tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post3336571997440504345..comments2024-01-17T12:50:51.115+00:00Comments on Did Not Chart: A Sarah Records StoryBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14151914517660803474noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-21450641172598212602013-09-27T18:12:42.380+01:002013-09-27T18:12:42.380+01:00Hi Ben, thanks for your comments and reply. I thin...Hi Ben, thanks for your comments and reply. I think I went to two or three gigs in London by Heavenly, once when they might have been on the same bill as The Brilliant Corners. That would have been August 1990 in New Cross. The other one was in Islington the following year. I remember going to the two Xmas parties in Bristol as well (1991 and 1993), though by the time of the second one I had pretty much lost interest in the genre as I'd heard John Coltrane's Impulse recordings by then and this opened up another world to me. I'd also been going to Mod/Soul nights for a year or two by then, and, not long afterwards, I sold every indie record I owned (except by Felt). Do I regret this? No, not really, except for a few by The Go-Betweens, Biff Bang Pow! and Hurrah!. I've bought a few classic early 80s indie LPs on CD since then though.<br />I think I saw the Orchids once, though that might be wishful thinking. I remember their stuff being, along with The Field Mice, the best on the label. I also remember organising a gig in Bristol featuring Tramway with a group called Eye Pilgrims who were based in Leeds. I knew the guitarist from Tramway a bit, though I lost touch with him completely as I did with many people from that era.<br />One of the good things about getting older is that it no longer matters if the music you like is cool or not. So, I happily rediscovered prog rock a few years back and I now let the opuses do their work. Best wishes, JamesJamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-30139478151592402732013-09-21T20:56:30.659+01:002013-09-21T20:56:30.659+01:00Thanks for such a thoughtful response, James. We w...Thanks for such a thoughtful response, James. We were probably at some of the same gigs in London and, similarly, I didn’t see too many (if any) ‘cuties’. For instance, outside the Heavenly/Wake/Field Mice/Brighter Bull & Gate gig in summer 1990 there were a group of people that would become Huggy Bear (indiepop’s influence on riot grrrl is never given its due).<br /><br />There was quite an interest back then in the Bam Caruso reissues – Rob Young of The Poppyheads wrote a fanzine It All Sounded The Same (in 87, I think) that showed his interest in that scene. There was a noticeable attempt to adopt that sound on their Sarah single compared to their flexi, I think. <br /><br />Although there was nothing on Sarah comparable to Loop, noisier pop like The Field Mice’s Sensitive wasn’t given its due by the press – I’m unsure if this is because, 2 years after launch, Sarah had been stigmatised. <br /><br />Sensitive was a reasonable indie hit, if you like, and made 26 in the 1989 Festive Fifty (ahead of Spacemen 3 and next to The Wedding Present and The Pale Saints). The Field Mice progressed to New Order territory afterwards, but the prevailing taste was for Madchester; similarly, The Field Mice’s previous work was out of fashion by the time it was released. <br /><br />The Orchids – this will give me a chance to correct my post when I said none of my favourite bands were on Sarah, as they were absolutely one of my favourite bands - were making essential dance-influenced pop with Ian Carmichael producing. He went on to considerable more attention with One Dove, who much as I like them I thought they were a lesser proposition.<br /><br />Does that mean The Orchids were ahead of their time or were the victim of an anti-Sarah sentiment? Both these things could be true; equally, they could’ve just been unlucky. I know they were shopping around for a different label, hence the 3-year gap between Unholy Soul and Striving. They got good reviews in the main, you know, but the public wasn’t behind them. Yes, more press coverage would’ve helped, but there were other great bands then (Pulp, for example) as there have always been and will always be, who didn’t get the fame and fortune we think they deserve at the time.<br /><br />Outside of The Orchids and The Field Mice, a lot (not all) of Sarah’s roster did sound a little unadventurous and pale. Many indie kids did move on, but this is what music fans do – get wrapped up in one scene then find something else to love. What’s happened with Sarah, I think, is those that only like indiepop hold up Sarah as the ideal; I think this stance does indiepop, which has many faces and flavours, a disservice. <br />Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14151914517660803474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-24854440648321767582013-09-16T14:32:50.133+01:002013-09-16T14:32:50.133+01:00Recent events have got me thinking again about my ...Recent events have got me thinking again about my time following Sarah records and indie pop in the period 87-92, and I thought you might be interested to hear a few thoughts. I was 16 when the Sea Urchins single came out, but didn't hear them until a friend taped me all their songs in the summer of 88. I bought The Poppyheads single and then most that came out in 1989 and 1990. Coming from Bristol, I got a chance to see quite a few of the bands play live, because if memory serves, Matt and Sarah used to put on gigs at a place called Le Cav, which was a cavernous cellar under a pub called The Crown in Bristol's covered market. There were non-Sarah indie bands playing on the bill there too, and I definitely remember seeing the Field Mice there in Spring or summer of 1989.