C86 (music)
Encyclopedia
C86 is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine NME
in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from independent labels of the time. As a phrase, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based musical genre characterised by "jangly" guitars and fey
melodies, although other musical styles were represented on the tape. It became a term of abuse for its associations with twee
ness and underachievement, although some now argue that its release represents a pivotal moment for independent music in the UK
The C86 name was a play on the labelling and length of blank compact cassettes - commonly C60, C90 and C120 - combined with 1986.
. C86 was similarly designed to reflect the new music scene of the time. It was compiled by NME writers Roy Carr
, Neil Taylor
and Adrian Thrills, who licenced tracks from labels such as Creation
, Pink, and Ron Johnson
. Readers had to pay for the tape via mail order although an LP was subsequently released on Rough Trade
in 1987. The UK music press, in this period, was extremely competitive, with four weekly papers documenting new bands and trends. There was a tendency to artificially create and "discover" new musical sub-genres in order to heighten reader interest. NME journalists of the period now agree that C86 was a typical example of this, but also a byproduct of NMEs "hip hop wars"; a schism in the paper (and amongst readers) between enthusiasts of the contemporary progressive black music such as Public Enemy and Mantronix
, and the fans of guitar-based music, which was the superabundant genre represented on C86.
It was the 23rd NME tape, although its catalogue number was NME022 (C81 had been dubbed COPY001). The rest of the tapes were compilations promoting labels' back catalogues and dedicated to either R&B, Northern Soul
, Jazz
or Reggae
. C86 was followed up with a Billie Holiday
compilation, "Holiday Romance".
The C86 line-up featured early tracks from Stump
, Bogshed
, The Shrubs, A Witness
, Big Flame and The Mackenzies
. Their loud quirkiness was completely at odds with the Byrds-style guitars and fey melodies of what came to be known as C86 bands.
NME promoted the tape in conjunction with London's Institute of Contemporary Arts
, who staged a week of gigs in July 1986 which featured most of the acts on the compilation.
summed up C86 by dubbing it "the most indie thing to have ever existed". Bob Stanley
, a Melody Maker
journalist in the late 1980s and founding member of pop band Saint Etienne
, similarly claimed in a 2006 interview that C86 represented the:
Martin Whitehead, who ran the Subway label in the late 80s, was of this view believing it to have had a political influence. "Before C86, women could only be eye-candy in a band, I think C86 changed that - there were women promoting gigs, writing fanzines and running labels".
Some writers however regret the influence the tape had over the music scene of the time and subsequently. Everett True
, a writer for NME in 1986 under the name "The Legend!" called it "unrepresentative of its times (as opposed to the brilliant C81 comp) and even unrepresentative of the small narrow strata of music it thought it was representing." Alastair Fitchett, editor of the long-running music site Tangents goes further, despite being a fan of many of the bands on the tape.
being the only artist on the compilation who enjoyed wide mainstream success. Three other bands on the compilation, Babybird
, The Delgados
and Urusei Yatsura
, had brief success in the United Kingdom after the compilation's release.
The 20th anniversary of the tape, in 2006, saw several tributes. A download-only compilation, C06, of contemporary bands inspired by those on the original C86 cassette was put together by the indie-mp3 site in July 2006. A
double-CD compilation; CD86
, compiled by Bob Stanley, was released by Sanctuary Records
and the ICA hosted "C86 - Still Doing It For Fun", an exhibition and 2 nights of gigs celebrating the rise of British Independent music.
The Rough Trade
label released their own tribute/parody, C09, as a limited-run cassette available in independent record stores for the 2009 Record Store Day
. It featured Jarvis Cocker
, the Super Furry Animals
, and other artists.
A documentary film marking the period, Hungry Beat, is in production directed by Paul Kelly.
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from independent labels of the time. As a phrase, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based musical genre characterised by "jangly" guitars and fey
Fey
Fey may refer to:* A word meaning "wild or crazy acting", often ascribed to supernatural causes and evidenced by abnormal behavior...
melodies, although other musical styles were represented on the tape. It became a term of abuse for its associations with twee
Twee
The word twee occurs in various terms:*twee pop and twee, alternative names for indie pop*Kill Twee Pop!, the first studio album by Sarandon*Twee River Redfin , a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family...
ness and underachievement, although some now argue that its release represents a pivotal moment for independent music in the UK
The C86 name was a play on the labelling and length of blank compact cassettes - commonly C60, C90 and C120 - combined with 1986.
