Bong Load Records is an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

originally based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

which was founded by producers

Tom Rothrock Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

and

Rob Schnapf Rob Schnapf is an American record producer and musician. He was the co-producer (along with Tom Rothrock) of Elliott Smith's albums ''Either/Or'', '' XO'' (on which he also played guitar on the song " Baby Britain"), ''Figure 8'' and ''From a ...

and partner Bradshaw Lambert. Much of the Bong Load Records catalog is released in small quantities. Several bands have very rare releases that are much sought after and command high prices at auctions. Bong Load Records relaunched on its 25th anniversary in 2016 with limited edition vinyl releases. Tom Rothrock sums up the label "Our core philosophy of the indie label was always about making high quality music with artists who have dedicated their lives to their craft – artists who otherwise might not have been heard."

History

One of Bong Load Records' biggest signings was

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

in 1991. Beck's " Loser" single became the first number one, non-major label single since FM radio became mainstream. In 1998, Beck recorded the album ''

Mutations In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, mi ...

'' intended for release on Bong Load Records but it was eventually released on the Geffen label. There were a series of lawsuits between Beck, Bong Load and Geffen, settled in 1999, which led to Beck's renegotiation with Geffen. Beck released multiple titles on Bong Load including ''Loser'', ''

Mellow Gold ''Mellow Gold'' is the third studio album by American musician Beck, released on March 1, 1994 by DGC Records. Critics noted the album's hybrid of various styles including rock, hip hop, folk, blues, psychedelia, and country, as well as iron ...

'', ''

Odelay ''Odelay'' is the fifth studio album by American musician Beck, released on June 18, 1996, by DGC Records. The album featured several successful singles, including " Where It's At", "Devils Haircut", and "The New Pollution", and peaked at number s ...

'', ''

'' and ''

Midnite Vultures ''Midnite Vultures'' is the seventh studio album by American musician Beck, released on November 23, 1999 by DGC Records. While similar to most of Beck's previous albums in its exploration of widely varying styles, it did not achieve the same bloc ...

''. Other notable bands from the original Bong Load Custom Records include

Wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

Kyuss Kyuss ( ) was an American rock band, formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1987. The band disbanded in 1995, and since then, members of Kyuss have gone on to form or play in several notable bands including Queens of the Stone Age, Fu Manchu, D ...

The Obsessed The Obsessed is an American heavy metal band from Potomac, Maryland, led by Scott "Wino" Weinrich. The band combines elements of doom metal, stoner rock, and punk rock. Formed in 1980, they recorded a few demos and played a handful of liv ...

Fatso Jetson Fatso Jetson is an American desert rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1994 by Yawning Man members Mario Lalli and Larry Lalli, along with Tony Tornay. They are often credited as the fathers of the desert strain of stoner rock la ...

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

The Eels Eels (often typeset as eels or EELS) is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991 by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Oliver Everett, known by the stage name E. Band members have changed over the years, b ...

, L7,

R.L. Burnside R. L. Burnside (November 23, 1926 – September 1, 2005) was an American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. He played music for much of his life but received little recognition before the early 1990s. In the latter half of that decade, Burn ...

and

Lutefisk ''Lutefisk'' (Norwegian, in Northern and parts of Central Norway, in Southern Norway; sv, lutfisk ; fi, lipeäkala ; literally "lye fish") is dried whitefish (normally cod, but ling and burbot are also used). It is made from aged stockfi ...

Stoner rock Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sleep. ...

band

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, comic ...

released their first two albums via Bong Load Records. In 2007, Rothrock briefly relaunched the label with a series of releases, including his own instrumental album ''Resonator''. In July 2016, Bong Load Records announced a relaunch of the label, now based in Las Vegas, with 7 limited edition vinyl releases:

The Killers The Killers are an American rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingd ...

('' Sam’s Town'' - 10th Anniversary reissue),

Mark Stoermer Mark August Stoermer (born June 28, 1977) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the bassist for the rock band the Killers, with whom he has recorded six studio albums. In addition to his work with the Killers, Stoermer ha ...

(''Dark Arts''),

Masters of Reality Masters of Reality is an American rock band formed in 1981 by frontman Chris Goss and guitarist Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York, United States. They took the name for the band from a misprinted label of the third Black Sabbath album. G ...

