Lost Labels Podcast

Best known as the guitarist for Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Ivan Julian helped to shape the sound of punk rock as we know it. Having first toured as a teenager with British soul group the Foundations, Julian quickly became an integral member of the late-1970s New York City music scene when he appeared on the Voidoids' classic Blank Generation. After the demise of the Voidoids, Julian went on to form the Outsets and Lovelies, in addition to appearing on the Clash's Sandinista, performing with everyone from Sandra Bernhard to Matthew Sweet, and becoming heavily involved in production. Today Julian runs SuperGiraffeSound in Brooklyn. Today, the Voidoids' seminal releases on Ork, Sire, and Radar Records remain essential listening.

Despite having only released one John Cale-produced EP on the short-lived SPY Records, the mark Model Citizens left on the late-1970s New York music scene is undeniable. In this two-part episode we will be speaking with Steven Alexander and Eugenie Diserio, two of the founding members of Model Citizens.

Despite having only released one John Cale-produced EP on the short-lived SPY Records, the mark Model Citizens left on the late-1970s New York music scene is undeniable. In this two-part episode we will be speaking with Steven Alexander and Eugenie Diserio, two of the founding members of Model Citizens.

Although best known as a producer, Clive Langer's short-lived group Clive Langer & the Boxes put out an exceptional EP on Radar Records in 1979 and a full-length on F-Beat the following year. In this episode, we also talk to Mr. Langer about his time with the Liverpool-based Deaf School, the seminal punk group Big In Japan, and his later production work alongside Alan Winstanley. 

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Despite seminal releases from Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello, Radar Records has not retained the same sort of cultural cache as concurrent labels like Stiff, Bomp!, or Ork. Despite its short lifespan (1978-1981) and relative obscurity today, a deeper look into Radar’s discography reveals a fascinating blend of cutting-edge British punk and new wave (Yachts, Bram Tchaikovsky), ahead-of-their-time American imports (Good Rats, Pezband, Pere Ubu), and new material from rockabilly and psychedelic pioneers (Ray Campi, Red Krayola). One off-singles from Richard Hell and the Soft Boys, as well as French pioneers Métal Urbain, are still indispensable today. The end result is a body of work much more consistent and cohesive than other labels were able to manage. 

For every Radar album that broke into the mainstream—namely the “big four” of Jesus of Cool, Labour of Lust, This Year’s Model, and Armed Forces—there are several albums equally-deserving of a modern reappraisal. Clive Langer & the Boxes' I Want The Whole World is one of those releases.