Rough Trade Singles Vol 8 - Vol 10

"WORK!" is the imperative that kicks off Vol. 8. As Martin Bramah has revealed, this Blue Orchids anthem (RT 067) has its roots in "Before The Moon Falls", a song written before his departure from The Fall. Speaking of The Fall, the Slates 10" EP (RT 071) is the mass at the middle of Vol. 8.

Vol. 9 opens with trumpeter Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton's take on "Theme From A Summer Place" (RT 076) and includes two more reggae artists: Jackie Mittoo (RT 082) and Bunny Wailer (RT 083).

"October (Love Song)" was Chris & Cosey's first single, and the first Rough Trade release in both 7" and 12" formats: the 12" (RTT 078) includes several remixes, while the b-side "Little Houses" is unique to the 7" single (RT 078).

Robert Wyatt covers Ivor Cutler's "Grass" (RT 081, with Indian classical musicians Dishari on the b-side). Wyatt also sings "Jelly, Babies" on Epic Soundtracks' first solo single (RT 084).

Vol. 10 includes Lora Logic's own solo debut (RT 087), and a single by David Gamson (RT 088), which served as his introduction to Green Gartside and the subsequent reinvention of Scritti Politti as a chart-topping major label group. Also included are the first two parts of Virgin Prunes' multimedia project A New Form Of Beauty. Vol. 10 ends with the a-side of Martin Pig's single (RT 092). Martin was part of Furious Pig. I never found the b-side, "Somebody Loves You", but you may not miss it after hearing what he does to "Lovely Rita".

Backseat's Back With Stinky

And now it's time for More Tales From The Backseat! Since the last time he swung an episode, Stinky has collected another forty fab tunes with titular and/or lyrical references to the nether regions of the automotive interior.

Stinky has crammed some big names into the backseat this time. Classic rockers like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, John Mellencamp, and Boz Scaggs. Punks like the Dead Boys, Ramones, and Undertones. Blood, Sweat & Tears are rubbing shoulders with Blue Oyster Cult -- just take a look in the rear view mirror if you don't believe me!

There may be no room to rhumba in a sports car, but you can find Heaven in the backseat if you're lovable and limber.

I Know Where Geoff Travis Lives: RT Singles (chapter four, verses 6 & 7)

Liliput (formerly Kleenex) starts Vol. 6, which includes two singles by The Fall (RT 048 and RT 056). two by Essential Logic (RT 050 and RT 053), more TVP's, Robert Wyatt, and Spizzenergi (RTSO 5); plus The Red Crayola, Girls At Our Best and a repress of two early Pere Ubu songs.

While Stiff Records was bringing international exposure to Akron artists, Rough Trade dug into Cleveland's proto-punk history with Ubu and The Electric Eels. Meanwhile, Mayo Thompson joined a new Pere Ubu lineup, and Mayo added Rough Trade musicians Epic Soundtracks, Lora Logic and Gina Burch to his Red Crayola collective.

Vol. 7 begins with The Missing Scientists, who were Dan Treacy (from the TVP's), Daniel Miller (musician and Mute Records founder), and Joe Foster (another musician and record label founder). 

Sadly, this is when Young Marble Giants split up. The Moxham brothers released an instrumental YMG EP (RT 059), and then formed The Gist. YMG singer Alison Statton would soon form a jazz combo, Weekend, and signed to Rough Trade. 

In addition to The Gist's first single, we have the debut of Blue Orchids (the band formed by ex-Fall members Martin Bramah and Una Baines), plus more Cabaret Voltaire, Delta 5, Liliput, and the TVP's classic "I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives".

Furious Pig

Vol. 7 also includes the Furious Pig 12" EP, which I found at the Cun Cun Revival blog. This blog (also known as Surfing The Odyssey) also hosts the legendary NME/Rough Trade cassette compilation C81, so get thee hence and leave a word of thanks. Vol. 7 closes with a new Pere Ubu single (RT 066). If you are into REM's deep cuts, you may recognize a lyric from "Lonesome Cowboy Dave".

An aside: the record label Tiny Global Productions is the current home of a number of former Rough Trade artists, including Blue Orchids, The Gist, Alison Statton, The Nightingales, and Band Of Holy Joy. Folks like Martin Bramah, Stuart Moxham, and Alison Statton are still making new music. Tiny Global Productions has released some excellent reissues, plus exciting collaborations like The Nightingales with Vic Godard and Martin Bramah with Jon Langford. Check out Tiny Global Productions -- it's Bandcamp Friday!

A Stinky-Stravaganza for Our 100th Post!

It took two and a half years to reach a hundred blog posts, and it would have taken much longer without the contributions and support of Stinky LePew, resident musicologist and mixologist. He is a conceptual artist: a wellspring of ideas for new series of compilations based on unique themes.

