Straight Records was a record label formed in 1969 to distribute productions and discoveries of Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen. Straight was formed at the same time as a companion label, Bizarre Records. Zappa's original intention was to release albums by avant-garde artists on Bizarre, and recordings by more mainstream artists on Straight. However the original concept failed to work out as expected due to issues with distribution and management. Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention, Wild Man Fischer, and Lenny Bruce certainly belonged on Bizarre, but all others ended up on Straight. This led to some very unusual albums on the Straight label especially those by Captain Beefheart, Alice Cooper and The GTOs. Other notable Straight artists included Tim Buckley, and Judy Henske & Jerry Yester. Starting in 1972 some of its recordings were re-issued by Reprise Records or Warner Bros. Records. By 1974 Straight and Bizarre were combined under a new name, DiscReet Records. All three of the Zappa/Cohen owned labels were distributed by Warner Bros. Records. The first issue of Love It to Death by Alice Cooper was on Straight, though by the time it became a massive hit the album had already been re-issued on Warner Bros. Records. In 1988 and 1989 Straight recordings by Captain Beefheart, Alice Cooper, Tim Buckley, The GTOs, The Persuasions, and Lord Buckley were briefly re-issued on CD and cassette by the Enigma Retro label.
List of Straight Records artists
- Captain Beefheart
- Alice Cooper
- Tim Buckley
- Jeff Simmons
- Lord Buckley
- Judy Henske & Jerry Yester
- The GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously)
- Tim Dawe
- Mayf Nutter
- The Persuasions
