UKC

Genius came up trumps tonight and is playing the best of 80's Indie. Echo & The Bunnymen - Seven Seas for starters. What's your clssic 80's Indie track?

In reply to soularch:
Primitive Painters by Felt

In reply to soularch:

All fall down - Primal scream.

Before they sold out.

She's a nurse - Raw herbs.

In reply to soularch: like that Felt track!

In reply to soularch:

Can't Be Sure - The Sundays

In reply to soularch: "Alice" SOM.

In reply to fried:
Prefer "velocity girl"

Also, "Christine" by the House of Love and "why are you being so reasonable now" by the Wedding present


And of course "trumpton riots"

In reply to soularch:

Assuming you mean Indie as in Independent Label and not just, oh radio 1 called it Indie...

I'll go for a synth pop classic of Sheffield from back-in-the-day (well, we used to think we were cool dancing to it in The Limit)... Lucifer's Friend by Vision

youtube.com/watch?v=Mod9ob_SdJE&

Obviously there were tons more, but as an apprentice down t'pit we used to whistle to this between seams and all was good in the world

In reply to mountainmadness:

What, like Kylie Minogue when she was on Mushroom and deConstruction?

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Yeah, sure, why not? Indie is reference to the label signed to, not a genre.

Ok, I'll also go for Bratfud's finest Southern Death Cult, signed on Beggars Banquet - Faith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs9HJHvq-hQ&feature=related

In reply to mountainmadness:

Good, just checking. How strict is this though - what about indies that are wholly own subsidiaries of majors (in fairness that only really kicked in in the mid 1990s I think, but still, gotta be careful!)

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I dunno, it's not my thread, you'll have to ask Soularch

Hmm, now that's a real dilemma, what about say FGTH? They started on ZTT I believe, now did they enable the label to move into mainstream due to record sales? Or did they help keep the Indie tag faithful and cool?

I have no idea. Chicken and egg I guess.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

well, if it included the 90s, in that case it would be "where the wild roses grow"....

In reply to no_more_scotch_eggs:

<checks>
Yep, in the clear by a good seven years.
"In May 2002, Mute Records was bought by EMI for £23m."

In reply to mountainmadness:

I think ZTT remains totally independent; it has a parent company SPZ Group but that is basically Trevor Horn's thing anyway. An independent label can have mainstream success and still be independent - that was my point re: Kylie Minogue. Jive Bunny too. Yet Oasis have never been an indie band (Creation was 50% owned by Sony two years before Oasis were signed)...all awfully complicated!

At least the 1980s were simpler.

In reply to soularch:

Echo Beach - Martha & The Muffins

Add It Up - Violent Femmes

True Faith - New Order

Been Caught Stealin' - Jane's Addiction

Eight Legged Groove Machine (Album) - The Wonder Stuff

Doolittle (Album) - The Pixies

In reply to soularch:
Six of the best off the top of my head:

Moonchild - Fields of the Nephilim
Thieves like us - New Order
What difference does it make? - The Smiths
Pearly Dewdrops's Drops - Cocteau Twins
Stripped - Depeche Mode
A Forest - The Cure

In reply to soularch:

Crazyhead What Gives you the idea that you're so amazing baby?

Gay Bykers on Acid

(and, of course the Lesbin Dopeheads on Mopeds!)

In reply to soularch:


The Heartthrobs:- I wonder why (poss 1990 tho)

The Wedding Present:- My Favorite dress

The Smiths:- Girl afraid

In reply to soularch:
A seventh addition to my six of the best is the extraordinary 'Birthday' by The Sugarcubes.

In reply to MarkT:
That Jane's Addiction album is a classic. Must get it.

For a slightly more 'punk / hardcore' list

'Holiday in Cambodia' by the Dead Kennedys (released 1980, though I didn't get into them until 1988

'Human Cannonball' by the Butthole Surfers

'Waiting Room' by Fugazi

'Ignore it' Paranoid Visions (I lived in Dublin at the time)

'Kerosene' Big Black (great anthem for anyone from a small town)

'Rise Above' Black Flag

In reply to soularch: Good responses, I've certainly been reminded of a few classics there that I'll need to listen to again. Not going to worry about the definition of 'Indie' too much, genre or record label, whatever.

In reply to soularch:
And, lest we forget, Joy Division released 'Love will tear us apart' and the awe-inspiring 'Atmosphere' in 1980.

In reply to Gazlynn:

Good call! Some confusion about how purely indie they were though, with links to Elektra (and therefore Warners), and A&M, but I think the UK release of I Wonder Why is legitimately indie.

