Where to start with C86 and Indie Pop
C86 and Indie Pop is a music scene from United Kingdom (Scotland, England), 1983–1995. Its principal artists include Primal Scream, The Pastels, Shop Assistants and The Wedding Present. This issue covers 10 essential albums and 15 dated events.
Start here
- 1
C86
Various Artists · 1986NME's compilation introduced the scene itself, gathering jangle and noise acts whose singles defined it.
- 2
Up for a Bit with the Pastels
The Pastels · 1987Original release: Glass Records · GLALP 021 · 12″ Vinyl · UK 1987Showed Glasgow bands they didn't need to move south, shaping the scene's independent ethos.
- 3
George Best
The Wedding Present · 1987Original release: Reception Records · LEEDS 1 · 12″ Vinyl · UK 1987A landmark debut of self-released singles and relationship songs, later ranked among NME's 500 greatest albums.
Go deeper
- 4
Shop Assistants
Shop Assistants · 1986Original release: Blue Guitar · AZLP 2 · 12″ Vinyl · UK 1986The Edinburgh band's only album came out in November 1986 on Blue Guitar, a Chrysalis sub-label, following their independent singles on Subway and 53rd & 3rd.
- 5
Forever Breathes the Lonely Word
Felt · 1986Original release: Creation Records · CRE LP 011 · 12″ Vinyl · UK 1986Felt's sixth album, released on Creation in September 1986, put Martin Duffy's organ at the front of the mix alongside Lawrence's guitar.
- 6
Sonic Flower Groove
Primal Scream · 1987Original release: Elevation · ELV 2 · 12″ Vinyl · UK 1987Primal Scream's debut, released on 5 October 1987 on Alan McGee's Warner subsidiary Elevation, is their only album with founding guitarist Jim Beattie, whose twelve-string jangle runs through it.
- 7
Snowball
The Field Mice · 1989Original release: Sarah Records · SARAH 402 · 10″ Vinyl · UK 1989The Field Mice's debut, a 10-inch mini-album on Sarah (SARAH 402), reached No. 3 on the UK Indie Albums Chart.
- 8
Heavenly vs. Satan
Heavenly · 1991Original release: Sarah Records · SARAH 603 · 12″ Vinyl · UK 1991Heavenly's debut album, released by Sarah in January 1991 as SARAH 603, kept the jangly guitar style Amelia Fletcher, Mathew Fletcher, Peter Momtchiloff and Rob Pursey had played in Talulah Gosh.
For the obsessed
- 9
Rock Legends: Volume 69
Talulah Gosh · 1987Talulah Gosh's ironically titled first album came out in October 1987 on the German label Constrictor, and in Britain on 53rd & 3rd (AGAS 4) in 1988.
- 10
Dum-Dum
The Vaselines · 1989Original release: 53rd & 3rd Records · AGAS 7 · 12″ Vinyl · UK 1989Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee's only album from the Vaselines' original run was recorded at Chamber Studios in Edinburgh over the winter of 1988-89 and released on 53rd & 3rd…
The stories behind every record are in C86 and Indie Pop, a members' issue.