Various - Rough Trade Shops-indiepop 1

by Anthony Strutt

published: 25 / 10 / 2004

Label: Mute Records
Format: CD X2

Excellent double compilation that collects together the cream of out-of-print 7, 10, and 12 inch tracks from the 80's indiepop era, many of which were never issued on CD at the time, and also adds a few more up to date indie classics

Review

'Indiepop 1', the latest in Rough Trade's series of classic double CD compilations, collects together the cream of out-of-print 7, 10, and 12 inch tracks from the 80's indiepop era, many of which were never issued on CD at the time, and also has a few more up to date indie classics that carry on with that tradition. CD1 The first CD kicks off with the Byrds/Love jangle style of Primal Scream's best ever commitment to vinyl. 'All Fall Down' is a perfect example of indiepop jingle jangle played on Rickenbackers for the perfect second summer of love back in '87. Modesty Blaise's 'Carol Mountain' is a harmony based Beach Boys number. It is very twee and well thought out but, like Primal Scream, everything here has been done before 20 years before. The Popguns with 'Waiting for the Winter' sound very C86, and very tight, very much like a more guitar-based Inspiral Carpets fronted by Cranberries singer, Dolores O' Riordan. The Clouds on 'Get Out of My Dream' sound like the Velvet Underground and are very cool, very messy and shambolic with a lazy vocal. The Sea Urchins' 'Pristine Christine' is, like the early Primal Scream, very jangly. The Jesus and Mary Chain don't really belong here with 'You Trip Me Up' and it really stands out. It's a great single though, the stuff of legends really. Mary Lou Lord's song, 'Some Jingle Jangle Morning', is acoustic based, and sounds something like a non 60's sounding Bangles piece of girl pop. The Monochrome Set's self-titled track is like a C86 version of the Libertines , and is very basic and wacky. Felt's track, 'Penelope Tree' is again very famous and Lawrence Hayward in his vocals on it sounds like Tom Verlaine fronting Lloyd Cole's Commotions. Juniper Moon's 'El Resto De Mi Vida' is thrashy jangly girl pop. The Shop Assistants, another big name of this generation, are rough and raw. Alex Taylor's vocal on 'Safety Net' sounds like those of a female Jim Reid. Katrina and V Twin is a Pastels off-shoot project and their track, 'Gifted' sounds like Camera Obscura jamming with Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera. Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes' 'Splashing Along' is Velvets flavoured and has a strong Bunnymen guitar solo.The Television Personalities' 'Look Back in Anger' is very punky in feel and sounds like it has come from an earlier era to the rest of this album. Imagine a punk version of the Who. Dressy Bessy, one of the modern bands on the compilation, produce a very fine example of Track and Field style twee with 'You Stand Her', while the Wedding Present, now back in action after a long absence, produce another early classic with 'Once More'. They are as furious as the early Velvets. Fused with punk, they were long time Peel favourites, and rightly deserved to be . Helen Love pops up on 'Beat Him Up' sounding like a Cardiff based female version of the Ramones on a tight budget. Pop Will Eat Itself's 'The Black Country Chainstore Massacreee' is messy, and shambolic, while I, Ludicrous' 'Preposterous Tales' is punky in attitude again and fun in a light hearted manner. Heavenly's 'Sort of Mine' is fast and fun loud summer filled pop. Beat Happening deliver an excellent version of 'Indian Summer', which was later covered by former Galaxie 500 frontman Dean Wareham's Luna. The Groove Farm's 'The Best Part Of Being With You' is a Cramps-style punky surf number, and is one of their weaker tracks This first CD ends with the Godfathers of twee, Croydon's answer to the Smiths, the Field Mice, whose track 'Landmark' is lush and lovely. CD 2 The second CD starts off with a pre Creation My Bloody Valentine, whose 'Paint a Rainbow' is actually better than their early 'Isnt Everything 'era material. That is not to say that it is better than 'Loveless' but it is more audiable, and actually, very twee. Jangly guitars ahoy ! Love is All's 'Spinning and Scratching' is very raw punk in it feel, something like the Slits, while Josef K's 'classic 'Sorry for Laughing' sounds like a messy late 70's version of the Smiths. Talulah Gosh, every twee boy and girl's favourite band, sound fresh, jangly and very alive with 'Forever', while Aberfeldy, the most recent thing here with 'Vegetarian Restaurant', will be next year's big thing if you are into Belle and Sebastian The Pooh Sticks fucked up, low budget sound had a big influence on Kurt Cobain and his bandmates and ' I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well' has all the indie street cred that its title suggests. As it goes, I did know Alan McGee at the time this came out in the late 80's and he was lovely. This Poison sounds like the Wedding Present on speed with 'Poised Over The Pause Button', while the Magnetic Fields with their outing, '100, 000 Fireflies' sounds like an 80's Xmas all girl vocal based group. It is moody but pleasant . The Vaselines were another favourite of Nirvana's. 'Molly's Lips' is very raw amd basic and was in fact covered later on by Nirvana. AR Kane's'When You're Sad' is very groovy, but strewn with feedback, is also very dark and primitive, while Welsh girl group the Darling Buds 'Uptight' is C86 at its best. The intro to the Pastels' 'Truck Train Tractor' sounds like a Motorhead number. It then becomes more indiepop in manner, but Stephen Pastel sings on it like he is a member of the Ramones. Camera Obscura, which is produced by Belle and Sebastian's Murdoch, sound very twee with 'Eighties Fan'. McCarthy"s track 'Should The Bible Be Banned' sounds like early REM. Lush, like the Jesus and Mary Chain, don't really belong here. A massive band, they had a massive hit in the early 90's their track 'Hypocrite'. It is very cool. The June Brides' 'Every Conversation' is wacky in a Dexy's Midnight Runners kind of way, while the Velvet Crush's 'Walking Out On Love' is good old fashioned Americana, and is fast and furious. The Flatmates 'I Could Be In Heaven' is punky girly flavoured indiepop, while the Marine Girls, which featured a young Tracy Thorn, who eventually went on to form Everything But the Girl, sounds like the Velvet Underground in their quieter moments. Bis' 'Icky-Poo Air Raid' is like Commercial Madness with female vocals and has a power pop sound, The Byrds-influenced the Razorcuts were an early Creation signing and, bigger than Primal Scream at the time, were very twee. 'Sorry to Embarrass You' has a REM 'Dont Go Back to Rockville Feel'. Eggs are a more modern flavoured indie act , not really indiepop and 'The Government Administrator' is a political number.The second ends with Spearmint's indie anthem, 'Sweeping the Nation', which a song to praise all the indie boys and girls that never even got as far as a record. This is a fantastic double CD . It is great to remember the other side of the 80's. We didn't all have big hair and sing along to bad tunes. This album shows there was more to life back then tha meets the eye. Disc: 1 1. Primal Scream - All Fall Down 2. Modesty Blaise - Carol Mountain 3. Popguns - Waiting For The Winter 4. The Clouds - Get Out Of My Dream 5. The Sea Urchins - Pristine Christine 6. The Jesus And Mary Chain - You Trip Me Up 7. Mary Lou Lord - Some Jingle Jangle Morning (When I'm Straight) 8. The Monochrome Set - The Monochrome Set 9. Felt - Penolope Tree 10. Juniper Moon - El Resto De Mi Vida 11. Shop Assistants - Safety Net 12. Katrina and V Twin - Gifted 13. Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes - Splashing Along 14. Television Personalities - Look Back In Anger 15. Dressy Bessy - You Stand Here 16. The Wedding Present - Once More 17. Helen Love - Beat Him Up 18. Pop Will Eat Itself - The Black Country Chainstore Massacreee 19. I, Ludicrous - Preposterous Tales 20. Heavenly - Sort Of Mine 21. Beat Happening - Indian Summer 22. The Groove Farm - The Best Part Of Being With You 23. The Field Mice – Landmark Disc: 2 1. My Bloody Valentine - Paint A Rainbow 2. Love Is All - Spinning And Scratching 3. Josef K - Sorry For Laughing 4. Talulah Gosh - Forever 5. Aberfeldy - Vegetarian Restaurant 6. The Pooh Sticks - I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan Mcgee Quite Well 7. This Poison! - Poised Over The Pause Button 8. The Magnetic Fields - 100,000 Fireflies 9. The Vaselines - Molly's Lips 10. AR Kane - When You're Sad 11. The Darling Buds - Uptight 12. The Pastels - Truck Train Tractor 13. Camera Obscura - Eighties Fan 14. McCarthy - Should The Bible Be Banned 15. Lush - Hypocrite 16. The June Brides - Every Conversation 17. The Velvet Crush - Walking Out On Love 18. The Flatmates - I Could Be In Heaven 19. Marine Girls - Honey 20. Bis - Icky-Poo Air Raid 21. The Razorcuts - Sorry to Embarrass You 22. Eggs - The Government Administrator 23. Spearmint - Sweeping The Nation