I liked them, especially the "Spongy Thing" EP

In reply to Blue Straggler:

I have that! Along with (amongst others) the Jane's Addiction album mentioned above - my mum was furious when I came home with it and plonked it on the kitchen table. The cover wasn't to her taste...

Note to self: get turntable or flog vinyl.

In reply to soularch: another vote for A Forest. And how come nobodys mentioned Vienna yet? sacrilege!

In reply to Tall Clare:

Get turntable!

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Some cats like to spin around on them...

In reply to mountainmadness: oo thank you, just been listening to She sells sanctuary -brilliant

In reply to soularch:

Joy Division - Closer

In reply to soularch:

I'd like to add these to the playlist...

the pixies - monkey gone to heaven

the smiths - how soon is now

the wedding present - that was my favourite dress

the the - this is the day

rem - superman

lloyd cole - perfect skin

the jesus and mary chain - just like honey

its immaterial - driving away from home

james - hymn for a village

the housemartins - five get over excited

depeche mode - blasphemous rumours

billy bragg - levi stubbs tears

the band of holy joy - baubles bangles emotional tangles

the b52s - love shack

the damned - the shadow of love

the pogues - haunted

In reply to fried:

Good lord! There's a blast from the past

Used to see them often - was a mate of Steve Archibald

In reply to soularch: Has to be the Cocteau Twins, even named a route on the slate from them..."Pearly Dew Drops Drop"!! Awsome

In reply to soularch:

Birthday - The Sugarcubes (One Little Indian, 1988)

The Southern Death Cult (aka Fatman/Moya/The Girl) - The Southern Death Cult (Situation Two, 1982)

Alice - The Sisters of Mercy (Merciful Release, 1983)



good starting points.


There was all the stuff on Cherry Red, which was a subsidiary of Rough Trade, as well - think Everything but the Girl...

Where does Psychocandy - The Jesus and Mary Chain come in, as that was also WEA via Blanco y Negro), and WEA was also the The Sisters of Mercy first studio album, not Merciful Release... But they were still Indie to anyone who went and saw them, in the first half of the 80s...

Indie was a state of mind, rather than a label...

In reply to soularch:
Gloomy Sunday - Associates

In reply to Dominion:

youtube.com/watch?v=noXYiNo5TOo&

The first time we got to hear the power of that voice...

youtube.com/watch?v=5owM5EitjhQ&

wow, so primitive by today's standard!

youtube.com/watch?v=-GwWra1sQgo&

also!

In reply to Dominion:
Wow, that Sugarcubes singer sounds just like Bjork!

In reply to JLS:

Don't be daft

youtube.com/watch?v=1EPP3gkh_00&

In reply to soularch:

I'm going to throw up a couple more:

Cabaret Voltaire (Sheffield's finest )

Fabulous Poodles (70's or 80's not 100% sure)

Theater of Hate (Eastworld)

A certain Ratio

and finally... Help me out here... a Factory labelled single (ask yer Dad) in a purple sleeve with gold lettering and no picture, anyone know it? I just can't remember, but I might have to go look in the loft!

In reply to soularch: ladeez and gentlemen, I give you...............

youtube.com/watch?v=npY_rMrHR6k&

In reply to paul-1970:

Like!!!

In reply to soularch:

Neds

youtube.com/watch?v=yan77UKYcg4&

In reply to mountainmadness:



Personally, I preferred

Do You Believe in the Westworld

by Theatre of Hate

In reply to soularch:

EVOL/Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth
The Frenz Experiment - The Fall (or just about any of their other 80s albums)
Life's Rich Pageant - REM
Isn't Anything - My Bloody Valentine
Up In It - Afghan Whigs
Flip Your Wig - Husker Du
You're Living All Over Me - Dinosaur Jr
What's THIS For..! - Killing Joke
Faith - The Cure

I was still wetting nappies/in primary school at the time and had no knowledge of any of these bands, so this is a bit of a retrospective list. It could well have been different if I'd been older and paying attention.

In reply to Dominion:

youtube.com/watch?v=eX_6K1xGApY&

In reply to Dominion:

I liked that as well, loved Brandon's voice.

(I don't get the winking smiley though)

In reply to malky_c:
>

I set myself a rule of "stuff that I liked at the time", which was a massive constraint (possibly in itself a good thing!).
Then I cheated with Throwing Muses (or did I delete that?)
Retrospectively I'd put some Triffids stuff in there.