The C86 Cassette
The tape was a belated follow-up to C81, a more diverse collection of new bands, released by the NME in 1981 in conjunction with Rough TradeRough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
. C86 was similarly designed to reflect the new music scene of the time. It was compiled by NME writers Roy Carr
Roy Carr
Roy Carr is an English music journalist. He joined the New Musical Express in the late 1960s and has edited NME, VOX and Melody Maker magazines...
, Neil Taylor
Neil Taylor (journalist)
Neil Taylor , was an English music journalist. He was born in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, and worked for music magazine the NME from approximately 1983 to 1987. Taylor is most closely associated with the "Indie" rock of that period. His early work on such bands as The Jesus & Mary Chain, the...
and Adrian Thrills, who licenced tracks from labels such as Creation
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
, Pink, and Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson Records
Ron Johnson Records was an UK independent record label based in Long Eaton operating between 1983 and 1988. The label contributed five tracks to the NME's C86 compilation. Run by Dave Parsons, the label released records by artists such as Big Flame, The Shrubs, A Witness, The Great Leap Forward,...
. Readers had to pay for the tape via mail order although an LP was subsequently released on Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
in 1987. The UK music press, in this period, was extremely competitive, with four weekly papers documenting new bands and trends. There was a tendency to artificially create and "discover" new musical sub-genres in order to heighten reader interest. NME journalists of the period now agree that C86 was a typical example of this, but also a byproduct of NMEs "hip hop wars"; a schism in the paper (and amongst readers) between enthusiasts of the contemporary progressive black music such as Public Enemy and Mantronix
Mantronix
Mantronix was an influential 1980s hip hop and electro funk music group founded by DJ Kurtis Mantronik , and rapper MC Tee...
, and the fans of guitar-based music, which was the superabundant genre represented on C86.
It was the 23rd NME tape, although its catalogue number was NME022 (C81 had been dubbed COPY001). The rest of the tapes were compilations promoting labels' back catalogues and dedicated to either R&B, Northern Soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
or Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
. C86 was followed up with a Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
compilation, "Holiday Romance".
The C86 line-up featured early tracks from Stump
Stump (band)
Stump were an Anglo-Irish indie/experimental/rock group featuring former Microdisney members Mick Lynch and Rob McKahey , along with Kev Hopper and Chris Salmon . They formed in London in 1983...
, Bogshed
Bogshed
Bogshed were an independent band formed in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, England in 1984, originally as The Amazing Roy North Penis Band.-History:...
, The Shrubs, A Witness
A Witness
A Witness were an alternative rock band formed in 1982 in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, by Rick Aitken , Vince Hunt and a drum machine, in 1986 replaced by Alan Brown...
, Big Flame and The Mackenzies
The Mackenzies
The Mackenzies were an indie band from Glasgow active around 1986/87, releasing two singles of jagged indie-funk on Ron Johnson Records and contributing the track Big Jim to the NME's C86 compilation. They also recorded two sessions for John Peel, the first of which was repeated seven times, such...
. Their loud quirkiness was completely at odds with the Byrds-style guitars and fey melodies of what came to be known as C86 bands.
NME promoted the tape in conjunction with London's Institute of Contemporary Arts
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
, who staged a week of gigs in July 1986 which featured most of the acts on the compilation.
Legacy
Ex-NME staffer Andrew CollinsAndrew Collins (broadcaster)
Andrew Collins is the creator and writer of Radio 4 sitcom Mr Blue Sky. His TV writing work includes EastEnders and the sitcoms Grass and Not Going Out .-Personal life:Collins was a member of the Labour Party between the late 1980s and early 1990s, leaving after Labour's...
summed up C86 by dubbing it "the most indie thing to have ever existed". Bob Stanley
Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne)
Bob Stanley is a UK musician, film producer and journalist.-Saint Etienne:Stanley is best known as a member of the pop/dance group Saint Etienne for which he co-writes songs and produces...
, a Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
journalist in the late 1980s and founding member of pop band Saint Etienne
Saint Etienne (band)
Saint Etienne are an English Pop group comprising Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They are named after the French football team AS Saint-Étienne.-History:Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs were childhood friends and former music journalists...
, similarly claimed in a 2006 interview that C86 represented the:
"beginning of indie music...It's hard to remember how underground guitar music and fanzines were in the mid 80s; DIY ethics and any residual punk attitudes were in isolated pockets around the country and the C86 comp and gigs brought them together in an explosion of new groups".
