Miscellaneous - C86 Box Set

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 6 / 6 / 2014

intro

Anthony Strutt reflects on the history and legacy of the 'NME' influential 'C86' cassette, which has just been re-released in a three CD box set

‘C86’ was a cassette album that one could buy on mail order from the ‘NME’, in contrast to what various music magazines have done since by giving away flexi discs, tapes and more recently CDs. Cassettes were a big format in the mid-1980s, and ‘C86’ presented what ‘NME’ thought was the best of the indie scene in 1986. The independent chart, and there were two at the time, a singles and album chart, provided an alternative to the pop chart at the time. It was around this time that independent music was making a lot of noise. A large number of independent labels had risen up with the punk generation in the 1970s, and, while a lot of punk and new indie bands actually signed to major labels as soon as they had a chance, independent labels in the mid-1980s were at their height. While ‘C86’ compiled together what the paper thought was the best of indie music, readers still had to make up their own mind about what they liked. In essence ‘C86’ was like listening to a John Peel show. And that's why I never bought it at the time, as, along with a lot of bands that I liked on it, there were a lot that I didn't like too. Although ‘C86’ was essentially an indie compilation, the indie chart was well stocked in local record shops, so you didn't have to make a journey into town to buy limited editions in the pre internet days. There was a lot of small indie clubs around London and the country at the time, and most of the bands on it were still playing small clubs and getting themselves known. Originally a twenty-two track album, it has now been issued as a three CD box set with the original twenty-two tracks on the first CD and the two additional CDs collecting together another fifty tracks from that period. It is a very good example of what was around at the time. As with the first CD, not everything on the other two CDs are to my taste, A lot of the bands soon disbanded, while others went onto major deals. Only the opening and closing band of the original tape still remain, albeit in somewhat different line ups. Primal Scream open the tape album, with the B-side to their second single ‘Crystal Crescent’, the one minute 58 seconds of Byrds-infused treasure trip that is ‘Velocity Girl’. The Wedding Present, the only other band still around, close the album with ‘This Boy Can wait’. Lots of the bands collected on here were heading onto big things. but although they won bigger deals sometimes they didn't translate well once on major labels, The Shop Assistants, a great Scottish outfit who appear here with ‘It’s Up to You, went onto to sign to Geoff Travis from Rough Trade’s new label Blue Guitar, an offshoot of Chrysalis Records. but it didn't take off for them. In contrast ‘Happy Head’ by the Mighty Lemon Drops was an early recording that was later re-recorded as the title track of their debut album again for Blue Guitar, which then saw the Wolverhampton band take off and become a huge college radio band in the United States. The Bodines early record ‘Therese’, which appeared on the original tape, was a popular single on Creation Records, but the Manchester-based band went on and signed to Arista and again it didn't last. They made just one album ‘Played’ before a second version of the band tried once more for success and again didn't manage to breakthrough into the mainstream, A huge chunk of the bands on this are Fall-worshipping Peel bands who are of little interest to me, and include the dreadfully-named Age of Chance, Bogshed, Stump, Big Flame and The Mackenzies, all of whom made a racket then and whom age hasn't improved at all. Amongst the highlights, however, Liverpool's Benny Profane bring twisted country tales to the mix with ‘Hang Fire’, while also from that city Half Man/Half Biscuit introduce humour of the football flavour to the back rooms of the indie world with ‘I hate Nerys Hughes (From the Heart)’ Sheffield's One Thousand Violins meanwhile equal the Smiths on ‘Like a Thousand Violins’ by being intelligent and psychedelic at the same time. The ‘C86’ box set reflects a golden age for today’s youth to discover, while those of us that were there may find some hidden treasures that were missed first time around or have been forgotten about until this beautiful remaster unearthed them again. Well done, Cherry Red! My only questions is about C86 now in 2014. Why not in 2016? And on its thirtieth anniversary?