In reply to mountainmadness:


I was being silly, I'd forgotten about Eastworld / Assegai

There was also The Hop / Conquistador

And Propaganda

youtube.com/watch?v=p04xqDrdxBA&


And Nero



Ha, going to have dig my vinyl out, and get a USB turntable to convert to digital

In reply to Dominion:
>

Can't you use a normal turntable and feed the output in and record via Audacity or similar, or is USB turntable simply that much more convenient? I keep wondering whether to go for a USB one. Must admit the Audacity method can be a bit of a drag, but then I am lazy at optimising work flow. Just curious! I know the USB ones come with software to make it all painless, is that the lure and is it said to be any good? Let us know what you get anyway
Cheers

In reply to malky_c:
Yeah, it would have been. You'd have selected 'Sister' (listen to 'Schizophrenia) over EVOL/Daydream Nation, and you'd probably pick 'Freakscene' song by Dinosaur Jr (from album Bug)
'Pornography' I think beats 'Faith'.

In reply to Flinticus:

Agreed - brilliant album.

In reply to soularch:
Oh yeah, a forgotten classic of the 80s 'This is the Sea' by The Waterboys. I loved this album and I think I will see if FOPP have it. Listen to it tonight driving to the Cairngorms.

In reply to soularch: Lots more gems, 80's weren't that bad (well in terms of this music anyway...)

In reply to Flinticus: I like all them, but I'd still have it round my way.
If I'd been ten years older, I reckon the list would've been filled with loads of stuff that would sound crap now. I just need to look at some of the stuff I listened to in the '90's to prove that!

In reply to Flinticus:

I'm going to lazily just steal your list and equally lazily just add 'Floyd the Barber' by Nirvana.

In reply to malky_c:
Nah. if you were 10 years older your list would like like mine!

In reply to grumpybearpantsclimbinggoat:

are they really 80's?

In reply to soularch:

The Popguns - Waiting For The Winter
The Perfect Disaster - Rise

Both just about squeeze into the 80s.

In reply to mountainmadness:

erm, you're joking, right?

In reply to soularch:
Not 80s but 90s: went to FOPP to get This is the Sea. Not in stock but ended up getting, for £3, 'Second Coming' by The Stone Roses.

Heard a few tracks off it on Radio 6 recently and thought, 'Wow, they're good' (the songs, that is. of course I was familiar the Stone Roses) so that will accompany me on my drive tonight.

In reply to Blue Straggler:


Well, firstly I'll do a test, I did buy a turntable that you can do a direct out into a computer if you can sort the cabling out, and the turntable had a switch which - if I remember correctly - toggled a pre-amp on or off.

Now, I did do some vinyl to digital recordings using that, and they did work, but it was a labour of love - very time consuming, but the results were pretty reasonable. And I think I used Audacity to record, there probably is a post on this forum detailing it, back in the mists of time...


But my suspicion is that nowadays a USB turntable might have some software supplied with it that detects gaps between tracks, and possibly even does id3tags automatically, and stuff like that, and if you are doing a lot of vinyl that is probably going to be a lot more convenient.

In reply to Tall Clare:


Indeed, The Cure's Pornography was one of the outstanding albums of the 1980s, if not of ever...



Was a bit of a shock to watch The Cure play Reading this year (on iplayer) as my first reaction on seeing Reeves Gabrels was "Wow, don't remember playing that gig!" seeing how my illness of the last 6 years has pretty much turned my hair and beard white, and I've put on some weight...

In reply to ripper:

Don't you think so? Maybe it's just me then.

In reply to Dominion:
Oh god yeah... gotta play it right now! Thanks

In reply to soularch:

The field mice - if you need someone

Fairly typical of what was to come and a couple of more obscure ones

Dub sex - time of life

The chesterfields - Ask johnny dee - does not seem that dated imho

And spacemen 3!

In reply to soularch: youtube.com/watch?v=tSKuxVNBC34&

hotgun gimme gimme lowdown funboy ·
ok yeah showdown · shotgun gimme gimme lowdown funboy ·
ok yeah showdown · shotgun gimme gimme lowdown funboy ·
ok yeah showdown, showdown ·
take me away -
he's as big as a ranch ·
take me away -
he's as tough as they come ·
ja ja ja ja ja john wayne ·
take me away - he's so long ·
take me away -
you know he's never wrong ·
ja ja ja ja ja john wayne

In reply to mountainmadness:

Must just be you, absolutely nothing like her!

