Buckley is in a long line of true originals that signed to Elektra in the 60s. Jac Holzman signed him on the strength of a six-track demo, smitten by an exquisite voice that simply got better, expanding in its range and scale of expectation. After the introductory Tim Buckley, which glimpsed at what was to come, 1967’s Goodbye And Hello was an intricate, elaborately arranged series of poetic songs capped by the epic title track and haunting “Once I Was” and “Morning Glory.”
By Happy Sad, barely a year later, Buckley's voice had become an instrument in itself, free of convention and set in a more laid back, jazzier context - looser and dreamier. It was Tim Buckley’s equivalent to Miles Davis’ A Kind Of Blue.
Tim Buckley’s ambition was fuelled by a voice that could take him anywhere. His original fans found themselves even more puzzled by the even more daring improvisations of his final Elektra release, Lorca. He had now completely abandoned his folk troubadour beginnings. For Tim Buckley, it was always about the music and even the forward-thinking Jac Holzman admits he failed to understand and appreciate Tim Buckley’s final Elektra masterpiece, Lorca, until years later.
Third Eye Blind
Fronted by singer/guitarist Stephan Jenkins, the San Francisco-based Third Eye Blind signed with Elektra in 1996 after a major label bidding war inspired by the band’s hook-laden demos, as well as by Jenkins’s production of The Braids’ internationally successful cover version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
When Third Eye Blind was released in 1997, its shiny, arena-sized pop/rock stood out in the post-grunge era and tracks like “Jumper,” “How It’s Going To Be,” and the #1 Modern Rock blockbuster, “Semi-Charmed Life,” were ever-present at a range of pop and rock radio formats. The latter single – written by Jenkins as a San Francisco response to Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side” – was one of the defining hits of the ‘90s, reaching the top 5 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” and appearing on a number of major motion picture soundtracks.
Third Eye Blind ultimately went on to six-times-platinum certification by the RIAA, 3eb’s biggest-seller by far. 1999 saw the release of the platinum-certified Blue, but during the band’s subsequent tour, founding lead guitarist/co-songwriter Kevin Cadogan asked to leave the group. Third Eye Blind’s third and final Elektra release, Out On The Vein, followed in 2003, now featuring lead guitarist Tony Fredianelli. After a six-year hiatus, 3eb returned in 2009 with a new album, released on the band’s own Mega Collider label.
They Might Be Giants
John Linnell and John Flansburgh – or, as they are alternatively known, “The Two Johns” and “John and John” – formed They Might Be Giants in 1981 and soon built a cult following from their base in Brooklyn via a Dial-A-Song service (premiering a new song every day on their answering machine), featuring the accordion as a lead instrument.
The Grammy Award-winning duo, who first met as teenagers growing up in Lincoln, Massachusetts, released two albums on the indie label Bar/None that virtually defined the word “quirky” – 1986’s eponymous debut and 1988’s Lincoln. Both albums instantly became college radio staples, with the inventive, no-budget videos for “Don’t Let’s Start” and “Ana Ng” receiving extensive MTV play.
Elektra’s Sue Drew signed They Might Be Giants in 1989 and their major label debut, Flood, followed in January 1990. The album was a landmark work of the burgeoning alternative era, with beyond-clever singles like “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” and the top 3 Modern Rock favorite, “Birdhouse In Your Soul,” pushing the collection to RIAA platinum certification for sales exceeding 1 million.
1992’s Apollo 18 saw John and John escalating their simple sound to include more traditional rock ‘n’ roll instrumentation. John Henry, the duo’s next album, released in 1994, took things ever farther, with TMBG now credited as a full-fledged band. Two years later, their sixth and final Elektra release, entitled Factory Showroom, saw the duo delving into the more experimental side of their nature.
Since then, TMBG have pioneered a number of musical fronts, from innovative use of the Internet to children’s music to soundtrack composition. Among their many contributions to film and television are “Dog On Fire,” the Bob Mould-composed theme to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and “Boss Of Me,” their own Grammy Award-winning theme from the hit sitcom, Malcolm In The Middle.