Stinky has created mixes of songs about footwear, lipstick, car trouble, and getting into trouble in the backseat. He has celebrated holidays in song (both Christmas and Halloween), and he's curated compilations that feature falsetto singers and sound effects. And don't miss his career overviews of Brian James and Stiv Bators!

Some of Stinky's more inventive concepts include Songs That Start With The Chorus, Answers To Elvis, and today's new series. Keep My Name Outcha Mouth compiles tunes by artists with names that reference famous people, places, religious figures, fictional characters, actors, and other musical performers.

Some of the names are puns (The Coal Porters, Noel's Cowards), and others are portmanteaus (The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Artimus Pyledriver).

Readers are again invited to share suggestions for future volumes in this new series. Many thanks to everyone who reads, follows, and comments on the blog. Thanks most of all to Stinky LePew, without whom post #100 would still be far away. Two more volumes of The Backseat are already cued up, plus a slew of Rough Trade singles, so stay tuned!

Rough Trade Singles Part Three

Swell Maps and Prag VEC posters in the arch window, 1979

Volume 4 begins with "Messthetics" and the rest of Scritti Politti's second Peel Session (RT 033). It ends with Cabaret Voltaire's epic Three Mantras (RT 038).

Sandwiched in between are Swell Maps' classic "Let's Build A Car" and Spizzenergi's "Where's Captain Kirk?" The latter (RTSO 4) spent almost a year atop the indie charts.

Richard H. Kirk has released new music this month under the Cabaret Voltaire moniker. His former CV partner Chris Watson is now an award winning sound recordist. Watson's current interests are evident in the "Eastern Mantra". I favored the "Western Mantra" side back in my teenage daze. Four decades later, it retains its hypnotic power. I still wonder: what's the third Mantra? Is it like the fifth head of Cerberus?

RT Singles Vol. 5 is bookended by Robert Wyatt (RT 037 and RT 046), plus the Slits/Pop Group split single (co-released with Y Records and the Finnish label Arletty). Included are The Prefects, Edinburgh's Prats, Leeds' Delta 5, and Cardiff's Young Marble Giants with the quietly devastating Final Day; plus Rough Trade's earliest venture into harmolodics, courtesy of James Blood Ulmer (backed by Olu Dara, David Murray and Ronald Shannon Jackson, among others). 1979 was a hell of a year!

Stinky's Sound Effect Records #6!

Here's the follow up to Volume Five in Stinky's series Sound Effect Records (posted back in March). Today's installment's got punks (Dee Dee, Sylvain Sylvain, and Blag Dahlia). It's got rockabilly rebels (Billy Lee Riley, Sleepy LaBeef, and Pontus J. Back). It's got iconic women ranging from Leslie Gore to Debbie Harry, Britney Spears, and Kim & Kelley Deal.

Britney takes on "The Beat Goes On" and Leslie Gore puts her spin on "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". Plus there's Ruben Ramos and Los Super 7's version of "Heard It On The X", and Nirvana's take on "Love Buzz" (originally by The Netherlands' psychedelic Shocking Blue). 

It's a cosmopolitan conglomeration of songs with sound effects. From faraway Brazil, Stinky introduces us to The Charque Side Of The Moon with their remake of "Money". (This article explains the double entendre of the band's name but has a broken link to their album cover; I found the image here.) From Brazil, we're off to Australia to meet The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band. Volume 6 might be Stinky's best batch yet; he always blends the popular with the obscure, but I think he's added an extra dose of fun to his trademark mélange. Bon appétit, mes amis!

Rough Trade Singles Part Two

WANTED: Can anyone share digital copies of Martin Pig's "Lovely Rita" single (RT 092), or the first Cosmetic single (RT 102)? I would be greatly obliged! (Update: Thanks to reader Jeff B for RT 088 and RT 113!)

Our third set begins with The Pop Group's single (RT 023). I decided to label The Pop Group, The Red Crayola, and Scritti Politti as the first "post punk" singles in the Rough Trade catalog (for those who are picky about mp3 tags). 

These three groups also released singles that predated the Rough Trade label (The Pop Group and The Red Crayola on Radar Records, and Scritti Politti on its own St. Pancras label).

Here again your humble blogger had to choose whether to include them, and where to put the Spizzoil singles (which were released with RTSO catalog numbers) and the first Essential Logic single (SELL 1).

"Rough Trade Singles BC" features all of the above, as well as the first Metal Urbain single, the first Television Personalities' single, two tracks from the self-titled Kleenex EP that were left off RT 009, and the Protex single (which was co-released by RT and the Good Vibrations label).

Vol. 3 ends with RT 033, a re-release of Television Personalities' 1978 EP. It also includes The Feelies, The Pack, The Monochrome Set, Plastics, Delta 5, and Doctor Mix And The Remix.