In reply to Dominion:

Yes that's pretty much what I thought - you may get better "fidelity" (probably only noticeable if you have "golden ears") using a higher-end turntable through a proper amp, assuming the output cable and the input to the computer are up to scratch....but for 95% of us, a dedicated USB turntable which is bound not to have as fine audiophile quality as a "real" one (given that USB turntables can be got for £40 - £60 in Maplin / Aldi / whatever), but they take the tedium out of it all. I've only done a few albums the "slow" way, and mostly just the odd track here and there.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

It really isn't worth the hassle of doing vinyl to mp3. Search the net instead. I have some obscure tastes, it is all out there to download. Some one else has done the work for you

In reply to 3leggeddog:

With respect, if it's there to download then it's not that obscure. Not being competitive but I have a fair few pieces of music on vinyl that can't be found digitised and downloadable.

In reply to Blue Straggler:
If you look in the right places at the right time you may be surprised. I no longer have a record player and threw out an album six months ago. I was very pleased after a six month search to find a digital download of Playn Jayn - Friday 13th, Live at the Marquee. I'd be interested how your particular pieces of music that are on vinyl cannot be digitised?

In reply to BlueStraggler :
I've just reread your post and to be fair you're not saying that the music can't be digitised just that it cannot be found in a digital format. As above, I'd say keep looking. If it is hard to find it's a bigger prize.

In reply to Fly Fifer:


And of course Our Men in Havannah

In reply to Bulls Crack:

Soz

I apologise for the omission.

Great shout.

FF

In reply to Fly Fifer:

Slightly more on the punk tip

The Wedding Present - getting nowhere fast!

In reply to soularch:

Just dug out Galaxie 500 - Today (on vinyl). Takes me back somewhere.

I used to have a Spacemen 3 T-shirt with 'to all the fu...' on the back. Saw one sold on E-bay , 100 quid now.

In reply to Fly Fifer:

Perfectly understandable

In reply to drmarten:

If it's hard to find then I might as well digitise it myself, as I have no plans to throw away my record player.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Well there you go then, problem solved.

In reply to drmarten:


Indeed! Don't forget that I was replying to the other poster initially, who said
"It really isn't worth the hassle of doing vinyl to mp3. Search the net instead. I have some obscure tastes, it is all out there to download. Some one else has done the work for you"

In reply to Blue Straggler:
Just for interest sake give us an example of your obscure taste? I'm not playing games, I'm interested.

One 80's album I'm still after is Nyah Fearties "Tasty Heidfu" and it better be as good as I remember as I have been after it for years in digital format with no luck. The original was badly scratched during an alcoholic evening, I have to content myself with occasional visits to youtube for their 80's stuff. I'm not sure I could nominate Tasty Heidfu as best of 80's indie, one youtube comment remarks that the album is "semi-quality".

One 80's band I've only recently discovered are the Vaselines. I also feel the need to mention The (non obscure) Primitives? And Edwyn Collins/Paul Quinn's Pale Blue Eyes, and etc etc

In reply to Blue Straggler:

why don't you digitise and upload all the obscure ones you can't find, then the rest of us will be able to benefit too.

In reply to drmarten:
Troupe Officielle de L'Etat d'Israel

<checks>

Oh wow it looks like someone has actually done something with it! This is the first time I've seen acknowledgement of its existence, on the Internet, other than on messageboard posts from me!
http://www.europeana.eu/portal/record/09306/98B589921770FD124AEC472A6ADB309...
haven't checked, looks like you have to register and all that guff.

As it was a Decca release, I didn't think it would be all that obscure.

OTher stuff too like a Pat Galvin record "Irish Rebel Songs Vol. III", again I'd have thought someone would have put some of it up.
allmusic has a listing, never used to
http://www.allmusic.com/album/irish-rebel-songs-vol-3-mw0000907065

Obviously more and more stuff is getting done so there will be stuff I've searched for before to no avail, which is now up. But if you have to jump through loads of hoops to access it, and you have the means to digitise it yourself, well which is the less hassle REALLY (factoring a long Internet search)?

Well who'd have thought it, this one is now on CD! I only bought it last year and Internet searches back then indicated that it was properly obscure.
http://www.discogs.com/Sissies-Life-Can-Be-Beautiful/release/2410065

Well maybe you win, at least on these three examples.



I could be mean and challenge you to find DIA and Hanya Yesus by Sola Gracia Group, but that would be harsh.
OTOH my Folk Music of the Canary Islands LP by Agrupacion Roque Nublo seems bizarrely ignored, the band is well represented but not this particular LP. I digitised a couple of tracks off it for myself.