Track Listing:-

1 Primal Scream- All Fall Down
2 Modesty Blaise- Carol Mountain
3 The Popguns- Waiting For The Winter
4 The Clouds- Get Out Of My Dream
5 The Sea Urchins- Pristine Christine
6 The Jesus & Mary Chain- You Trip Me Up
7 Mary Lou Lord -Some Jingle Jangle Morning (When I'm Straight)
8 The Monochrome Set- The Monochrome Set
9 Felt-Penelope Tree
10 Juniper Moon- El Resto De Mi Vida
11 Shop Assistants- Safety Net
12 Katrina* And V Twin- Gifted
13 Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes- Splashing Along
14 Television Personalities- Look Back In Anger
15 Dressy Bessy- You Stand Here
16 The Wedding Present- Once More
17 Helen Love- Beat Him Up
18 Pop Will Eat Itself- Black Country Chainstore Massacreee
19 I, Ludicrous- Preposterous Tales
20 Heavenly- Sort Of Mine
21 Beat Happening- Indian Summer
22 The Groove Farm- The Best Part Of Being With You
23 The Field Mice -Landmark
24 My Bloody Valentine- Paint A Rainbow
25 Love Is All- Spinning And Scratching
26 Josef K- Sorry For Laughing
27 Talulah Gosh- Talulah Gosh
28 Aberfeldy- Vegetarian Restaurant
29 The Pooh Sticks- I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well
30 This Poison!- Poised Over The Pause Button
31 The Magnetic Fields- 100,000 Fireflies
32 The Vaselines- Molly's Lips
33 A.R. Kane- When You're Sad
34 The Darling Buds- Uptight
35 The Pastels- Truck Train Tractor
36 Camera Obscura- Eighties Fan
37 McCarthy- Should The Bible Be Banned
38 Lush- Hypocrite
39 The June Brides- Every Conversation
40 The Velvet Crush- Walking Out On Love
41 The Flatmates-I Could Be In Heaven
42 Marine Girls- Honey
43 Bis- Icky Pooh Air Raid
44 Razorcuts- Sorry To Embarrass You
45 Eggs- Government Administrator
46 Spearmint- Sweeping The Nation