3CD - Various - C89

C89 is another celebration of the Eighties Indie scene, documenting a golden era when tuneful guitar-based bands made records on shoestring budgets, often issued on small labels with hand-made artwork, with little hope of mainstream exposure.

This 3-CD box set follows previous best-selling collections C86 (2014), C87 (2016) and C88 (2017). C86 expanded the NME’s genre-defining compilation with 50 extra tracks from the period. C87 and C88 were the imaginary sequels, picking up the story as the 1980s unfolded.

Disc 1 is devoted to artists who haven’t previously graced this series, who first made an impact in 1988/1989. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, The La’s, Milltown Brothers, The Family Cat and The Telescopes were among the indie scene’s biggest names that year.

Disc 2 revisits many of the bands who appeared on C88, with later singles or B-sides by The Stone Roses, Mock Turtles, Pooh Sticks, The Man From Delmonte, Bridewell Taxis, Popguns, etc.

Sarah Records – which came to epitomise a certain type of Indie Pop – are represented by Brighter, The Orchids, Another Sunny Day and Christine’s Cat. Other key indie labels also figure, such as Creation (The Revolving Paint Dream), Bristol’s The Subway Organization (Korova Milk Bar, Choo Choo Train), Manchester’s Playtime (The Rainkings, New Fast Automatic Daffodils), Sheffield’s Native (Treebound Story, featuring Richard Hawley, and The Snapdragons), Brighton’s La-Di-Da (Daisycutters, Bobby Scarlet, How Many Beans Make Five, Said Liquidator) and Liverpool’s Pink Moon (Barbel, The DaVincis, Jactars). C89 also includes two previously unissued tracks.

New names to the series include The Bardots, The Seers, Po!, The Ammonites, The Ogdens, Kit, The Candy Darlings, Jane Pow, Rorschach, etc. Several names feature personnel from notable bands, such as post-Razorcuts act Red Chair Fadeaway, post-Chameleons quartet The Sun And The Moon and post-La’s combo The Onset. Numerous tracks have never been on CD before.

The deluxe clamshell package includes a weighty booklet full of illustrations, with an 8,000-
word sleeve-note and band-by-band biographies by C86 co-compiler Neil Taylor.

DISC ONE:
1. COME IN COME OUT –The La’s
2. TOM VERLAINE – The Family Cat
3. WHICH WAY SHOULD I JUMP – Milltown Brothers
4. NOTHING – The Telescopes
5. INSIDE OUT – Brighter
6. LIONS – New Fast Automatic Daffodils
7. LET IT HAPPEN – Red Chair Fadeaway
8. DO IT AGAIN – Korova Milk Bar
9. ADAM’S SONG – The Sun And The Moon
10. WHITE PEARL – Bobby Scarlet
11. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY – The Ogdens
12. FREEDOM TRIP – The Seers
13. THAT’S WHERE CAROLINE LIVES – The Candy Darlings
14. BREAK THE STRAIN – The Rainkings
15. CONFIDENCE – Po!
16. SAD ANNE – The Bardots
17. SUN AND MOON – The Onset
18. DAYS IN THE SUN – The Ammonites
19. CAPTAIN ELASTIC – Rorschach
20. ANOTHER FRIENDLY FACE – How Many Beans Make Five
21. COMMONPLACE – Hey Paulette
22. THAT’S MY GIRL – Jane Pow
23. CHEATIN’ MY HEART – Kit
24. SHERIFF FATMAN – Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine

DISC TWO:
1. GOING DOWN – The Stone Roses
2. WAITING FOR THE WINTER – The Popguns
3. WICKER MAN – The Mock Turtles
4. WHAT WILL WE DO NEXT? – The Orchids
5. MY LOVE IS LIKE A GIFT YOU CAN’T RETURN – The Man From Delmonte
6. GREEN SEA BLUE – The Revolving Paint Dream
7. I KNOW SOMEONE WHO KNOWS SOMEONE WHO KNOWS ALAN McGEE QUITE WELL – The Pooh Sticks
8. JUST GOOD FRIENDS – Bridewell Taxis
9. YOU SHOULD ALL BE MURDERED – Another Sunny Day
10. DOCTOR GOOD AND HIS INCREDIBLE LIFE SAVING SOAP – The Driscolls
11. HOW CAN YOU SAY YOU REALLY FEEL?- The Charlottes
12. SWIMMING IN THE HEART OF JANE – Treebound Story
13. FINGERDIPS – The Prayers
14. DOLE BOYS ON FUTONS – The Snapdragons
15. ONE THING – Barbel
16. BRIAR ROSE – Choo Choo Train
17. SKYRIDER – Holidaymakers
18. IT’S UP TO YOU – Fallover 24 (previously unissued)
19. BISCUITS IN A TIN – Thrilled Skinny
20. A MILLION MILES – Brian
21. PLASTIC BAG FROM TESCOS – The Wilderness Children
22. 10,000 MILES – The Moss Poles (previously unissued)
23. FISHERMAN’S FRIEND – The Haywains
24. BOMBS AWAY ON HARPURHEY – King Of The Slums

DISC THREE:
1. PICKING UP THE BITTER LITTLE PIECES – The Claim
2. SWALLOW – A Riot Of Colour
3. FRIENDS – Daisycutters
4. TONY HADLEY – Peruvian Hipsters
5. THIS BIG LOVE – The Cherry Orchard
6. WELCOME – Ambitious Beggars
7. THOMAS WOLFE – The DaVincis
8. BIG CAR – Avo-8
9. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN TOWN – The Becketts
10. BUBBLE BUS – Sunflowers
11. PASSION – The Magnificent Lkage
12. TELL ME NOW – Strawberry Story
13. WHEREVER I GO (DEMO)- Newsflash
14. ALL YOU EVER SAY – The Mayfields
15. BURN YOUR BOOKS & JOIN MY LIFE – The Ruth Ellis Swing Band
16. YOUR LOVE IS… – Christine’s Cat
17. SAY WHAT YOU FEEL – Said Liquidator
18. ANNABEL LEE – Jane From Occupied Europe
19. SUN STILL SHINES – Big Red Bus
20. THE COLDEST WATER – Men Of Westenesse
21. MR. WATT SAID – The Church Grims
22. PULL THE PLUG – Jactars
23. SURFING DAYS – Me And Dean Martin
24. SEVEN RED APPLES – The Rain