Posh Boy Records Explained

Posh Boy Records
Founded:1978
Founder:Robbie Fields
Country:United States
Location:Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Posh Boy Records is a Hollywood, California-based record label owned by the American-born, British-educated Robbie "Posh Boy" Fields, a sometime high school substitute teacher and former copy boy at the Los Angeles Times who took an interest in the emerging punk rock scene in Orange County, California during the late 1970s.

The label's releases enjoyed substantial airplay on Rodney Bingenheimer's show on KROQ-FM, and some of them, notably the Fields-produced version of "Amoeba" by the Adolescents and the Stephen Hague-produced electronic rock track "Are You Ready for the Sex Girls" by the Sparks offshoot the Gleaming Spires, made it into regular programming on the station.[1]

Social Distortion was one of many bands whose first recordings were issued by Posh Boy. One of the label's most successful releases was Agent Orange's debut, Living in Darkness, containing "Bloodstains", an extreme sports anthem covered by many alternative rock groups (the most notable being the Offspring in 2000 on the Ready to Rumble film soundtrack).

Since 1999, expatriate and now known as Posh Boy Music, the label continued releasing music into the 2020s, the last vinyl release being a 7" by the Willowz of Anaheim, California in 2003. Subsequently, the label transitioned to being digital only with over 700 recordings released digitally, and to sublicense vinyl, compact disc and audio cassette rights to other labels, notably Radiation Records (Italy).

More recently, the label entered into a licensing agreement with Netflix for use of its extensive back catalog. Stranger Things 2 has used music by Posh Boy acts Channel 3 and Ill Repute. Channel 3 were also featured in the inaugural season of White Famous on Showtime.

During the COVID lockdown, post 2020, the label pivoted to concentrate on non punk music with an emphasis on chamber music working with such leading musicians as composer Gene Pritsker, Some Nicholson, the painter David Nicholson, classical guitarist Warren Nicholson, violist Paul Cortese, singer Chanda Rule amongst others. Recent pop music signings include Scottish band The Moon Kids., Phil Proietti and Keysha Veen who scored a bona fide hit on SiriusXM's Velvet Channel with "You Saved My World". Alternative releases include Channel 3, Professor and the Madman, Santa Barbara's The Tearaways and 1980s' comedy icon Nigel Planer.

Early Releases

The label released the following records:[2]

YearArtistTitleFormatTypeCatalog #
1978F-Word!"Shut Down"7"live singlePBS 1
1978F-Word!Like It or Not LiveLPlive albumPBS 101
1979Simpletones"California"7"singlePBS 3
1979Rik L Rik"Meat House"7"singlePBS 4
1979various artistsBeach BlvdLPcompilation albumPBS 102
1980various artistsThe SirenLPcompilation albumPBS 103
1980various artistsRodney on the ROQLPcompilation albumPBS 106
1980Red CrossRed Cross12"EPPBS 1010
198139139112"EPPBS 1017
1981CH3CH312"EPPBS 1018
1981various artistsRodney on the ROQ - Volume 2LPcompilation albumPBS 123
1981Agent Orange"Everything Turns Grey"7"singlePBS 12
1981Black Flag"Louie Louie"7"singlePBS 13
Bron Area"You Would Be Amazed"7"singlePBS 16
The Buddy System"Read My Lips"7"singlePBS 35
1981T.S.O.L.T.S.O.L.12"EPPBS 1013
1981U.X.A.Illusions of GrandeurLPstudio albumPBS 104
1982 CH3Fear of LifeLP studio album PBS 128
1982 Gothic Hut self titled LP studio album PBS 143
1982Baby BuddhaMusic for Teenage SexLPstudio albumPBS 114
1981various artistsThe Future Looks Bright AheadCScompilation albumPBC 120
1981Agent OrangeLiving in DarknessLP, CDstudio albumPBS 122
various artistsPunk and DisorderlyLP, CDcompilation albumPBS 131
1982Agent OrangeBitchin' Summer12"EPPBS 1037
1982Symbol SixSymbol Six12"EPPBS 1030
1982various artistsPosh Hits Vol. 1LPcompilation albumPBS 8138
The Buddy SystemThe Buddy SystemLPstudio albumPBS 8149
1982various artistsRodney on the ROQ Vol. III LPcompilation albumPBS 140
1987various artistsThe Future Looks BrighterLP, CDcompilation albumPBS 120, PBCD 120
1991various artistsHistory of Rik L RikLP3-LP box setPBS 88101
1991various artistsThe Posh E.P.s Vol. 112"3-EP box setPBS 88111
1989various artistsThe Best of Rodney on the ROQCDcompilation albumPBCD 88155
1990various artistsPosh Boy • The Singles Vol. OneLPcompilation album
various artistsThe Posh Boy Story (More or Less)CDcompilation albumPBCD 8160
Tatjana BalazsThe Complete Etudes – ChopinCDstudio albumPBCD 8161
various artistsRikk Agnew

Smash Demos Vol. II

CDcompilation albumPBCD 8163
1990Adolescents"Amoeba"7"singlePBS 6
1990Agent Orange"Eldorado"7"singlePBS 30
1994Mr. FirleyCalifornia (45)LPstudio albumPBS 39

Notes and References

  1. Web site: RODNEY ON THE ROQ- COMPILATION LP (POSH BOY, USA, 1980) . Good bad Music for bad, bad Times! . 1980.
  2. Web site: Discography . poshboy.com . Posh Boy Records . . 2011-10-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100405204216/http://www.poshboy.com/discography.htm . 2010-04-05 . dead .