Martin Whitehead, who ran the Subway label in the late 80s, was of this view believing it to have had a political influence. "Before C86, women could only be eye-candy in a band, I think C86 changed that - there were women promoting gigs, writing fanzines and running labels".
Some writers however regret the influence the tape had over the music scene of the time and subsequently. Everett True
Everett True
For the cartoon character, see The Outbursts of Everett True.Everett True is a British music journalist, who grew up in Chelmsford, Essex...
, a writer for NME in 1986 under the name "The Legend!" called it "unrepresentative of its times (as opposed to the brilliant C81 comp) and even unrepresentative of the small narrow strata of music it thought it was representing." Alastair Fitchett, editor of the long-running music site Tangents goes further, despite being a fan of many of the bands on the tape.
'"(The NME) laid the foundations for the desolate wastelands of what we came to know by that vile term 'Indie'. What more reason do you need to hate it?"'
Follow-ups
In 1996, NME continued the tradition of compiling a new band album (this time a CD) by releasing C96. This had little impact, with MogwaiMogwai (band)
Mogwai are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite , John Cummings , Barry Burns , Dominic Aitchison , and Martin Bulloch...
being the only artist on the compilation who enjoyed wide mainstream success. Three other bands on the compilation, Babybird
Babybird
Babybird are a British indie band formed in 1995. The band is fronted by Stephen Jones, who has also released records as a solo artist, using his own name.-Career:Jones had begun...
, The Delgados
The Delgados
The Delgados were a Scottish indie rock band from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The band was composed of Alun Woodward , Stewart Henderson , Paul Savage and Emma Pollock .-Biography:...
and Urusei Yatsura
Urusei Yatsura (band)
Urusei Yatsura were a Glaswegian Alternative rock, Indie rock rock indie band.-History:Founding members Fergus Lawrie and Graham Kemp met in the summer of 1993, whilst attending the University of Glasgow. They recruited Elaine Graham as bassist, and the line-up was completed with the subsequent...
, had brief success in the United Kingdom after the compilation's release.
The 20th anniversary of the tape, in 2006, saw several tributes. A download-only compilation, C06, of contemporary bands inspired by those on the original C86 cassette was put together by the indie-mp3 site in July 2006. A
double-CD compilation; CD86
CD86 (album)
CD86: 48 Tracks From The Birth Of Indie Pop is a compilation album of indie pop from the original C86 era, released in 2006 by Sanctuary Records. It is compiled by Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne.-Background:...
, compiled by Bob Stanley, was released by Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
and the ICA hosted "C86 - Still Doing It For Fun", an exhibition and 2 nights of gigs celebrating the rise of British Independent music.
The Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
label released their own tribute/parody, C09, as a limited-run cassette available in independent record stores for the 2009 Record Store Day
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an internationally celebrated day observed the third Saturday of April each year. Its purpose, as conceived by independent record store employee Chris Brown, is to celebrate the art of music...
. It featured Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
, the Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...
, and other artists.
A documentary film marking the period, Hungry Beat, is in production directed by Paul Kelly.
Side one
- Primal ScreamPrimal ScreamPrimal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...
- "Velocity Girl" - The Mighty Lemon DropsThe Mighty Lemon DropsThe Mighty Lemon Drops were an English rock group active from 1985 to 1992.-Biography:Originally called the Sherbet Monsters, the quartet first formed in the spring of 1985 in Wolverhampton, in The Black Country...
- "Happy Head" - The Soup DragonsThe Soup DragonsThe Soup Dragons were a Scottish alternative rock band of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Named after a character in the 1970s children's television show Clangers, the group is best known for its cover of the Rolling Stones' song "I'm Free."-History:...
- "Pleasantly Surprised" - The WolfhoundsThe WolfhoundsThe Wolfhounds were an indie rock band formed in Romford, Havering, England in 1985 by Dave Callahan, Paul Clark, Andy Golding, Andy Bolton and Frank Stebbing. They began as a slightly askew pop/rock band, and signed to the Pink label in 1986. First EP Cut The Cake was well enough received for...
- "Feeling So Strange Again" - The BodinesThe BodinesThe Bodines were a British rock group from the mid- to late-1980s.-Core line-up:*Michael Ryan - vocals, guitar*Paul Brotherton - guitar*Tim Burwood - bass guitar*John Rowland - drums-Other members:*Paul Lilley - drums*Ian Watson - bass guitar...