('' Deep In The Hole'' - 15th Anniversary reissue - features

Chris Goss Christopher Ryan Goss (born August 17, 1958) is an American record producer and musician. Best known for producing records for Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, he is regarded as an important figure in the development of stoner rock and deser ...

and guests

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the St ...

Josh Homme Joshua Michael Homme ( ; born May 17, 1973) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the founder, primary songwriter, and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he form ...

and members of

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line- ...

and Kyuss) Elliott Smith ('' Figure 8'', '' XO'') and Beck (''Odelay'' (20th Anniversary reissue), ''Mellow Gold'').

Discography

2016

* The Killers ''Sam's Town'' (10 Year Anniversary 2LP) * Mark Storemer ''Dark Arts'' * Masters of Reality ''Deep In The Hole'' (15 Year Anniversary LP) * Elliott Smith ''Figure 8'' (2016 reissue) * Elliott Smith ''XO'' (2016 reissue) * Beck ''Mellow Gold'' (2016 reissue) * Beck ''Odelay'' (20 Year Anniversary LP)

2007

* Tom Rothrock ''Resonator'' * Roman Carter ''Never Slow Down''

2001

* Phil Tagliere ''Slow'' * Richard Thompson ''Action Packed'' * Various ''Acid Blues Remix 30 Daz'' * Various ''Random Hostile Takeover'' * Project K ''Testing Underway ''

2000

* Beck ''Midnite Vultures'' * Elliott Smith ''Figure 8'' * Eels ''Daisies of the Galaxy'' * Dieselhed ''Chico and the Flute''

1999

* Various ''Stoned Again: A Bong Long Records Collection '' * Richard Thompson ''Mock Tudor'' * L7 ''Slap Happy'' *

Fireball Ministry Fireball Ministry is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1999. Biography Formed in Cincinnati in the late 1990s by James A. Rota II and Emily Burton, Fireball Ministry moved to New York City before settling in ...

''Ou est la Rock?'' * Poolside ''Indyglow'' * Dieselhed ''Elephant Rest Home'' * Jon Brown ''70 Years Coming'' (Acid Blues Label) * Mountain Con ''MC Stands for Revolution'' (Acid Blues Label) * Slo-Mo ''Novelty'' (Acid Blues Label)

1998

* Beck ''Mutations'' * Fatso Jetson ''Toasted'' * Famous Monsters ''In The Night'' * Elliott Smith ''XO'' * Sexy Death Soda ''California Police State'' * Sexy Death Soda ''Janitor Strike'' * R.L. Burnside ''Roolin' & Tumblin' '' * Plastilina Mosh ''Aquamosh''

1996

* Beck ''Odelay'' * Lutefisk ''Burn in Hell Fuckers'' *

Andy Kaulkin Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. While Epitaph's focus has mostly been on punk rock, Anti-'s roster includes gospel ( Mavis Staples), country (Merle Haggard), hip hop (Sage Francis, The C ...

''Six Foot Seven & Rising'' * Lutefisk ''Tin Man's Cue'' * Kyuss/Wool Split 7" ''Shine/Short Term Memory Loss'' * Crutch ''Sold By Weight'' * Vitamade ''Everything You Need''

1995

* Thrush Hermit ''Take Another Drag'' * Quinine ''Regrets Only'' * Lutefisk ''Deliver from Porcelain: Themes & Variations'' * The Obsessed ''Altamont Nation'' * Fu Manchu ''Daredevil'' * Vitamade ''Vitamade'' * Lutefisk ''Aerosol''

1994

* Crutch ''Disgrunted Employee'' * Beck ''Mellow Gold'' * Beck ''Steve Threw Up'' * Fu Manchu ''No One Rides For Free'' * Wool ''Box Set LP w/7"''

1993

* Beck ''Loser'' * Wool ''Kill the Crow'' * My Favorite Martian ''When The Anger's Too Strong'' * Carnival of Souls ''Late Bloomer''

1992

* Muzza Chunka ''Loaded'' * Wool ''Mayday'' * Further ''Filling Station'' * Grimace ''Quagmire''

1991

* Muzza Chunka ''This is a Chicken Lamp''

References

External links

Official Bong Load Records Site
{{Authority control Alternative rock record labels American independent record labels Indie rock record labels Record labels based in California Record labels established in 1996