Tiger Lily Records
Parent companyRoulette Records
FoundedLate 1960s
FounderMorris Levy
Country of originUSA
Location40 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019

The United States version of Tiger Lily Records was a record label that was run by Roulette Records founder Morris Levy.[1] Purportedly it was a tax scam created by Levy and was never intended to make a profit.[2][3][4][5] Tiger Lily's primary modus operandi was to acquire demo tapes from artists or studios and then release them without the artists consent and sometimes without even the artist's knowledge.[6] Other albums released by Tiger Lily have been identified as bootlegs of albums released in the early 1970s by Artie Ripp's Family Productions and two cases of performers who were actually signed to Tiger Lily Records have been identified.[1][7]

The most prominent artists known to have a record released by Tiger Lily were Richard Pryor, whose album L.A. Jail was released by Tiger Lily, and Rod Stewart, who had a live recording of him in performance at the 1973 Reading and Leeds Festivals released by Tiger Lily in 1976 under the title Reading Festival Featuring Rod Stewart. The album credited to Stewart was really a collection of various artists from the Reading Festival, with Rod Stewart and the Faces only appearing on one track.[8] The most expensive and best known Tiger Lily Records release is the album "Stonewall"[9] credited to a band of the same name. It has sold for as much as $14,100.[10][11]

Along with Guinness Records, Tiger Lily was one of the major tax scam labels of the 1970s with around 70 albums being released.[9] The types of albums released by Tiger Lily fell into several broad categories:

  • Single band/artist albums based on unpublished material. (e.g., "Glenn Faria", "Stonewall")
  • Compilation albums based on unpublished material disguised as the debut album of a single band. (e.g., "Made From Plate")
  • Bootleg re-issues of albums previously published on obscure labels. (e.g., "Sleepy Hollow")
  • Bootleg albums based on live recordings. (e.g., "L.A Jail", "Reading Festival Featuring Rod Stewart")
  • Material recorded by bands/artists signed to Tiger Lily Records. (e.g., "Airborne", "Pressed For Time")

Record collector and music producer Stephan Colloredo-Mansfeld is said to own the largest collection of Tiger Lily releases in the world.[9]

List of Records

Artist Title Year Cover
1 Airborne Airborne 1976
2 Brother Bait Brother Bait 1976
3 Brubeck, Darius & Friends Darius Brubeck & Friends 1976
4 Cahoon Lindsay Band, James Kinky Mersey 1976
5 Calliope Calliope 1976
6 Carr, Frankie Frankie Carr 1975
7 Clarke, Linda Yes, Indeed!
8 Claude & Sherry Claude & Sherry
9 Corbitt & Daniels Live I
10 Corbitt & Daniels Live II
11 Drake Band, Steve Nature Intended
12 Fields & Shipley Fields & Shipley
13 Gordon, Jon Jon Gordon
14 Gray, Dobie Gray, Dobie
15 Heavy Cruiser Heavy Cruiser
16 Holbrook Experience, John Miserable You
17 Howard, James Newton James Newton Howard
18 Jade, Roland 12 For The Road
19 James, Jay Good Times & Bad Times
20 King, Clydie Rushing To Meet You
21 Lewis, David Just Mollie and Me..
22 Mead, David I'm On Stage
23 Oliver Walrus Me, Myself And I
24 Pryor, Richard L.A. Jail 1976
25 Rose, Tim Unfinished Song
26 Sherman, Steve It Is What It Is...
27 Starr, Charlie Charlie Starr
28 Stewart, Rod & Friends Reading Festival
29 Titus, Libby Titus, Libby
30 Woodstock Revival Cruisin' In Time
31 Onion Made from Plate 1976
32 Sounds of the City Experience Sounds of the City Experience 1976
33 Too Smooth Too Smooth 1976
34 Turner, Velvert Velvert Turner 1976

References

  1. 1 2 Blackerby, Scott. "Tiger Lily Records". BadCat Records. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  2. ↑ Bealmear, Bart (Nov 23, 2015). ""Tax Scam Records": R. Stevie Moore, the mysterious 'Hotgun' LP, and the record labels that were born to fail". Night Flight. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  3. ↑ Plante, Robert. "Tiger Lily Records Discography". forbiddeneye.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  4. ↑ Nesteroff, Kliph (Mar 17, 2012). "Mobsters, Scoundrels, Comedians and Rat Finks". WFMU's Beware of the Blog. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  5. ↑ Carlin, Richard (March 10, 2016). Godfather of the Music Business: Morris Levy. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1496805706. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Aaron Milenski on Tax Scam Releases". shit-fi.com. July 17, 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  7. ↑ Lundborg, Patrick (December 2, 2012). "The Tiger Lily path to rock stardom (Scoggins & Airborne)". Acid Archives Blog. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  8. ↑ Blackerby, Scott. "Reading Festival Featuring Rod Stewart (various artists)". BadCat Records. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 "Lysergic Sound Distributors Music Amigos". www.lsdsounds.com. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  10. ↑ Major, Paul (Oct 1, 2012). "The Case of the $5000 LP". vice.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  11. ↑ Kangas, Chaz (Nov 13, 2014). "A Yoko Ono Record Found Outside a Bodega Sold for Nearly $2,000". The Village Voice. Retrieved September 29, 2016.


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