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Born Stiff: The Stiff Records Collection
Steve Ellis
Time to take a long, hard look in the vaults
 
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While a great introduction to Stiff, this collection also dilutes the label's reputation: the inclusion of three widely-available Madness hits at the expense of some lesser-known gems making the mind boggle. With two each from Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, The Damned and Ten Pole Tudor, Born Stiff somewhat paints an incorrect picture of a limited back catalogue, which isn't true at all.
That said, you can't fault the music that is included: Wreckless Eric's "Whole Wide World" and Lene Lovich's "Lucky Number" both remain pop classics, while Max Wall's "England's Glory" and Devo's "Jocko Homo" help to highlight the label's diversity. Henry Priestman's "Don't You Love Me No More (R.E.D.U.N.D.A.N.T.)" brings things up to date, but you're still left wondering who this compilation is aimed at. Anyone with an interest in the label will already have the splendid Big Stiff Box Set, while there's also a superlative series of back catalogue reissues out there… which suggests that this is for the Tesco Christmas shoppers. Isn't that the antithesis of what Stiff was about?
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Clipping.
Cover and contents page.
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Magazine scans thanks to Fulvio Fiore.
External links
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