<br />Even at that young age, I got a sense that I'd missed out on a scene that had been at its peak in 1986 (Bristol had some very 'untwee' indie bands like The Flatmates and The Groove Farm who had a national following and I suppose were loosely affiliated to the Sarah records audience. What sticks in my mind is that by this time, indie pop of the 'anorak' variety was no longer a fashion or a major student thing (if it ever had been!), and so its core audience were absolutely devoted to it and it almost became a badge of honour to be dismissed in the music press as 'cuties' or 'fey' or whatever we were back then. And also, curiously enough, a typical audience at a Sarah gig (I can speak of Bristol, Leeds and London with any confidence) was by about 1990 no longer remotely dominated by cuties, but curious music fans of all types.<br />One of the complications of the time was that by about 1987, indie bands were beginning to understand more about how music by two big influences, The Byrds and Velvet Underground actually worked. And most discovered the hard fact that those musicians were brilliant, either schooled in folk music, classically trained or one-off geniuses/drummers! So, most bands attempting to sound like either of those two bands didn't succeed very well sonically, though sometimes visually there would be a bowl cut and turtle neck or two in each band.I think that genuine 60s freaks who had gone along with the Primal Scream thing at first thought Sarah records might offer similar stuff and with the Sea Urchins they were not disappointed. Over time, though, the increasing availability of compilations/reeditions of obscure 60s records + the harder sound of bands like Loop and Spacemen 3 resulted in Sarah records becoming cast adrift from the wider indie scene. It also didn't help that (unfairly perhaps) by about 1991, old school indie pop was perceived as not having taken on board the 'dance/funk' cultural turn, which would lead in so many cases to indie kids getting into black music, either from the 60s (what you say about jazz rings very true) or house music/techno. In short, many indie kids became either mods or ravers.<br />Of course, many of the independent labels were more influenced by the punk ethic as opposed to sixties pop and rock, and I think that is probably what kept the Sarah label going as long as it did, a sense of DIY, "we're doing this because we want" to attitude. Perhaps that is why it is popular in the US, which always has had a strong and varied punk rock scene.<br />I could share more views on it all, but perhaps should leave it there for now. best wishesJamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-10578612929305427132013-01-19T17:27:46.918+00:002013-01-19T17:27:46.918+00:00I'd struggle to reduce Sarah's output to 2...I'd struggle to reduce Sarah's output to 20 songs, but I agree with your timeline. Creation were more adventurous in their approach - that label was fired initially by the influence of Dan Treacy's taste and was historically still in breathing distance of post-punk's experimentation - but their adventurism transmuted into self-indulgence with Oasis-generated cash (and possibly a drug-induced sense of invincibility). But, yes, Creation had more, er, highs and wasn't, unlike Sarah, restricted by any messianic mission.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14151914517660803474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-19331074534143097152013-01-19T16:29:56.293+00:002013-01-19T16:29:56.293+00:00Interesting history. As someone around the same ag...Interesting history. As someone around the same age that grew up in the San Francisco area I probably romanticized things the other way and might have given passes to English bands that didn't necessarily deserve it. But your opinion on Sarah hits the nail on the head in my opinion -- you could probably distill the entire output into one really nice 20 song compilation, and 90% of the songs would be from the first 4-5 years. I'd have trouble narrowing Creation down to even 100 songs. AThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08344448047545942440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-8945696358973401142012-03-08T19:53:10.493+00:002012-03-08T19:53:10.493+00:00You write the multi-layered answer, I'll publi...You write the multi-layered answer, I'll publish it as a separate post. Seriously. I'm really interested in how indiepop developed in Australia in the 80s; if there was a national network or scenes restricted to cities; if, say, EAWS in Sydney felt kinship with Charlotte's Web in Perth and if those bands were responding to a common UK indiepop influence or developed separately. This is, I think, fascinating stuff.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14151914517660803474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-87539316647643174162012-03-08T14:38:42.868+00:002012-03-08T14:38:42.868+00:00Nice read. And thanks for the mention!
