If I never have to look at an octagon-shaped picture disc again it will be too soon...

I think it was one of the discogs.com-founders who once wrote something along the lines of how "the problem with cataloguing music is that its major purpouse wasn't to be catalogued in the first place". Never did this ring so true as when you're up against the infamous Azra Records. The absurd amount of variations of various shapes and picture discs - often with editions down to a dozen or two - makes indexing their output a damn near impossible task. Add to this the absence of a coherrent catalogue number system, umpfteen sublabels and conflicting sources as to the year of release.

Still, they're +50% Metal and definitely on many 80's Metal collectors' radars, so I pretty much didn't have a choice to finally take them on, especially since as I'm writing this, Azra remains one of the last large holes on The Corroseum Metal Labels Index. While making this page I've also updated the pages of their metallic sublabels:

All Azra-related pages now include pictures and info on all known pic/shape-variations. I normally don't go into such level of detail with the label pages, but since these variations is such a trademark and integral part of the Azra-phenomenon it felt important to go the extra mile this time. Obviously these lists are far from complete, so as always all additional info is welcomed, especially if you have pictures of missing/unconfirmed releases.

So what about the Azra Records motherlabel itself? Well, what little info I've scraped together looks like this: It was started by David Thomas Richards, an employee of Erika Records in the late 70's. Already from the start the focus seem to have been on 'novelty' items - colored vinyl, shaped picture discs etc. Rumor has it the shape-oddities were pressed at the Erika pressing plant at night and later cut down by D.T.R. himself, d.i.y-style. Most Metal and Hard Rock releases was put out on the above-mentioned imprints, but plenty of on-topic stuffs also appeared on the more eclectic motherlabel (the reasoning behind which band would end up on which label is still a mystery to me). "But is it a good Metal label?" you ask? Well, um.. there's certainly some hidden diamonds in the rough to be found, but metalwise Iron Works is probably the A-label in the Azra-family.

At the moment this is not quite yet the be-all/end-all mother of all Azra discographies and here's why: What exactly constitutes a 'proper' Azra Records release is an unusually fuzzy distinction and at first I figured I either had to include everything with the name Azra attached to it, or not make a list at all. I later realized it would be a terribly boring read for a Metal-collector audience (and an even bigger shitload of work) so I once again went for the complicated middle-ground. Let's start with listing what kind of material I've chosen to include:

• Anything that bares the Azra Records credit as a primary label credit, HM or not.
• All HR/HM-related releases bearing at least some sort of Azra-credit - of course not counting those with a primary credit to one of the 4 Metal-oriented sublabels mentioned above - see those lists instead.
• Any Metal-oriented release without a formal Azra label-family credit but with typical 'Azra-markers' like the "D.T. DIT IT" run-out etching or with other know relations to the label.

• Anything with a prominent Erika Records logo/credit. Erika will be mentioned on plenty of Azra-releases, mostly as a 'manufactured by'-credit, but they were also a record-releasing entity in itself and while having plenty of HM on their conscience they won't be delt with here.
• The N.S.F.D. (Not So Famous David's Records) sublabel. These were mostly shapes of novelty-artists, most coming out in the late 80's. No known HM/HR releases.
• The non-Metal, stand-alone releases on sublabel Condor Classix. I'm sure many collectors have noticed this label has been randomly credited on various test-pressings and promo-versions of stuff from all other Azra sublabels, and these version are of course included on the appropriate pages.
• Some of the early releases of culty Hollywood garage/punk label Mystic Records have been seen with the Azra co-credit. None of them Metal, none of them mentioned here.
• I've also chosen not to depict every label color variant of the same shape versions. I occationally mention these in the Comment-column, but not consistently.

I also want to point out that the order in which the titles are listed will in all likelyhood not correspond with the order in which they were released. Any way one handles it, the cat#-chaos combined with the year-of-release mysteries will result in a list much messier than we're used to here. An example is how some inserts of JAG PANZER's "Death Row" EP refers to the "Tyrants" MLP as 'just released' while others mention it as 'upcoming'. In other words: please take the Year-column in the list with a pinch of salt.

Finally I need to give some extra-special credits to my two main sources:

Tim "Nightcoaster" Murphy's shaped vinyl page
This has pretty much been my facit when putting together these lists. Most versions listed as 'Unconfirmed' are very rare items only mentioned on Tim's incredibly extensive page. (I must stress that while I do tag them 'unconfirmed' they do in all likelyhood exist, it's just that I'm missing that last, definitive 100% picture-proof of it.)

tbieri's Azra-lists at RateYourMusic
T.B.'s mighy impressive lists over at RYM goes even deeper into the Azra-jungle. For larger pictures, some back-pics, insert scans etc, this is the place to visit.