Theodore Bikel
Born in Vienna before moving to Palestine at the age of 13, Theodore Bikel arrived in New York from London where he had already begun to make a name for himself as an actor. He made his Broadway debut in 1955 in The Love of Four Colonels, before making his film debut in The African Queen two years later.
At the time, Bikel had no ambition to record, but Jac Holzman saw him perform at a Greenwich Village party where “he blew the lid off the place.” Holzman suggested he record an album of Israeli folk songs, released in 1955 as Folk Songs Of Israel. It began a long, 15-album partnership between Bikel and Elektra that lasted until 1967.
Bikel’s Israeli series and, a few years later two albums of Russian folk song: 1958’s Songs Of A Russian Gypsy and the 1960 album Songs Of Russia Old And New, both cut from the same cloth, were easily among Elektra’s best selling albums of the 50’s.
Theodore Bikel’s consistently healthy record sales gave Elektra financial stability, but had a greater importance to Jac Holzman. “Theo’s success was critical in so many ways. Besides Josh White, he was the first person whose name on an Elektra album would encourage someone to pick it up and look at it twice.”
The Sugarcubes
Sykurmolarnir – or, as they became famous around the world, The Sugarcubes – officially formed on June 8, 1986, the same day co-vocalist Björk Gundsmunsdottir gave birth to her son, Sindri.
Björk was already a veteran on the Icelandic music scene, having first made a children’s record at the age of 11 followed by a stint as singer in the post-punk combo, Tappi Tikarrass. By 1984, she had teamed with singer/trumpeter Einar Örn Benediktsson, drummer Siggi Baldursson, and keyboardist Einar Mellax as the ultra-noisy KUKL. In 1986, the avant-garde collective reconfigured itself as The Sugarcubes, adding Björk's then-husband Thor Eldon on guitar and Bragi Ólafsson on bass.
The band’s swirling psychedelic sound was highlighted by whimsical lyricism, angular hooks, and the trademark vocal tug of war between Björk’s dulcet tones and Einar’s barking provocation. Released in the UK by the independent One Little Indian label, the band’s extraordinary debut, “Birthday,” became 1987’s most celebrated single, hitting the #1 spot on DJ John Peel’s influential year-end “Festive Fifty.”
Elektra struck a deal with One Little Indian and The Sugarcubes released their debut album, Life’s Too Good, in 1988. Songs like “Motorcrash” and “Deus” were off-kilter, deliciously quirky, and unlike anything most Americans had ever heard before. With “Birthday” scoring significant college radio play, The Sugarcubes – especially the pixyish Björk – became instant alternative icons.
Mellax left the band just as they were to begin recording their sophomore record and was replaced by Eldon’s new wife, Magga Örnólfsdóttir. Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week! arrived in 1989, highlighted by the smash Modern Rock track, “Regina.” 1992’s Stick Around For Joy would prove The Sugarcubes’ swan song, though it did yield a #1 Modern Rock hit in the appropriately titled, “Hit.”
The Sugarcubes dissolved shortly thereafter, though the group members remain friendly and continue to be involved in the running of their Bad Taste, Ltd. label. In addition to Björk’s groundbreaking solo career, the other Sugarcubes are actively involved in the thriving Icelandic music scene, where they stand proud as true pioneers and revered elder statesman.
The Stooges
Jac Holzman wondered what he had signed when he first saw the Stooges play to just seven people at a home gig in Detroit - they were terrible, with no obvious material. He insisted the group write original material. On April 1st, 1969 in a small New York studio apartment the Stooges recorded their monumental debut, The Stooges. The album was subsequently unleashed during the weekend of the Woodstock Festival. The album was produced by The Velvet Underground’s John Cale, fresh from arranging Nico’s deathly The Marble Index for Elektra. The Stooges uncompromising debut unveiled punk classics “No Fun,” “1969,” and “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” all written in a single evening.
A second album, Fun House, was recorded in LA. This time all material was first road tested and then blasted out live in the studio. Fun House was another full on torrent of sound that contained the punk classics “TV Eye” and “Down On The Street.”
