Lookout Records facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lookout Records
Founded	1987; 38 years ago (1987)
Founder	Larry Livermore, David Hayes
Defunct	2012; 13 years ago (2012)
Status	Defunct
Distributor(s)	Mordam Records
Genre	Punk rock hardcore punk pop-punk melodic hardcore ska punk
Country of origin	U.S.
Location	Laytonville, California

Lookout Records (also known as Lookout! Records) was a cool independent record label that started in 1987. It was first in Laytonville, California, then moved to Berkeley. This label was all about punk rock music.

Lookout Records became famous for releasing music by awesome bands. They put out the only album by Operation Ivy, called Energy. They also released the first two albums from the super popular band Green Day, which were 39/Smooth and Kerplunk.

After one of the founders, Larry Livermore, left in 1997, the label faced some tough times. In 2005, they had money problems because many bands took back the rights to their music. Lookout Records slowly closed down and stopped releasing music in 2012.

History of Lookout Records

How it Started

Cover of the Summer 1988 issue of Lookout! magazine, published in Laytonville, California by Lawrence Livermore.

In 1984, a guy named Larry Livermore lived in a small town in California. He wanted to share his ideas about his community and the world. So, he started a small magazine called Lookout. He made the first issue with just 50 copies.

Larry then started writing about punk rock, a type of music he loved. He also decided to start his own band. He found a 12-year-old neighbor to play drums. Larry gave him the cool punk rock name "Tré Cool". Tré Cool later became the drummer for Green Day!

Larry's band, The Lookouts, started playing shows. They also recorded their songs. Larry began spending time in the San Francisco Bay Area, where a lively punk music scene was growing. This scene was centered around the Gilman Street Project. This was an all-ages music club that opened in 1986.

In 1987, Larry decided to release a record for The Lookouts. He chose to do it himself, which is called the Do It Yourself way. He called his new label "Lookout Records". Around the same time, another person named David Hayes was also documenting local bands. Larry and David soon decided to work together to create a permanent record label.

Creating the Label

Larry Livermore and David Hayes were both very excited about the punk rock music scene in the East Bay area. They wanted to help more bands get their music out there. David Hayes first wanted to start his own label called Sprocket Records. But Larry convinced him that they should team up.

They decided to use the name "Lookout Records" because Larry had already used it for his first record. Larry said the name "Lookout" came from a fire watch tower on a mountain near his home. David Hayes also created the label's famous "beady eyes" logo. He designed much of the artwork for the early records.

Their first records were 7-inch EPs (Extended Play records). One of the most important early releases was by the band Operation Ivy. Their record, Hectic, was a huge hit. It sold 1,000 copies in just one month! They also released records by other popular bands like Crimpshrine and Isocracy. These early releases helped Lookout Records become a key label for the Berkeley punk scene.

A 14-year-old named Christopher "Chris" Appelgren became interested in the label. He volunteered at a radio station and learned about the bands from Lookout magazine. Chris met Larry and even Tim "Lint" Armstrong from Operation Ivy. Soon, Chris was helping Larry package records for mail order. He became the label's first paid employee!

David Hayes Leaves

Over time, Larry and David started to have different ideas. They had different tastes in music. David was quiet, while Larry was loud and outgoing.

They also disagreed about how popular the bands should become. Larry thought their bands could sell many records, even millions. But David didn't want to focus on making a lot of money. He felt that making music should not feel like a regular job.

David Hayes decided to leave Lookout Records on January 1, 1990. He didn't want anything more from the label. Larry Livermore was left with full control of Lookout Records. David Hayes went on to start his own label, Very Small Records. Meanwhile, Lookout Records was about to become very successful.

Punk Rock Takes Off (1989-1993)

Many famous punk rock bands joined Lookout Records during this time. Green Day released their first EP, 1,000 Hours, in 1989. They also put out 39/Smooth (1990), Slappy (1990), Sweet Children (1990), and Kerplunk! (1992).

After Operation Ivy broke up, some members formed Rancid. They released their first EP, Rancid, with Lookout Records in 1992. Screeching Weasel also released several albums with the label, including My Brain Hurts (1991) and Wiggle (1993). Many other punk bands from the Bay Area got their start with Lookout Records.

The "Golden Years" (1993–1997)

Lookout Records became well-known for a special "Ramonescore" pop punk sound. This sound was inspired by the band The Ramones. Bands like Screeching Weasel, The Mr. T Experience, The Queers, and Green Day were part of this sound.

In 1994, Larry Livermore had some disagreements with Maximum Rocknroll, a punk magazine he used to write for. Larry felt that Maximum Rocknroll was becoming too strict about what punk music should be. He believed that punk was changing and growing.

In 1995, Lookout Records made a lot of money – $10 million in sales! This was thanks to popular albums like Green Day's "1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours" and "Kerplunk".

Co-founder Larry Livermore left the label in 1997.

New Management (1998–2004)

After Larry Livermore left, Chris Appelgren became the president of Lookout Records. His wife, Molly Neuman, became vice president.

Lookout Records signed Screeching Weasel again in 1998. They also bought another label called Panic Button Records. This deal caused some financial problems for Lookout Records later on. The label also changed its music distributor.

In 1998, the label signed The Donnas. They released three albums for the band. Even though The Donnas were popular, they left for a bigger record label in 2002. Other older bands also left because they felt the label wasn't promoting them enough.

By 2002, Lookout started to release music from different types of bands. They moved away from their original East Bay pop punk sound. They released albums by bands like Pretty Girls Make Graves and Ted Leo And The Pharmacists. However, album sales kept going down. The label also spent too much money on things like the Warped Tour. By 2004, they even closed their retail store.

The End of Lookout Records (2005–2012)

On August 1, 2005, many big bands, including Green Day and Operation Ivy, announced they were taking back the rights to their music from Lookout Records. They said the label had not paid them the money they were owed. This led to Lookout Records having to let go of most of its staff.

Chris Appelgren said the label would continue in a smaller way. Lookout Records turned 20 years old in 2008.

In December 2009, the company went through a major financial reorganization.

Lookout Records officially closed in January 2012. The label returned any remaining music and artwork to the bands. Chris Appelgren hoped that bands would "revisit their Lookout releases, with interesting and cool results."

Artists on Lookout Records

Here is a list of bands that released at least one EP or full album with Lookout Records:

See also

• List of record labels
• Mordam Records