I'm a collector of Elvis Costello records and was curious to see that you list a copy of his debut LP, My Aim Is True, at a whopping price of £150. I have several copies of this LP pressed in different countries but have yet to find one with the "Help us hype Elvis" sheet inside. Is it really worth this much?
— Stephen Ambrose, via email
Set up by Jake Riviera in 1976, Stiff was originally a mail-order label but soon secured shop distribution and began to issue a seminal run of early singles and LPs that ranged from Nick Lowe to the first UK punk single by the Damned to Elvis Costello.
With little money the label took a rather jolly approach to promotion that even extended to the matrixes on their records. For example, the first Elvis Costello single was "Less Than Zero"/"Radio Sweetheart" (BUY 11, £10), released in March 1977 with "ELVIS IS KING ON THIS SIDE TOO" etched onto the A-side and "ELVIS IS KING" etched onto the B-side, which makes you wonder if it was originally intended to be the A-side.
When it came to the second single, "Alison"/"Welcome To The Working Week" (BUY 14, May 1977, £10), the run-out groove read, "ELVIS JOINS THE FBI / JUST GOOD FRIEND ROCK" on the A and "ELVIS IS KING" again etched onto the B. On the third single, "Red Shoes"/"Mystery Dance" (BUY 15 July 1977, £6), "HELP US HYPE ELVIS / HE'S GONNA BE A ★" and "ELVIS IS KING BELIEVE IT" were etched onto the run-out grooves.
The label also pointed buyers to his debut LP My Aim Is True (SEEZ 3), released a week later on 22 July. The first thousand copies of the LP — including those sent out to journalists and DJs — contained a flyer that had demanded that they "HELP US HYPE ELVIS" and asked buyers to send in the address of a friend so Stiff could send them a free copy — "you pay the postage. We send the album." As this was 1977 the postage cost was 23p! Typical of Stiff's fun approach, the flyer ended with the admonishment that, "This offer does not apply to Island Records executives, groupies, liggers, Elvis Costello and employees of Stiff."
The album got great reviews and sold strongly and a Mint copy with the "Help Us Hype Elvis" flyer is worth in the region of £150 as there are very few around. Finally, the first pressing of the LP had a black and white photo and a yellow back — when the LP began to shift Stiff printed the sleeve with different coloured rear sleeves.
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