Idiot Records
The label (one of the first Indie Record Labels in The Netherlands) was founded in 1977, besides the already existing Art Publishing Foundation De Enschedese School, by Johan Visser and Willem Wisselink. They called it A 1.000 Idiot Records. Based on their marketing strategy, which was to have at least a thousand idiots buy their product(s), they released the first punk song, Van Agt Casanova, in Dutch by an artist called Paul Tornado. More than 5.000 copies were sold via mailorder only! When the number of copies kept exceeding the estimated one thousand (although their all-time low was a circulation of 26 copies), the record label's name was later changed to Idiot Records.
Famous Artists Idiot artist are Paul Tornado, Suzannes, Kewi à Go Go Party (later Kewi University of Swing), Wisselink, La Salle’s, Monomen, Pete Turner, Fay Lovsky, Mathilde Santing, Rafaella Dell, Joep Bruijnjé (On/Off), The Boulevard of Broken Dreams Orchestra, The Little Giants, Jakob Klaasse, Stephen Emmer, The Smithereens, Nils Wieland, Jump Dickie Jump! and Siobhan.
Fay Lovsky, Mathilde Santing, and The Boulevard of Broken Dreams Orchestra were all awarded an Edison Award (Dutch Grammy), and Fay Lovsky was also awarded a Silver Harp.
Famous Record Companies Early releases were 45’s: singles and EP’s. At first, it was distributed through mail order only, but later by different record companies (Ariola, Dureco, RCA). It wasn’t until the release and success of the first Fay Lovsky album that they became a well-known singer/songwriter label and signed a licency deal with Warner Elektra and Atlantic (WEA). When years later, their greatest fan and A&R manager, Herman van der Zwan, moved to Phonogram, Idiot Records switched as well. To this day, all CD’s are still available via BASTA MUSIC
Easy to whistle, hard to forget Songs you could be familiar with, or at least should look up in iTunes are: Christmas Was a Friend of Mine by Fay Lovsky, Painted Smile by Mathilde Santing, I get along without you very well by the Boulevard of Broken Dreams Orchestra, Paris Rendezvous by Siobhan, (You is) a guarantee for love by The Smithereens, Yaki Taki Oowah! by The Little Giants, The world is coming to an end by Jump Dickie Jump! and last but not least: Sie wünscht sich ein Kewi ins Bett and Biggles by The Kewi’s.
Idiot Records on iTunes Buy any Idiot Records production ever made (over 250 songs) in world-wide iTunes Stores. All releases on this website have a direct link to the iTunes Music Store. You might need to switch country from time to time.
History of the Idiot logo The logo of Idiot Records changed over the years untill it finally found it’s definite shape. Order from right to left.
1000 Idioten Records This is the very first one: I promise you, I will eat my own records if they don’t sell !
The Picasso version Here’s when also the name of the label changed to Idiot Records. Still eating their own records as a reminder of old times. Mathilde Santing was probably the first artist who’s records were released on the yellow label.
The Egg logo This one is only used for a short period of time. The drawing of the naked dancing man is by Frans Oosterhof inspired by the famous statement of his neighbour: “Is there a party going on or are you just doing something?”
Fay Lovsky’s Origami album and singles were the only releases carrying this label.
Square Here's where the logo finally found it’s definite shape. Each Idiot artist had it’s own label colour. Logo and text were always in silver. This purple one was reserved for The Boulevard of Broken Dreams Orchestra. Here’s when a plan comes together.
In the fifties the Columbia Label used to have different coloured labels for different kind of music. They used the colour purple for ‘black music’.
Warner Chappell / Idiot Songs publishes all original music by Idiot artists.
HQ
Lasonderstraat 20,
7514CJ ENSCHEDE
The Netherlands