Mystic Records
Encyclopedia
Mystic Records is a record label
and music production company that was based in Hollywood CA one block south of Hollywood and Vine (6277 Selma) and later moved to Oceanside, California
. The studio was originally the Delphi Studio where Bobby Fuller Four recorded "I Fought the Law" and Richie Valens "La Bamba." Mystic is not a member of the RIAA, and it specializes in hardcore punk
, crossover thrash
, underground
, vintage, and cult records. It is owned and operated by Doug Moody. Some of the more well-known acts on Mystic Records are NOFX
, Dr. Know
, RKL, Battalion of Saints
, Ill Repute
, Agression
and The Mentors
. Mystic also released vinyl compilations featuring Suicidal Tendencies
, New Regime
, Black Flag
, Government Issue
, The Minutemen
, Habeas Corpus
, The Instigators, and Bad Religion
.
Mystic is credited with developing several innovations in the independent record scene of the 1980s including the introduction of Super Sevens (vinyl discs the size of a 45 but which played at the same speed as an LP and have seven songs), releasing records in limited edition on colored vinyl, and issuing records in series. Mystic series include "The Sound of Hollywood," "We Got Power" (40+ bands on one LP), "Copulation" (songs about the police), and "Mystic Sampler" (cuts from various records released in that year). Mystic also released many records launching or reinvigorating the punk scene in many parts of the United States. Mystic was instrumental in having created the "scenes" in Simi Valley and Oxnard California (which they dubbed "Slimy Valley" and "Nardcore
" respectively).
Mystic was founded by Doug Moody who had a storied career in music and is considered an Independent Rock and Roll Pioneer . He produced over 60 gold and platinum records. He promoted or produced hit records with music luminaries such as The Five Satins, The Silhouettes, Lightning Hopkins, The Champs, Dave Baby Cortez, The Four Seasons, The Trogs, The Lovin' Spoonful and Led Zeppelin He also founded Clock Records with his father Walter Moody. He envisioned Mystic as a platform for America's youth to voice their opinions musically. The label attracted hardcore punk
, crossover thrash
and speed metal
. In its heyday (between 1982 and 1990), Mystic released over 200 different records with several hundred artists. Moody was assisted in his efforts by Phillip (Philco) Raves (who assisted in producing, recording, and conceptualizing compilation projects), Bill Karras (who managed sales and distribution), and Mark Wilkins, aka Mystic Mark (who oversaw record and tour promotion). Phillip (Philco) Raves is still producing indy and punk records in his downtown Los Angeles recording studio "Downtown Sound."
Mark Wilkins is listed in the 2002 edition of International Who's Who in Popular Music for founding Affiliated Indendent Record Companies (A.I.R.CO), International Record Promotion (IRP), being West Coast CEO of The Indepdendent Music Association (IMA) and co-founder, with IMA Founder Don Kulak, of the Independent Music Retailer's Association (IMRA), the latter of which was known for finding plaintiffs in two major class action lawsuits against major record labels. One garnered IMRA members $178,000,000 the other got over $250,000,000 for consumers who bought CD's between 1995 and 2005.
"Mystic Records" is also the name of a record shop in Kent
in the UK
, which has an online presence.
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and music production company that was based in Hollywood CA one block south of Hollywood and Vine (6277 Selma) and later moved to Oceanside, California
Oceanside, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Oceanside had a population of 167,086. The population density was 3,961.8 people per square mile...
. The studio was originally the Delphi Studio where Bobby Fuller Four recorded "I Fought the Law" and Richie Valens "La Bamba." Mystic is not a member of the RIAA, and it specializes in hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
, crossover thrash
Crossover thrash
__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and punk rock...
, underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
, vintage, and cult records. It is owned and operated by Doug Moody. Some of the more well-known acts on Mystic Records are NOFX
NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
, Dr. Know
Dr. Know
Dr. Know may refer to :*Dr. Know , a punk band from Oxnard, California*Dr. Know , stage name of guitar player Gary Miller from the band Bad Brains*Dr. Know , a TV program on the Discovery Health Channel...
, RKL, Battalion of Saints
Battalion of Saints
Battalion of Saints is a hardcore punk rock band from San Diego, California that was founded in 1980. They went through numerous lineups until breaking up in 1985. Singer George Anthony reformed the band in 1995 with Terry "Tezz" Roberts Battalion of Saints is a hardcore punk rock band from San...
, Ill Repute
Ill Repute
Ill Repute is an American hardcore punk band from Oxnard, California, formed in 1981. They are noted for popularizing the "Nardcore" sound in the mid-1980s hardcore punk scene, and recorded for Mystic Records....
, Agression
Agression (band)
Agression was an American rock band from Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard, California. Agression was one of the founding bands of the Nardcore scene, and an early proponent of the "skate punk" genre. The band fused skate culture with the punk scene- featuring a song about skateboarding and a Glen E...
and The Mentors
The Mentors
The Mentors are an American heavy metal band noted for its deliberately sexist shock rock lyrics.They formed in 1977 in Seattle, Washington and relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1979, where their irreverent attitude aligned them with the city's punk rock scene. Their music has developed...
. Mystic also released vinyl compilations featuring Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
, New Regime
New Regime
New Regime was a Toronto, Ontario New Wave band formed in 1985.- Band :* Vocals: Kevin Connelly* Guitar: Norm McMullen* Keys: Russel Walker "New Regime"* Keys: Jim MacDonald "The Race"* Bass: Rick Lintlop "New Regime"...
, Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, Government Issue
Government Issue
Government Issue was an American hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C. active from 1980 to 1989. The band experienced many changes in membership during its nine-year existence, with singer John Stabb as the only consistent member in an ever-fluctuating lineup that at various times included...
