Zoo Records

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This article is about the British independent record label, for the American record label, see Zoo Entertainment.
Zoo Records
Founded 1978
Founder David Balfe
Bill Drummond
Genre Alternative rock
Country of origin United Kingdom
Location Liverpool, England

Zoo Records was a British independent record label formed by Bill Drummond and David Balfe in 1978. Zoo was launched in order to release the work of the perennially struggling Liverpool band, Big in Japan (the label's first release being the From Y To Z and Never Again EP). The label went on to release early work from The Teardrop Explodes and Echo & the Bunnymen. The label also released the first single "Iggy Pops Jacket" by the Liverpool band "Those Naughty Lumps".

Only two albums were released on the label: a Scott Walker compilation put together by Julian Cope, called "Fire Escape in the Sky", and a label compilation called "To the Shores of Lake Placid", which was re-released in 1995 with extra tracks and called "The Zoo Uncaged 1978-1982". Intrigingly, "Fire Escape in the Sky" had the catalogue number "Zoo Two", while "To the Shores of Lake Placid" had "Zoo Four". "Zoo One" was scheduled to be the Teardrop Explodes album "Kilimanjaro" (later released on Mercury Records) while "Zoo Three" was to be the same band's album "Wilder" (or perhaps the 'never released album "Everyone wants to shag the Teardrop Explodes"').

[edit] To the Shores of Lake Placid

Zoo Label:Uncaged, a 1995 compilation of Zoo releases.
Zoo Label:Uncaged, a 1995 compilation of Zoo releases.

Track listing

  • Side one
  1. "Society For Cutting Up Men" - Big In Japan
  2. "Iggy Pop's Jacket" - Those Naughty Lumps
  3. "When I Dream" - The Teardrop Explodes
  4. "The Pictures on My Wall" - Echo & the Bunnymen
  5. "Read It In Books" - Echo & the Bunnymen
  6. "Lonely Spy" - Lori And The Chameleons
  7. "The Winds" - The Turqoise Swimming Pools
  • Side two
  1. "Kwalo Klobinsky's Lullaby" - Whopper
  2. "A Suicide" - Dalek (I Love You)
  3. "Burst Balloons" - The Turquoise Swimming Pools
  4. "Camera, Camera" - The Teardrop Explodes
  5. "Suicide A Go Go" - Big In Japan
  6. "Villiers Terrace" - Echo & the Bunnymen
  7. "Take A Chance" - The Teardrop Explodes

Re-release CD track listing

  1. "Suicide A Go Go" - Big In Japan
  2. "Nothing Special" - Big In Japan
  3. "Iggy Pop's Jacket" - Those Naughty Lumps
  4. "Pure and Innocent" - Those Naughty Lumps
  5. "Sleeping Gas" - The Teardrop Explodes
  6. "Camera Camera" - The Teardrop Explodes
  7. "The Pictures On My Wall" - Echo And The Bunnymen
  8. "Bouncing Babies" - The Teardrop Explodes
  9. "Touch" - Lori & The Chameleons
  10. "Love On The Ganges" - Lori & The Chameleons
  11. "To See You" - Expelaires
  12. "Frequency" - Expelaires
  13. "Treason" - The Teardrop Explodes
  14. "Books" - The Teardrop Explodes
  15. "Revolutionary Spirit" - The Wild Swans
  16. "God Forbid" - The Wild Swans
  17. "Society For Cutting Up Young Men" - Big In Japan
  18. "Taxi" - Big In Japan
  19. "Cindy And The Barbi Dolls" - Big In Japan

[edit] References