Subterranean Records
Subterranean Records is an independent record label based in San Francisco. Founded by Steve Tupper and a then partner, Michael Fox in 1979, it focused on that city's underground punk and industrial music scene. Subterranean and fellow punk/alt/underground San Francisco label Alternative Tentacles both sprang forth from the DIY punk movement in 1979, and were quite successful on college and community radio stations in the US. These labels helped define the San Francisco punk movement.
Subterranean Records
- Founded
- 1979
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Subterranean Records is an independent record label based in San Francisco. Founded by Steve Tupper and a then partner, Michael Fox in 1979, it focused on that city's underground punk and industrial music scene. Subterranean and fellow punk/alt/underground San Francisco label Alternative Tentacles both sprang forth from the DIY punk movement in 1979, and were quite successful on college and community radio stations in the US. These labels helped define the San Francisco punk movement.
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Catalog
Catalog
Subterranean was the more avant garde of the two. While originally just focused on documenting and promoting the SF area, over the years Subterranean has released records by artists from many areas and genres. Like many small DIY labels, Steve Tupper noted that bands were chosen based on his musical tastes. Subterranean had a small storefront record shop on Valencia Street for about 4 years, from about 1984 to 1988. The label has released a number of important underground albums, most notably four LPs by the band Flipper. The Dead Kennedys also released an important single on the label.
This list is organized by catalog number, a roughly chronological number system established by the label and typically printed on or assigned to each official release.: • Year — No. — Artist — Title — Co-releases & Re-releases • 1979 — SUB01 — Various Artists — SF Underground (7-inch EP) • 1980 — SUB02 — Society Dog — Working Class People (7-inch EP) • 1980 — SUB03 — Various Artists — Live At Target (LP) • 1980 — SUB04 — The Jars — Start Rite Now (7-inch single) • 1980 — SUB05 — Bay Of Pigs — Addiction / Aliens (7-inch single) • 1980 — SUB06 — Tools — Hard Wark / The Road Forever (7-inch single) • 1981 — SUB07 — Flipper — Love Canal / Ha Ha Ha (7-inch single) • 1981 — SUB08 — Various artists — Club Foot (LP) • 1980 — SUB09 — No Alternative — Backtracks (7-inch single) • 1980 — SUB10 — Various Artists — S.F. Underground 2 (7-inch EP) • 1981 — SUB11 — Tools — #3 E.P. (7-inch EP) • 1981 — SUB12 — Ultrasheen — City Boy (7-inch EP) • 1981 — SUB13 — Society Dog —...Off Of The Leash (7-inch EP) • 1981 — SUB14 — Stefan Weisser — Poextensions & Contexts (7-inch single) • 1983 — SUB14-2 — Stefan Weisser — Editeditions Contexts (7-inch single) • 1981 — SUB15 — Various Artists — Red Spot (LP) • 1981 — SUB16 — Various Artists — Arizona Disease (7-inch EP) • 1981 — SUB17 — The Witch Trials — The Witch Trials (LP) — Alternative Tentacles & New Rose Records • 1981 — SUB18 — Minimal Man — The Shroud Of (LP) • 1981 — SUB19 — Pre Fix — Underneathica / Ectomorphine (7-inch single) • 1981 — SUB20 — Inflatable Boy Clams — Inflatable Boy Clams (2×7″ EP) • 1981 — SUB21 — Nervous Gender — Music From Hell (LP) • 1981 — SUB22 — Wilma — Pornography Lies (7-inch single) • 1981 — SUB23 — Flipper — Sexbomb / Brainwash (7-inch single) • 1981 — SUB24 — Dead Kennedys — Nazi Punks Fuck Off! / Moral Majority (7-inch single) — Alternative Tentacles • 1981 — none — |Factrix Cazazza — Night Of The Succubus (VHS) • 1982 — SUB25 — Flipper — Album Generic Flipper (LP) • 1982 — SUB26 — Factrix Cazazza — California Babylon (LP) • 1982 — SUB27 — Code Of Honor / Sick Pleasure — Fight Or Die / Dolls Under Control (LP) • 1982 — SUB28 — Tom Tadlock — Body Ad / Poker Keno (7-inch single) • 1986 — SUB29 — Stefan Weisser — Life Sentence — An uns Retrospective (cassette box) • 1982 — SUB30 — Z'EV — Elemental Music (LP) • 1982 — SUB31 — Chrome — Box (5×LP) — Cleopatra Records • 1983 — SUB32 — Negative Trend — Negative Trend (aka: We Don't Play We Riot 12-inch) (7-inch EP) — 2.13.61 Records • 1985 — SUB33 — Z'EV — My Favorite Things (LP) • 1982 — SUB34 — Chrome — Anorexic