, The Minutemen
Minutemen (band)
Minutemen were an American hardcore punk band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980. Composed of guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in December 1985...
, Habeas Corpus
Habeas Corpus (band)
Habeas Corpus was a hardcore punk band that emerged from the Nardcore scene in the early 1980s. One of the region's first straight edge bands, Habeas Corpus combined Misfits-style horror punk with the early 80s Southern California surf/skate sound...
, The Instigators, and Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
.
Mystic is credited with developing several innovations in the independent record scene of the 1980s including the introduction of Super Sevens (vinyl discs the size of a 45 but which played at the same speed as an LP and have seven songs), releasing records in limited edition on colored vinyl, and issuing records in series. Mystic series include "The Sound of Hollywood," "We Got Power" (40+ bands on one LP), "Copulation" (songs about the police), and "Mystic Sampler" (cuts from various records released in that year). Mystic also released many records launching or reinvigorating the punk scene in many parts of the United States. Mystic was instrumental in having created the "scenes" in Simi Valley and Oxnard California (which they dubbed "Slimy Valley" and "Nardcore
Nardcore
Nardcore is a hardcore punk movement that came out of Southern California in the early 1980s, originating in Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Early bands in the Nardcore scene included Agression, Dr. Know, False Confession, Ill Repute, Habeas Corpus, RKL, Stalag 13 and Scared Straight...
" respectively).
Mystic was founded by Doug Moody who had a storied career in music and is considered an Independent Rock and Roll Pioneer . He produced over 60 gold and platinum records. He promoted or produced hit records with music luminaries such as The Five Satins, The Silhouettes, Lightning Hopkins, The Champs, Dave Baby Cortez, The Four Seasons, The Trogs, The Lovin' Spoonful and Led Zeppelin He also founded Clock Records with his father Walter Moody. He envisioned Mystic as a platform for America's youth to voice their opinions musically. The label attracted hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
, crossover thrash
Crossover thrash
__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and punk rock...
and speed metal
Speed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
. In its heyday (between 1982 and 1990), Mystic released over 200 different records with several hundred artists. Moody was assisted in his efforts by Phillip (Philco) Raves (who assisted in producing, recording, and conceptualizing compilation projects), Bill Karras (who managed sales and distribution), and Mark Wilkins, aka Mystic Mark (who oversaw record and tour promotion). Phillip (Philco) Raves is still producing indy and punk records in his downtown Los Angeles recording studio "Downtown Sound."
Mark Wilkins is listed in the 2002 edition of International Who's Who in Popular Music for founding Affiliated Indendent Record Companies (A.I.R.CO), International Record Promotion (IRP), being West Coast CEO of The Indepdendent Music Association (IMA) and co-founder, with IMA Founder Don Kulak, of the Independent Music Retailer's Association (IMRA), the latter of which was known for finding plaintiffs in two major class action lawsuits against major record labels. One garnered IMRA members $178,000,000 the other got over $250,000,000 for consumers who bought CD's between 1995 and 2005.
"Mystic Records" is also the name of a record shop in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which has an online presence.
Major artists on the Mystic label
- Battalion of SaintsBattalion of SaintsBattalion of Saints is a hardcore punk rock band from San Diego, California that was founded in 1980. They went through numerous lineups until breaking up in 1985. Singer George Anthony reformed the band in 1995 with Terry "Tezz" Roberts Battalion of Saints is a hardcore punk rock band from San...
- Crankshaft
- Doggy StyleDoggy Style (Band)Doggy Style is a Punk Rock band from Fullerton, California, that formed in 1983. Daddy X's of the Kottonmouth Kings, and co-founder of Suburban Noize Records, original vocalist, and creator of the band...
- Dr. KnowDr. Know (band)Dr. Know is a punk band which began as a Nardcore band and now has roots in Los Angeles, CA.They are one of the founding figures of the "Nardcore" punk movement from Oxnard, CA. The band was started by Kyle Toucher, Ismael Hernandez, and Robin Cartwright in early 1981, and after auditioning a few...
- First Offense
- The Grim
- Ill ReputeIll ReputeIll Repute is an American hardcore punk band from Oxnard, California, formed in 1981. They are noted for popularizing the "Nardcore" sound in the mid-1980s hardcore punk scene, and recorded for Mystic Records....
- The Insolents
- Manifest Destiny
- The MentorsThe MentorsThe Mentors are an American heavy metal band noted for its deliberately sexist shock rock lyrics.They formed in 1977 in Seattle, Washington and relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1979, where their irreverent attitude aligned them with the city's punk rock scene. Their music has developed...
- NOFXNOFXNOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
- The P.T.L. Klub
- Rich Kids on LSDRich Kids on LSDRich Kids on LSD was a Californian hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Montecito, California, a suburb of Santa Barbara. They were associated with the "Nardcore" scene that evolved out of nearby Oxnard. Their music expanded over the years from West Coast hardcore to a mix of hardcore with rock...
- AgressionAgression (band)Agression was an American rock band from Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard, California. Agression was one of the founding bands of the Nardcore scene, and an early proponent of the "skate punk" genre. The band fused skate culture with the punk scene- featuring a song about skateboarding and a Glen E...
- Scared StraightScared Straight (band)Scared Straight was a Nardcore Punk band from Simi Valley, California.The band was formed in 1983 by a group of friends and was originally called S.O.F, Scott Radinsky, Mike Thompson, Gary Gallanes and Dennis Jagard, who wanted to start a band and enter a "Battle of the Bands" competition at a...
- Sin 34
- Slaughterhouse 5
- Stäläg 13
- Teacherz
- Stukas Over Bedrock
- Undercity Kings
- The Conservatives
- The Offspring (as Manic Subsidial)
See also
- List of record labels
- Mystic Records catalog from 1980-1990
- A partial list of groups that have been released on Mystic Records