I.R.S. Records Finally Goes Digital

Legendary label comes up a unique blend of full-album downloads and single-track cherrypicking.

By Blurt Staff

It's an impressive back catalog by any measure - that of I.R.S. Records, which helped bring such artists as R.E.M., the Go-Gos, Let's Active and Wall of Voodoo to national prominence. But the label has been noticeably absent from the digital realm, leaving iPod-rocking fans clutching their battered vinyl and scratched up CDs, wondering when, if ever, they'd get to experience the I.R.S. era in a highly compressed audio format. Until now... read on.

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Beginning February 10 and continuing until March 17, more than 100 albums and tracks from the celebrated vault of I.R.S. Records will make their digital release debuts.  In an extensive, six-week online catalog campaign by Capitol/EMI, I.R.S. classics by The Fleshtones, Wall of Voodoo, Concrete Blonde, Oingo Boingo, The dB's, General Public, Stewart Copeland,  Robbie Krieger, Tom Verlaine, and many others will be available for the first time for DRM-free download from all major digital service providers. Four new Best Of The I.R.S. Years digital collections will also be released, for The dB's, Over The Rhine, dada, and Dread Zeppelin.

Founded in 1979 by Miles Copeland and Jay Boberg, I.R.S. (International Record Syndicate) Records established itself as home base for an eclectic and cutting-edge roster of artists. While launching R.E.M., Concrete Blonde and The Go-Gos to international stardom, I.R.S. also championed many less-known but critically-acclaimed acts whose I.R.S. recordings continue to resonate today. 

Capitol/EMI's digital campaign shines a light on many I.R.S. Records mainstays and future stars by making more than 100 albums and tracks digitally available for the first time. These new digital essentials join already available digital titles from the pioneering label's archive by R.E.M., The Go-Gos and others.

Included in the staggered, six-week launch are 14 tracks by New York garage band The Fleshtones, three albums and 10 tracks by Los Angeles "Mexican Radio" rockers Wall of Voodoo, three albums and a new Best Of the I.R.S. Years collection from acclaimed power-pop group The dB's, eight tracks by Let's Active, and two albums by alternative rock pioneers Concrete Blonde.

Also included are seven tracks by Lords of the New Church, the post-punk supergroup featuring Stiv Bators of The Dead Boys, Brian James of The Damned, Dave Tregunna of Sham 69 and Nicky Turner of The Barracudas, six tracks by new wave faves Oingo Boingo, three albums by Australian rock / art funk band Hunters & Collectors, four albums by British reggae singer Pato Banton, three albums by electronic music pioneer Gary Numan, two albums by the triple Grammy-winning musician, composer and producer William Orbit, and one album by Nuclear Assault, the metal band founded by former Anthrax bassist, Dan Lilker.

I.R.S. tracks and albums by Stewart Copeland, Robbie Krieger, Jools Holland, General Public, Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Tom Verlaine, Dread Zeppelin, Havana 3 A.M., Beat Rodeo, Drywall, The Bears, Monks of Doom, Timbuk 3, Over the Rhine, Lillian Axe, The Truth, Three O'Clock, Balancing Act, Dave Sharp, Animal Logic, Caterwaul, dada, Wazmo Nariz, Reckless Sleepers, and Shok Paris are also included in the digital campaign.

I.R.S. RECORDS DIGITAL CATALOG CAMPAIGN (Capitol/EMI)

** in title lists below, ALL CAPS = ALBUM; lowercase = track

WEEK ONE:  February 10

DRYWALL - WORK THE DUMB ORACLE

Fleshtones - American Beat '84

Fleshtones - Cold, Cold, Shoes

Fleshtones - Deep In My Heart

Fleshtones - Girl From Baltimore

Fleshtones - I've Gotta Change My Life

Fleshtones - Let's See The Sun

Fleshtones - Ride Your Pony           

Fleshtones - Right Side Of A Good Thing

Fleshtones - Roman Gods

Fleshtones - Screaming Skull

Fleshtones - Shadow Line

Fleshtones - Stop Fooling Around

Fleshtones - Theme From "The Vindicators"

Fleshtones - World Has Changes

DAVE SHARP - HARD TRAVELLIN'

Wall of Voodoo - Back In Flesh

Wall of Voodoo - Call Box (1-2-3)