Sacrifice (7-inch single) • 1982 — SUB35 — Flipper — Get Away (7-inch single) • 1982 — SUB36 — Code Of Honor — What Are We Gonna Do? (7-inch single) • 1983 — SUB37 — Tana Emmolo-Smith / Joseph T. Jacobs — Prescient Dreams / Zanoni (7-inch single) • 1983 — SUB38 — Lose — What’s Your Name? / Waking To Sleep (7-inch single) • 1983 — SUB39 — Sick Pleasure — Sick Pleasure (7-inch EP) • 1983 — SUB40 — The Leather Nun — Prime Mover (7-inch single) — Scabri Records • 1983 — SUB41 — Arkansaw Man — Every Job (7-inch single) • 1983 — UR 3996 — Minimal Man — Two Little Skeletons / Tired Death (7-inch single) • 1984 — SUB42 — Flipper — Gone Fishin (LP) — Fundamental Records, Domino Recording Company • 1984 — SUB43 — Code Of Honor — Beware The Savage Jaw (LP) • 1984 — SUB44 — Pop-O-Pies — Joe's Second Record (12-inch EP) • 1984 — SUB45 — Longshoremen — Grr Huh Yeah (LP) • 1984 — SUB46 — Frightwig — Cat Farm Faboo (LP) • 1985 — SUB47 — Rod Myers & The Ramps / The Corvettes — Wheelchair / Maybellene (7-inch single) • 1985 — SUB48 — Psyclones — Psyclones (LP) • 1985 — SUB49 — Helios Creed — X-Rated Fairy Tales (LP) — Fundamental Records, Lilith Records • 1985 — SUB50 — Wilma — Wilma (LP) • 1985 — SUB51 — The Muskrats — Rock Is Dead (LP) • 1985 — SUB52 — Pop-O-Pies — Joe's Third Record (LP) • 1986 — SUB53 — Flipper — Public Flipper Limited (2×LP) — Domino Recording Company, Fundamental Records • 1986 — SUB54 — Longshoremen — Walk The Plank (LP) — Eva Records • 1986 — SUB55 — Polkacide — Polkacide (LP) • 1986 — SUB56 — Controlled Bleeding — Core (LP) — Ultra-Mail Prod. • 1987 — SUB57 — Any Three Initials — Ruins Of America (EP) — MEKA Records • 1987 — SUB58 — The Muskrats — Soul Francisco (EP) • 1987 — SUB59 — Flipper — Sex Bomb Baby (LP) — Domino Recording Company • 1987 — SUB60 — Low Flying Aircraft — Low Flying Aircraft (LP) — Red Hot Records, Core Records • 1988 — SUB61 — Housecoat Project — Wide Eye Doo Dat (LP) • 1989 — SUB62 — Helios Creed — Superior Catholic Finger (LP) — Lilith Records • 1987 — SUB63 — Penelope Houston — Birdboys (EP) — Round Tower Records • 1989 — SUB64 — Terminators Of Endearment — Stranger In The Manger (7-inch single) • 1989 — SUB65 — Various Artists — Devouring Our Roots (LP) • 2010 — SUB66 — Housecoat Project — Girlfiend (LP) • 1990 — SUB67 — Controlled Bleeding — Hog Floor (A Fractured View) (LP) • 1989 — SUB68 — Various Artists — Dry Lungs IV (LP) • 1990 — SUB69 — Caroliner Rainbow Stewed Angel Skins — I'm Armed With Quarts Of Blood (LP) • 1990 — SUB70 — Flipper — Some Day / Distant Illusion (7-inch single) • 1992 — SUB71 — Kathleen Yearwood — Dead Branches Make A Noise (LP) — Voice Of The Turtle Records • 1992 — SUB72 — Various Artists — Dry Lungs V (2×CD) • 1992 — SUB74 — Angel'in Heavy Syrup — Angel'in Heavy Syrup (CD) • 2008 — SUB75 — Caroliner Rainbow Susans And Bruisins — The Cooking Stove Beast (CD) — Nuf Sed Records • 1996 — SUB76 — Kathleen Yearwood — Little Misery Birds (EP) — Voice Of The Turtle Records • 2001 — SUB77 — The Lewd — Lewd Conduct In A Public Place! (LP) • 2005 — SUB78 — Code Of Honor — Complete Studio Recordings 1982-1984 (CD)
Roster
Roster
• Alterboys • Angel'in Heavy Syrup • Animal Things • Any Three Initials • Arkansaw Man • Arsenal • Bay of Pigs • The Bedlam Rovers • Caroliner • Chrome • Club Foot Orchestra • Code of Honor • Controlled Bleeding • Dead Kennedys • Factrix • Flipper • Fried Abortions • Frightwig • Helios Creed • Housecoat Project • Penelope Houston • Inflatable Boy Clams • The Jars • Jr. Chemists • The Leather Nun • Les Seldoms • The Lewd • Bruce Loose • Low Flying Aircraft • Minimal Man • The Muskrats • Naked City • Negative Trend • Nervous Gender • No Alternative • Polkacide • Pop-O-Pies • Pre-Fix • Psyclones • Research Library • Sick Pleasure • Society Dog • Tom Tadlock • The Terminators of Endearment • The Tools • Ultrasheen • UNS • VKTMS • The Wannabe Texans • Stefan Weisser • Wilma • Witch Trials • Woundz • Kathleen Yearwood • Z'ev
Identity
Identity
Subterranean Records is recorded from 1979.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
The full dated record · 2 entries
1979
Subterranean Records established.
1979
Subterranean Records is recorded from 1979.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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