I got the book Hungry Beat - The Scottish Independent Pop Underground Movement (1977-1984) by Douglas McIntyre, Grant McPhee and Neil Cooper for Christmas.
It is essentially a collection of oral histories from this period committed to print many of which had originally featured in the documentary films Big Gold Dream and Teenage Superstars.
It focuses on two independent music labels - Edinburgh's Fast Product and Glasgow's Postcard Records.Coming from Glasgow I am more au fait with Postcard. I didn't know much about Fast Product other than a little bit about bands such as Scars and Fire Engines who appear on the Big Gold Dreams Boxset
Fast Product was a label and art concept set up by Bob Last and Hilary Morrison in 1978 out of their flat in Keir Street which quickly became the epicentre where all the young bands and like minded individuals hung out
Up until now I was blissfully unaware that they had released the first singles by The Mekons, The Human League, Gang of Four and the first UK release by the Dead Kennedys - see the discography here
Their place at the top table of British independent musical history is thus insured.
The Mekons -Never Been in a Riot
Decent four for today!
ReplyDeleteYou know someone who has this album
ReplyDeletehttps://www.discogs.com/release/1488211-Various-Fast-Product-Rigour-Discipline-And-Disgust
Median price 53 quid!
DeleteThose were the days. 'Where Were You?' by The Mekons (FAST 7) is one of my favourite singles from the period.
ReplyDeleteBlimey that's a pretty impressive roster of 1st releases, like you I had no idea
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the book, but there were a few things that annoyed me about it! A few twisting of the facts to suit a narrative is not unusual, especially when it comes to famous folk looking back in time, whether they are creatives, politicians or sports stars, but I let these pass.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't recall is any real sense of rivalry between Fast and Postcard as was referred to so often. It got a bit tedious reading about it every few pages.