At first, the Stooges were not taken seriously, probably due to singer Iggy Pop’s “outrageous” stage performance, which defined the punk image for generations to come. The Stooges’ Elektra albums, initially misunderstood, would soon have a far-reaching impact that has not diminished to this day.
The Rembrandts
By the time they came together as the Rembrandts, band members Danny Wilde and Phil Solem were already well-established artists. Wilde first tasted success in the mid-1970s as a member of the cult power pop combo, The Quick, later joining Solem in the critically acclaimed New Wave outfit, Great Buildings. The two musicians reunited in 1989 and quickly scored with the top 20 hit, “Just The Way It Is, Baby.”
In 1994, the Rembrandts’ performance of “I’ll Be There For You” was featured as the theme song for the smash NBC sitcom, Friends. The song began getting major national airplay, forcing Wilde and Solem to record a full-length version for inclusion on their 1995 EastWest release, L.P. While not initially released as a single, “I’ll Be There for You” went on to become one of 1995’s biggest hits, topping Billboard’s “Hot 100 Airplay” chart for eight weeks. In addition, L.P. received platinum certification from the RIAA for sales exceeding 1 million units.
The Grammy Award-nominated duo parted ways in 1997 but soon reconvened to record a number of further Rembrandts albums. On his own, Wilde is an in-demand songwriter and producer, working with such up-and-coming young bands as Plain White T’s and Evan & Jaron.
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was crucial to Elektra’s shift from folk and blues into rock. The core group included spellbinding guitarist Mike Bloomfield, led by harmonica man Paul Butterfield.
Bloomfield and Butterfield backed Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 where by famously plugging in, Dylan pointed to the future for those prepared to listen. The Butterfield Band’s self-titled debut that same year was already motivating young white kids to play high-energy electric blues.
The band’s second album East-West spun off into an entirely different direction, its long improvisational jams, notably the raga-tinged “East-West,” more Ravi Shankar and John Coltrane than Muddy Waters. It was the last album by the classic original line up and by the end of the 60’s, first Bloomfield, then the rest of the group had moved on. Butterfield continued to record for Elektra until 1971.
The Limeliters
Of the many groups that sprung up in the wake of the phenomenal success of The Kingston Trio, The Limeliters were among the more authentic interpreters of folk in a sea of bland, college friendly sound-alike groups.
Singer Glenn Yarbrough, had also been at St John’s College with Holzman, and among their fellow students they were voted as the two least likely to succeed. Yarbrough had already released two albums for Elektra: Here We Go Baby! in 1957 (later renamed Glenn Yarbrough); and, with Marilyn Child, English And American Folksongs before he began performing at the Limelite club in Aspen, Colorado with Alex Hassilev. They teamed up with musicologist and bass player Lou Gottlieb, once with the influential Gateway Singers. The trio soon built up a reputation for music in California’s top clubs Cosmo Alley and the hungry I.
All three were fine instrumentalists, but they also delivered a highly entertaining stage act. The Limeliters also harboured pop ambitions, Elektra releasing “The Hammer Song” as a single, then unusual for the label. It made no impact but the group’s debut album, The Limeliters, gave Elektra its first ever chart album, reaching a lofty Number 72.
The Dillards
Jim Dickson, an LA-based producer, who would later manage The Byrds, brought the Dillards to Elektra. The group recorded the first of five albums for Elektra, Pickin’ And Fiddlin’, in 1963.
Elektra was no stranger to the top instrumentalists who regularly played bluegrass in Washington Square on weekends, but The Dillards hailed from Missouri even if their appeal was to the same urban-folk market. They were already known nationally as regular guests on TV, appearing as The Darling Family on the networked Andy Griffith Show.
The Dillards, featured brothers Rodney on guitar and dobro and Doug (who later teamed up with Gene Clark) on banjo, and recorded two further, spirited bluegrass records for Elektra before leaving the label in 1964. A few years later they were re-signed, by which time The Dillards had moved beyond bluegrass in a more country rock direction.
Wheatstraw Suite, released in 1968, and a couple of years later, Copperfields, skilfully and cleverly stretched the conventions of the genre though still resting on their same brilliant musicianship and keen harmonies.
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