Hit It! Recordings

HitIt! Recordings was an independent record label established in 1994 by artist manager/record producer Ken Waagner as an in house label at the Chicago Recording Company.[1][2]

Logo for Hit It! Recordings designed by Al Brandtner/Brandtner Design

In January 1994, the Kansas City-based rock band Molly McGuire[3] signed with the label and recorded their debut album Sisters of… [4](HIT-02).

The label released a seven-inch single by Molly McGuire "heart[5]" (HIT-001) and a split single between Molly McGuire and KC power trio Shiner "Crush" b/w "Exhaust"[6] (HIT-003) prior to the release of Sisters of… in the summer of 1994.

From 1994-1997 HitIt! released a series of seven-inch singles by a number of Kansas City bands including Shiner, Boys Life/Giant's Chair and Iron Right Mangle - as well as two seven-inch singles by Chicago-based Triple Fast Action[7] (HIT-06) and (HIT-08), a seven-inch from Alabama-based singer/songwriter Louis Schefano under the name Regia; the debut album from Scottish-born long-time Chicago resident Chris Connelly's quartet The Bells, the Sardina album, two albums by Butterfly Child onomatopoeia[8] in 1994 and The Honeymoon Suite[9] (HIT-14) and Global Communication's remix album Remotion[10] from Dedicated.

In Spring of 1995 the band Sardina[11] signed to Hit It! and released their debut album Presents[12] which was released in the fall of 1995 and received critical acclaim both for its music as well as the band's creative take/homage to Led Zeppelin's album Presence with the cover art.

In the fall of 1995 Molly McGuire commenced work on their second album "Lime[13]" which was released on HitIt!/Epic Records in 1996.

In the summer of 1996, Shiner recorded their second full-length album "Lula Divinia"[14] (HIT-20) which was released in the spring of 1997 as the first release through a joint venture marketing and distribution deal with Tommy Boy Records and the Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA).

In the fall of 1997 Hit It! released two albums by .O.Rang via license from Echo Records UK. 1994's "Herd of Instinct" (HIT-19) and "Fields and Waves[15]" (HIT-21).

In 1997 Molly McGuire played 9 shows on the second stage of Lollapalooza in support their album Lime[16].

In the fall of 1997 Joe Cassidy/Butterfly Child signed to HitIt! and began work on his third studio album "Soft Explosives[17]" after relocating to Chicago in 1995 after being brought to town to do press and play a couple of shows in 1995. Soft Explosives was released in the summer of 1998 and was the last official release by the label.