SPY Records was a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

based independent music label created in 1977 by

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

and Jane Friedman.

History

The label was created in 1977 by John Cale and Jane Friedman, who was the manager of

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...

, and Cale's girlfriend at the time. It was housed in Cale's 250 West 57th Street office.John Cale timeline: 1978
The concept of the label was that all artists were to be produced by Cale. The label was distributed by

I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and a ...

Its logo was designed by

Michel Esteban Michel Antoine Gaston Esteban (born 7 May 1951) is a French record producer, record company executive, cultural center director and former magazine editor, who founded the Paris shop Harry Cover in 1973, was influential in the early development ...

, using an image of Cale's eye from his ''

Fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

'' album cover. Cale introduced Esteban to British-born entrepreneur Michael Zilkha, and in 1978 Esteban and Zilkha left SPY Records to found their label,

ZE Records ZE Records was a New York–based record label, started in 1978 by Michael Zilkha and Michel Esteban, and closed in 1984. It was reestablished by Esteban in 2003; its website was last updated in 2019. History Michael Zilkha (b. 1954) is a Br ...

. SPY Records closed in 1980. John Cale then released three albums on ZE Records: ''

Music for a New Society ''Music for a New Society'' is the eighth solo studio album by the Welsh musician John Cale, released in September 1982 by ZE Records and Island Records. With the suggestion from ZE Records owner Michael Zilkha, Cale performed the album mostly i ...

'' (1982), '' Caribbean Sunset'' (1983) and '' Comes Alive'' (1984).

Discography

* SPY 001 Harry Toledo & The Rockets - "Busted Chevrolet" EP (7", EP) * SPY 002 The Necessaries - "You Can Borrow My Car" (7", Single) * SPY 003

Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist and critic. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines and was also a performing musician. The music critic Jim DeRogatis called ...

- "Let It Blurt / Live" (7", Single) * SPY 004 Model Citizens - "Untitled" (7", EP) * SPY 005 Marie Et Les Garçons - "Rebop / Attitudes" (7", Single) * SPY 007

- "Mercenaries" (7", Single) * SP004 -

- '' Sabotage/Live'' (LP)

References

{{Authority control American record labels Record labels established in 1977