Wall of Voodoo - Call Of The West

Wall of Voodoo - Crack The Bell

Wall of Voodoo - Factory

Wall of Voodoo - Lost Weekend

Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio

Wall of Voodoo - On Interstate 15

Wall of Voodoo - Red Light

Wall of Voodoo - Tomorrow

WALL OF VOODOO - HAPPY PLANET

WALL OF VOODOO - SEVEN DAYS IN SAMMYSTOWN

WALL OF VOODOO - UGLY AMERICANS IN AUSTRALIA 

WEEK TWO:  February 17

ANIMAL LOGIC - ANIMAL LOGIC II

CATERWAUL - PIN AND WEB

CATERWAUL - PORTENT HUE

CONCRETE BLONDE - CONCRETE BLONDE

CONCRETE BLONDE - FREE

STEWART COPELAND - THE EQUALIZER

DADA - AMERICAN HIGHWAY FLOWER

DADA - PUZZLE

GENERAL PUBLIC - HAND TO MOUTH

General Public - General Public

General Public - General Public (12" Version)

General Public - Hot You're Cool

General Public - Never You Done That

General Public - Tenderness

Lords Of The New Church - Apocalypso

Lords Of The New Church - Eat Your Heart Out

Lords Of The New Church - Holy War

Lords Of The New Church - Li'l Boys Play With Dolls

Lords Of The New Church - Livin On Livin

Lords Of The New Church - Portobello

Lords Of The New Church - Question Of Temperature

Wazmo Nariz - Checking Out The Check Out Girl

Oingo Boingo - Ain't This The Life

Oingo Boingo - Bachelor Party

Oingo Boingo - I'm So Bad

Oingo Boingo - Only A Lad

Oingo Boingo - Something Isn't Right

Oingo Boingo - Violent Love

WEEK THREE:  February 24

THE BEARS - RISE AND SHINE

THE BEARS - THE BEARS

BELINDA CARLISLE - BELINDA

DADA - BEST OF THE I.R.S. YEARS

LILLIAN AXE - POETIC JUSTICE

LILLIAN AXE - PSYCOSCHIZOPHRENIA

NUCLEAR ASSAULT - SOMETHING WICKED

WILLIAM ORBIT - ORBIT

WILLIAM ORBIT - STRANGE CARGO 3

OVER THE RHINE - BEST OF THE THE I.R.S. YEARS

OVER THE RHINE - EVE

OVER THE RHINE - PATIENCE

OVER THE RHINE - TILL WE HAVE FACES

TIMBUK 3 - BIG SHOT IN THE DARK

TIMBUK 3 - EDEN ALLEY

TIMBUK 3 - EDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

TIMBUK 3 - GREETINGS FROM TIMBUK 3

JANE WIEDLIN - JANE WIEDLIN

WEEK FOUR:  March 3

PATO BANTON - STAY POSITITVE

PATO BANTON - UNIVERSAL LOVE

PATO BANTON - VISIONS OF THE WORLD

PATO BANTON - WIZE UP

HAVANA 3 A.M. - HAVANA 3 A.M.

JOOLS HOLLAND - WORLD OF HIS OWN

HUNTERS & COLLECTORS - FATE

HUNTERS & COLLECTORS - HUMAN FRAILTY

HUNTERS & COLLECTORS - LIVING DAYLIGHT

THREE O'CLOCK - ARRIVE WITHOUT TRAVELING

THREE O'CLOCK - EVER AFTER

THE TRUTH - JUMP

THE TRUTH - PLAYGROUND

THE TRUTH - WEAPONS OF LOVE

WEEK FIVE:  March 10

THE DB'S - BEST OF THE I.R.S. YEARS

THE DB'S - REPERCUSSION

THE DB'S - SOUND OF MUSIC

THE DB'S - STANDS FOR DECIBELS

DREAD ZEPPELIN - BEST OF THE I.R.S. YEARS

MONKS OF DOOM - COSMODEMONIC TELEGRAPH

MONKS OF DOOM - FORGERY

GARY NUMAN - NEW ANGER

GARY NUMAN - OUTLAND

GARY NUMAN - SKIN MECHANIC

WEEK SIX:  March 17

BALANCING ACT - CURTAINS

BALANCING ACT - THREE SQUARES

BEAT RODEO - HOME IN THE HEART

BEAT RODEO - STAYING OUT LATE WITH BEAT RODEO

ROBBIE KRIEGER - NO HABLA

Let's Active - Blue Line

Let's Active - Crows on a Phone Line

Let's Active - Easy Does It

Let's Active - Everyword Means No

Let's Active - Make Up With Me

Let's Active - Ring True

Let's Active - Room With A View

Let's Active - Waters Part

RECKLESS SLEEPERS - BIG BOSS SOUNDS

SHOK PARIS - CONCRETE KILLERS

SHOK PARIS - STEEL AND STARLIGHT

TOM VERLAINE - FLASH LIGHT