- "Therese" - Mighty MightyMighty MightyMighty Mighty were an indie band formed in Birmingham, England in the mid 1980s. Showing influences from Postcard Records bands such as Orange Juice, they came to prominence when featured on the NME's C86 compilation, at around the same time that they released their debut single "Everybody Knows...
- "Law" - StumpStump (band)Stump were an Anglo-Irish indie/experimental/rock group featuring former Microdisney members Mick Lynch and Rob McKahey , along with Kev Hopper and Chris Salmon . They formed in London in 1983...
- "Buffalo" - BogshedBogshedBogshed were an independent band formed in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, England in 1984, originally as The Amazing Roy North Penis Band.-History:...
- "Run to the Temple" - A WitnessA WitnessA Witness were an alternative rock band formed in 1982 in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, by Rick Aitken , Vince Hunt and a drum machine, in 1986 replaced by Alan Brown...
- "Sharpened Sticks" - The PastelsThe PastelsThe Pastels are a group from Glasgow, Scotland, UK.Their early records for labels like Whaam!, Creation, Rough Trade, and Glass Records, had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time...
- "Breaking Lines" - Age of ChanceAge of ChanceAge of Chance were a British alternative rock-dance crossover band from Leeds, England active from 1985 to 1991. They were perhaps most known for their mutant metallic cover of Prince's "Kiss" which topped the UK Indie Chart in 1986, and peaked at #50 in the UK Singles Chart in January the...
- "From Now On, This Will Be Your God"
Side two
- The Shop AssistantsThe Shop AssistantsShop Assistants were an indie pop band from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed in 1984, initially as Buba & The Shop Assistants. After achieving success with independent releases they signed to Chrysalis Records sublabel Blue Guitar, releasing their only album in 1986...
- "It's Up to You" - Close LobstersClose LobstersClose Lobsters are a Scottish indie pop/rock band. They first came to wider prominence with the track "Firestation Towers" on the NME's C86 compilation, they signed to Fire Records and released their debut single "Going To Heaven To See If It Rains" in October 1986...
- "Firestation Towers" - MiaowMiaow (band)Miaow were an indie band from Manchester, England, active between 1984 and 1988. They were led by former Glass Animals singer and NME writer Cath Carroll on vocals and guitar, with Steve Maguire , Ron Caine and Chris Fenner...
- "Sport Most Royal" - Half Man Half BiscuitHalf Man Half BiscuitHalf Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...
- "I Hate Nerys Hughes (From The Heart)" - The ServantsThe ServantsThe Servants was an indie band formed in 1985 in Hayes, Middlesex, England by singer and songwriter David Westlake. The Servants were on 1986’s NME-associated C86 compilation, and the greatly expanded 48-song reissue version in 2006. The Servants was the original home of Luke Haines...
- "Transparent" - The MackenziesThe MackenziesThe Mackenzies were an indie band from Glasgow active around 1986/87, releasing two singles of jagged indie-funk on Ron Johnson Records and contributing the track Big Jim to the NME's C86 compilation. They also recorded two sessions for John Peel, the first of which was repeated seven times, such...
- "Big Jim (There's no pubs in Heaven)" - Big Flame - "New Way (Quick Wash And Brush Up With Liberation Theology)"
- FuzzboxWe've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use ItWe've Got A Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It were an English alternative rock group. Formed in Birmingham in 1985, the all-female quartet originally consisted of Vix, Maggie Dunne, Jo Dunne and Tina O'Neill. The band's name was shortened to Fuzzbox for the U.S. release of their first album...
- "Console Me" - McCarthyMcCarthy (band)McCarthy were a British indie pop band, formed in Barking, Essex, England in 1984 by schoolmates Malcolm Eden and Tim Gane with John Williamson and Gary Baker...
- "Celestial City" - The Shrubs - "Bullfighter's Bones"
- The Wedding PresentThe Wedding PresentThe Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms...
- "This Boy Can Wait"
See also
- Indie popIndie popIndie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
- List of twee pop bands
- Post-punkPost-punkPost-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
- DIY punk ethic
- FanzineFanzineA fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
- Indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
- Sarah RecordsSarah RecordsSarah Records was a UK independent record label active between 1987 and 1995, best known for its recordings of indie pop.The label was formed in Bristol in 1987 by Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes, and grew out of the fanzine scene at the time, Haynes having previously edited Are You Scared To Get...
- Northern SoulNorthern soulNorthern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...