In reply to Parrys_apprentice:

I've digitised what I want for my own benefit.

In reply to Blue Straggler:


...





Blimey this one too http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/italian-guitars/id422700465 though again I always thought it shouldn't be that esoteric a record.

How about this one?
http://www.arhoolie.com/world/polish-american-dance-music-the-early-recordi...

I know none of those examples were 80s indie! My point (now lost in esoterica brinksmanship!) had been that there is some stuff that is hard enough to find already digitised, that you are better off doing it yourself.

In reply to drmarten:

This tangent is causing me to find load of stuff that has magically become less obscure since last I looked! Ace! Now Lois Lane has her own site! A couple of years there was barely any trace of her, I just ripped something from "Listen Again" on Radio 2...
http://blue-straggler.net/ABrontosaurusNamedBert.mp3

Now I can get the whole album apparently Hurrah

In reply to soularch:

How many remember this fine B-movie track?
youtube.com/watch?v=eDDnrCScfv8&

long version
youtube.com/watch?v=y7Ftgc52S9Y&

Saw them in 1981
very memorable night - sleeping on pool tables is not comfortable

In reply to Blue Straggler:

It would seem I've heard Lois Lane but wasn't aware (Caravelles) but yes your other examples seem obscure to me, I'll give you that. Polish-American dance music 1927-1933 seems quite a niche market. Great that you've found some of the other stuff.

Via email, Mark Lamarr gave me the exact copy (ie name/version) of a song I was looking for after hearing it one night on his radio show.

youtube.com/watch?v=C8mLkPPMjug&

80's indie? Ah, sorry.

Amazing band - In On The Kill Taker was my favourite - Rend It, what a tune!!!

In reply to drmarten:

Yes, and I can't imagine why, with stunning vocals like this :-$
55-60 years ahead of the Bjork woman...

http://blue-straggler.net/miTunes/Charlie%20in%20the%20Box.mp3

On the same label, Arhoolie, I have some authentic 1920s Cajun music which is virtually unlistenable, I think the accessible banjo-fiddle-accordion Zydeco stuff we hear so often took some time to develop.

Anyway we'd best end the digression here

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Damn, I was trying to work Kate Dalton in.

youtube.com/watch?v=FEKWpMUZoUE&

I was so close and I'll leave the thread drift now.

I think most decades have good music and there is always good music on the margins. I am biased towards the 80's as it was my formative years so even the mainstream music brings back memories in a way an Xfactor number one couldn't do for me these days.
"Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts".

In reply to mountainmadness:


Yeah baby, found it at last

Stockholm Monsters, and the single is Fairy Tales

Now I need one of those USB turntables given that I've just brought over 300 singles downfrom the loft!

In reply to Dom Whillans:

That tune is a belter!

Some top tunes for me:

Colourbox - Baby I love you so
23 Skidoo - Ooze
A Certain Ratio - Do the Du
ESG - My Love for you
New Order - Everything's Gone Green
Mark Stewart & the Maffia - Hypnotised

In reply to mountainmadness:

Another Martin Hannett production I think - genius

In reply to iksander:

"Make it faster...but slower"

In reply to Blue Straggler:
Good thread - I'd throw in a bit of King of the Slums (great, angular violin work) Lowlife and McCarthy. +1 for Sonic Youth - Schizophrenia and Big Black - Kerosene suggestions too.

In reply to soularchdisappointed no votes for Fiat Lux

youtube.com/watch?v=GOeGawjJnR8&

Probably a bit too 'new romantic' for all you hairy blokes.......

Depends on what you call Indie as many then trasnferred to major labels, but started out on indies or on their own

Shriekback - Nemesis - great track (though they were on a mainstream label by then)

Blue Nile - signed to Linn Records

Bridewell Taxis - self owned label

Cud - very small Leeds lable but then went mainstream

Clock DVA - 4 hours. I have it somewhere on a cassette, I must get it in a better format.
youtube.com/watch?v=Sputl2yAbfQ&

In reply to drmarten:

I still listen to tapes in the car!

In reply to mountainmadness:

Nope, I'm CD and USB connection. I've moved house twice in the last year so the tape is somewhere among a pile of unopened boxes, it will show up eventually. Maybe a cassette player will turn up as well.

I was listening to some 80's stuff today and this Colourbox song still stands out.
youtube.com/watch?v=mK13i7SHhcA&