Imaginary Records was 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 ...

based in Heywood,

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tamesid ...

, England, which specialised mainly in

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...

. It was started in 1985 by Alan Duffy, known for his lyrical contributions to Porcupine Tree's first two albums, '' On the Sunday of Life'' and '' Up the Downstair'', and Andy Hopkins.Palmer, Robert (1989)
RECORDINGS; Rock's Icons: Hero Today, Homage Tomorrow
, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 15 October 1989. Retrieved 6 August 2015 The label released many albums by the Chameleons and related bands, including the Reegs, and Mark Burgess' Zima Junction. The label also released a number of artist tribute albums, on which contemporary acts recorded cover versions of influential artists such as

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacL ...

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole con ...

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

, and

Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognit ...

, leading to Duffy being described as a "tribute entrepreneur".Lola
, cudband.com. Retrieved 6 August 2015 Contributors to this series of albums included

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of th ...

, the Membranes,

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo. ...

, Echo & the Bunnymen, XTC, Dinosaur Jr., Ride, Screaming Trees and Buffalo Tom. The albums were released in the US by Communion Records.

Discography

Albums

Tiny Lights Tiny Lights was a music group formed by John Hamilton (guitar/vocals) and Donna Croughn (vocals/electric violin) in 1985. Original members include Dave Dreiwitz (bass/trumpet), Jane Scarpantoni (cello), John Mastro (drums). Based in Hoboken, Ne ...

- ''Hot Chocolate Massage'' (ILLCD 011) *

The Mock Turtles The Mock Turtles are an English indie rock band, formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, in 1985, who enjoyed some success in the early 1990s. Their most famous song " Can You Dig It?", which was released in the UK in 1991, charted at numb ...

- '' Turtle Soup'' (ILLCD 012) * Cud - '' Elvis Belt'' (ILLCD 013) *Various - ''Outlaw Blues - A Tribute to Bob Dylan'' (ILLCD 014) *The Beat Poets - ''Totally Radio'' (ILLCD 015) *Various - '' Heaven & Hell - A Tribute To The Velvet Underground (Volume One)'' (ILLCD 016) *Various - '' Heaven & Hell - A Tribute To The Velvet Underground (Volume Two)'' (ILLCD 017) *Spiral Jetty - ''Dog star'' (ILLCD 018) *

- ''87-90'' (ILLCD 019) *The Infant God - ''Puberty'' (ILLCD 020) * Cud - ''

Leggy Mambo ''Leggy Mambo'' (1990) is the second studio album by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud and released through Imaginary Records Imaginary Records was an independent record label based in Heywood, Greater Manchester, England, which specialised m ...

'' (ILLCD 021) *Various - '' Heaven & Hell - A Tribute To The Velvet Underground (Volume Three)'' (ILLCD 022) *Various - ''Through the Looking Glass - 1966'' (ILLCD 023) *

Bill Nelson Clarence William Nelson II (born September 29, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nelson previously served as a United States Senator from Flo ...

- ''Luminous'' (ILLCD 024) *Various - '' 1965 - Through the Looking Glass'' (ILLCD 025) *Various - ''Brittle Days - A Tribute to Nick Drake'' (ILLCD 026) *

The Rhythm Sisters The Rhythm Sisters is an English acoustic/ pop duo from Leeds which formed in 1987. The same year, they released the album ''Road to Roundhay Pier''.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 483 Sisters Mandi and ...

- ''Willerby'' (ILLCD 027) *The Cherryblades - ''In Dependence'' (ILLCD 028) *The Reegs - ''Return of the Sea Monkeys'' (ILLCD 029) *The Prudes - ''Designer Karma'' (ILLCD 030) *Various - ''Out of Time - The Very Best of the Imaginary Tribute Series'' (ILLCD 031) *Various - ''Through the Looking Glass - 1968'' (ILLCD 032) *Various - ''You Done My Brain In - A Tribute to the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band'' (ILLCD 033) *Various - '' Seconds Out Round One - Live Hit The North Sessions'' (ILLCD 034) * The Chameleons - ''Here Today ... Gone Tomorrow'' (ILLCD 035) * The Chameleons - ''Live in Toronto'' (ILLCD 036) * The Chameleons - ''Here Today ... Gone Tomorrow/Live In Toronto'' (ILLCD 037) * The Chameleons - ''Free Trade Hall Rehearsal'' (ILLCD 039) *Various - ''Outlaw Blues - A Tribute to Bob Dylan (Volume Two)'' (ILLCD 040) * The Chameleons - ''Dali's Picture'' (ILLCD 041) * The Chameleons - ''Auffuhrung In Berlin'' (ILLCD 042) * The Chameleons - ''Dali's Picture / Live In Berlin'' (ILLCD 043) * Mark Burgess and the Sons of God - ''Zima Junction'' (ILLCD 044) *The Reegs - ''Rock the Magic Rock'' (ILLCD 045) *Who By Fire - ''Road Movie'' (ILLCD 046) *Various - ''Fifteen Minutes - A Tribute to The Velvet Underground'' (ILLCD 047P) *Various - '' Beyond the Wildwood - A Tribute To Syd Barrett'' (ILLCD 100) *Various - '' Fast 'n' Bulbous - A Tribute to Captain Beefheart'' (ILLCD 200) *Various - ''Shangri-La - A Tribute to the Kinks'' (ILLCD 300) *Various - '' Time Between - A Tribute to The Byrds'' (ILLCD 400) * Cud - ''

When In Rome, Kill Me When in Rome, Kill Me is the debut album by the Leeds-based indie rock band Cud and released through Imaginary Records The album was recorded during March 1989 at the Woodhouse Studios in Leeds with Alaric Neville and Richard Formby handling pr ...

'' (ILLCD 500) *Various - '' Stoned Again - A Tribute to the Rolling Stones'' (ILLCD 600) * Benny Profane – ''Dumb Luck Charm/Trapdoor Swing'' (ILLCD 700) *Various - ''If 6 Was 9 - A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix'' (ILLCD 800) *The Bachelor Pad - ''Tales of Hofmann'' (ILLCD 900) *Various - ''Through the Looking Glass - 1967'' (ILLCD 1000)

EPs

* The Stairs - ''Last Time Around Stairs'' (MIRACD 040) * The Chemistry Set - ''(Don't) Turn Away EP'' (MIRACD 026) * The Chemistry Set - ''The Candleburns EP'' (MIRACD 030)

References

External links

* {{Authority control British independent record labels Indie rock record labels

Discography

Albums

EPs

See also

References

External links