As to my...Nice read. And thanks for the mention! <br /><br />As to my place in the indiepop scene? interesting question, & probably one that would deserve a multi-layered answer...<br /><br />Jason RJason Reynoldshttp://www.chords-of-fame.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-83576154016622663182012-02-27T20:34:56.207+00:002012-02-27T20:34:56.207+00:00Ha! I'll email you privately. I don't real...Ha! I'll email you privately. I don't really want this to be about finger-pointing. It might be someone's favourite (though that would be an opinion I've never heard before...).<br /><br />Actually, I think it's more interesting what the average ones were, because they don't inspire love or hate and might just as well not been released.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14151914517660803474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-10751279498749880872012-02-27T18:34:14.605+00:002012-02-27T18:34:14.605+00:00...been meaning to ask...which one of the early re......been meaning to ask...which one of the early releases did you think was terrible? Just being nosey :)<br /><br />cheers, bbrogueshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13794660583369008720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-87476765699886391692012-02-25T17:13:49.170+00:002012-02-25T17:13:49.170+00:00Hi Ben,
I finally found myself awake enough to wr...Hi Ben,<br /><br />I finally found myself awake enough to write a bit on Sarah Records:<br /><br />http://notunloved.blogspot.com/2012/02/another-sarah-records-story.html<br /><br />I think I have Ex-Pop Song but (for shame!) I don't remember it. I'll dig it out tonight :)<br /><br />cheers, broguesbrogueshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13794660583369008720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-71206196604463813902012-02-20T12:01:33.428+00:002012-02-20T12:01:33.428+00:00Fair enough, it is a good song and I bought worse ...Fair enough, it is a good song and I bought worse singles in 93. But I also bought what I consider some much better ones (Ex-Pop Song by the Tender Engines, for example). I wonder, though, if most people outside of indiepop would find it hard to separate those two bands in style. So this is either a case of bald men fighting over a comb, or you being excited about Sarah in 93 and me having lost a bit of interest. I look forward to reading your thoughts about your own Sarah experience.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14151914517660803474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-40396466979677517802012-02-20T01:03:32.555+00:002012-02-20T01:03:32.555+00:00Y'know, I've been thinking over my positio...Y'know, I've been thinking over my position on Sarah for a blog posting. If I get a minute or two tomorrow I'll post it.<br /><br />You're right...I couldn't just stick to one narrow type of music. When I was first experiencing non-chart music, it was through the radio shows of John Peel and (Radio Scotland's) Peter Easton and they certainly didn't encourage a narrow range of listening. So, yeah, there'll be no hostility from me to people who speak their mind and have opinions that differ from mine. Mind you, you were totally WRONG not to buy this:<br /><br />http://youtu.be/lZsSf76QvzQ<br /><br />One of Sarah's highpoints, for me :)<br /><br />cheers, broguesbrogueshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13794660583369008720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-35406263356596281632012-02-18T18:06:28.437+00:002012-02-18T18:06:28.437+00:00Actually, Brogues, what I should have mentioned is...Actually, Brogues, what I should have mentioned is that I'd be interested to hear your story re Sarah. As I (hope I) made clear, the above is my experience. I hope that the documentary, for example, takes viewpoints from people with varied experiences. I'd like to know if Sarah inspired you to start your record label, or if it made the indiepop world a better place when you were getting in to the music. There were a lot of gigs that I'd have never seen without Sarah and a lot of good times and good people that I met. Their influence was positive in many respects.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14151914517660803474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-68211812777375872522012-02-18T11:12:55.859+00:002012-02-18T11:12:55.859+00:00Erin - I'd already read your Mitch Easter inte...Erin - I'd already read your Mitch Easter interview. Massive fan of his. Easter produced the recent albums by Big Troubles and Boy Genius, both really good records.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14151914517660803474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-44580931183391104802012-02-18T11:00:03.655+00:002012-02-18T11:00:03.655+00:00Clearer is the only Blueboy record I bought. It ne...Clearer is the only Blueboy record I bought. It never struck me as being brilliant, but Sarah's schedule in autumn 91 included Missing The Moon, and that song's lasted.<br /><br />Like I said, there are probably only a few hundred people who can (and who care to) separate the shades between most Sarah bands. Unfortunately, I get the impression that some of those people think that you have to like it all, that it's sacrilegious to say otherwise. <br /><br />Indiepop is a broader church than many credit. Certainly, in my experience, many indiepop fans have musical passions that bounce around different genres. This is a good thing. I know you're one such person, Brogues.<br /><br />I have noticed at times a slightly hostile attitude from a few indiepop fans to anyone who doesn't share their exact same taste. I'm unsure if it's possible to be any more parochial than that.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14151914517660803474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-62825738324787187672012-02-18T00:00:31.517+00:002012-02-18T00:00:31.517+00:00Lovely, well written piece.
Reminded me of my in...Lovely, well written piece. <br /><br />Reminded me of my interview with Mitch Easter talking about how cruel the collapse of interest in indiepop was to him. Sad! <br /><br /> http://www.rockerzine.com/index.php/2011/03/mitch-easter-beyond-and-back-interview-by-erin-amar/ <br /><br />Keep flying the flag - ErinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8685761998401195191.post-45541981627927483812012-02-17T19:36:19.673+00:002012-02-17T19:36:19.673+00:00Great post DNC! I wasn't early on the scene w...Great post DNC! I wasn't early on the scene when it came to Sarah. The first single I bought was Blueboy's "Clearer". That was Sarah 55, I think. Had you lost interest by then? I hope not as it's wonderful. I bought it from the Rock department of 23rd Precinct in Glasgow. If you'd seen that place you would've known just how subversive an act that was. It just had to have been the most fragile thing in the whole shop. I can't even remember what attracted me to it. Probably the assumption that they took their name from an Orange Juice song. I'm surprised that I didn't get beaten up and robbed of my lunch money on the way out.<br /><br />cheers, broguesbrogueshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13794660583369008720noreply@blogger.com