The tape that inspired ‘a thousand indie bands’. The tape that launched a whole genre. Even ‘the beginning of indie music’ (it may be taboo here, but for the sake of discussion I will refer to ‘indie’ as a genre category in this article). These are just a few descriptions of C86, a compilation cassette put together by NME in 1986. The tape was intended as a showcase of mid-80s underground guitar pop, but it was more than a just a reflection: it became a genre itself, launching the careers of bands such as Primal Scream, Jesus and Mary Chain and The Wedding Present, as well as becoming the first collection of indie pop songs. The Story of C86 Following on from acclaimed histories of the British punk upheaval of the late 1970s (Jon Savage’s England’s Dreaming) and the post-punk ferment of the early 80s (Simon Reynolds’s Rip It Up and Start Again); Neil Taylor’s new book takes the story forward to cover the next wave of groundbreaking musicians, dubbed the “C86 bands” after a now-legendary cassette compilation released by music weekly NME, whose work paved the way for the commercial breakthrough of indie later in the decade.

Fire Escape Talking", "Anoraky in the UK,C86, the punk that refuses to die" ("Fire Escape Talking blog", July 7, 2006)One by one they agreed to be interviewed. Invariably, they would ask who else had confirmed. If, say, members of the Pastels or Age of Chance or the Mighty Lemon Drops were on board, that was enough for them. Some would tender old phone numbers of their former bandmates, keen for each of these missing persons cases to be solved. In the end, no band wanted to be left out, for their story not to be told. When I secured an interview with the drummer from the 22nd and last band to respond, I punched the air in delight. Relief, too. I was too young for C86 but within a year or two I was a fully paid up NME/Melody Maker indie-kidder with the fringe and big jumpers to prove it. But I do remember listening to the tape at some point and thinking it was crap even then. I’ve recently listened to the playlist on Spotify and in all honesty it’s even crapper now. I published my previous book (Document & Eyewitness: An Intimate History of Rough Trade ) through a mainstream publishing house, but I’ m going to try to crowdfund C86 & All That , as the new book is called, taking the independent ethic to its logical conclusion. I’ll keep everyone posted as to when that happens. There’s quite a lot of regret over terrible decisions taken and opportunities missed. Quite a bit of wry, self-deprecating humour. A few, though happily not too many, premature deaths. A wide range of (mostly fairly middle class) post-band careers. A few low-key reformations. A lot of ‘I still make music but just for myself now.’ Some entertaining detective work from the author. Finally it looks like the definitive C86 will be released with nearly all the bands that made up the underground scene in the mid eighties in the UK included on a key release. The legendary C86 is to be expanded into a double CD and released on Cherry Red in spring 2014 with extensive notes and a book from NME writer at the time and key player and compiler with the original C86 release, Neil Taylor, who is interviewed here for LTW.

Others were found farther afield. The Mighty Lemon Drops’ guitarist Dave Newton was hunted down to California where he’s a record producer for hire, operating out of the studio in his double garage. He even once formed a covers band – the C86 All Stars – to play the indie hits of the mid-to-late 80s. Dave was clearly still happy to be associated with C86. For many of the bands, the cassette provided their careers with a springboard, often involving signing for a major label. For others, it was a millstone that was hard to shed, a pigeonhole impossible to escape. There are also a handful of moments of humorous irony: when a member of The Shop Assistants ended up working in a bike shop (David Keegan is the store manager, however). Michael Hann (14 March 2014). "C86: The myths about the NME's indie cassette debunked". The Guardian . Retrieved 2015-06-11.

Gifts & Stationery

Reynolds, Simon Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-1984 (Faber and Faber, 2005) ISBN 0-571-21569-6