INDIE ROCK is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock or "guitar pop rock".
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| D.A.F |
One of the primary scenes of the movement was Dunedin, where a cultural scene based around a convergence of noise pop and jangle became popular among the city's large student population. Independent labels such as Flying Nun began to promote the scene across New Zealand, inspiring key college rock bands in the United States such as Pavement, Pixies and R.E.M.
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| CABARET VOLTAIRE |
Other notable scenes grew in Manchester and Hamburg, with many others thriving thereafter. In the 1980s, the use of the term "indie" (or "indie pop") started to shift from its reference to recording companies to describe the style of music produced on punk and post-punk labels.
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| BIG IN JAPAN |
During the 1990s, grunge and punk revival bands in the US and Britpop bands in the UK broke into the mainstream, and the term "alternative" lost its original counter-cultural meaning. The term "indie rock" became associated with the bands and genres that remained dedicated to their independent status.
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| BAUHAUS |
By the end of the 1990s, indie rock developed several subgenres and related styles, including lo-fi, noise pop, emo, slowcore, post-rock, and math rock. In the 2000s, changes in the music industry and the growing importance of the internet enabled a new wave of indie rock bands to achieve mainstream success, leading to questions about its meaningfulness as a term.
VARIOUS - THE INDIE SCENE 79 THE STORY OF BRITISH INDEPENDENT MUSIC
The Connoisseur Collection's ten-volume Indie Scene: The Story of British Independent Music series maps the shift from punk to post-punk and new wave in the U.K. from 1977 to 1986.
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| THE ADICTS |
Focusing on artists who were on fledgling independent labels and thus digging up plenty of otherwise forgotten chips from the late-'70s/early-'80s fireball, each volume contains plenty enough for voracious neophytes to sink their teeth into.
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| MODERN ENGLISH |
And if you were a scenester back then and need to relive the glory of all those singles your mom threw out while you were at your umpteenth punk festival, these compilations should plug some gaps.
The Indie Scene 1979 shows electronic-based acts coming into full bloom, whether it's Cabaret Voltaire's tumbling, jolting, antagonistic and, well, nagging "Nag Nag Nag"; Fad Gadget's plodding, percolating "Back to Nature"; or Tubeway Army's less abrasive "Are Friends Electric?," a buzzing synth-driven song that strikes a bold contrast when compared to the guitar-led din of their own "That's Too Bad," which is included on the 1977 installment of this series.
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| LENE LOVICH |
So at this point, experimental cellar dwellers were rising through the cracks while several comparatively established groups were making use of technology that was either sitting around the studio or becoming cheaper to obtain.
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| FAD GADGET |
The bands represented here that weren't so technologically inclined hardly use the ole pop/rock form in less than exciting ways: there's the loony organ-driven mania of the Teardrop Explodes' "Bouncing Babies," the Velvet Underground/Stooges-inspired stomp of Joy Division's "Novelty," and the barbed pop of the Go-Betweens' early "People Say".
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| ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN |
In addition, the thriving ska revivalism scene gets its say through Madness, the Beat, and Selecter selections. One final notable inclusion is Kirsty MacColl's "They Don't Know," which would be more successful for Tracey Ullman four years later.
By Andy Kellman
Various - The Indie Scene 79
Label: Connoisseur Collection – IBM LP 79
Series: The Indie Scene – 79
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: 1991
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, New Wave, Punk, Indie Rock, Ska
SIDE A.
A1. The Teardrop Explodes – Bouncing Babies 2:48
A2. Joy Division – Novelty 4:02
A3. The Fall – Rowche Rumble 5:11
A4. Spizz Oil – Cold City 2:04
A5. Big In Japan – Suicide A Go Go 2:26
SIDE B.
B1. The Comsat Angels – Red Planet 2:43
B2. Cabaret Voltaire – Nag Nag Nag 4:40
B3. Tubeway Army – Are 'Friends' Electric? 5:20
B4. Fad Gadget – Back To Nature 5:44
B5. Big In Japan – Nothing Special 3:39
SIDE C.
C1. The Damned – Love Song 2:05
C2. The Wall – New Way 3:47
C3. The Go-Betweens – People Say 2:40
C4. The Monochrome Set – He's Frank 2:38
C5. The Passions – Hunted 3:22
C6. The Regents – 7 Teen 3:30
SIDE D.
D1. Lene Lovich – Lucky Number 2:48
D2. Kirsty MacColl – They Don't Know 3:09
D3. The Rumour – Emotional Traffic 2:48
D4. Madness – The Prince 2:32
D5. The Beat –Tears Of A Clown 2:42
D6. The Selecter – On My Radio 3:08
MP3 @ 320 Size: 170 MB
Flac Size: 493 MB
VARIOUS - THE INDIE SCENE 80 THE STORY OF BRITISH INDEPENDENT MUSIC
The Connoisseur Collection's ten-volume Indie Scene: The Story of British Independent Music series maps the shift from punk to post-punk and new wave in the U.K. from 1977 to 1986.
 |
| THE GO-BETWEENS |
Focusing on artists who were on fledgling independent labels and thus digging up plenty of otherwise forgotten chips from the late-'70s/early-'80s fireball, each volume contains plenty enough for voracious neophytes to sink their teeth into.
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| THE FALL |
And if you were a scenester back then and need to relive the glory of all those singles your mom threw out while you were at your umpteenth punk festival, these compilations should plug some gaps.
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| THE DAMNED |
Like the other five volumes in the series, Indie Scene 1980 features well-known bands of the time like Joy Division (the burbling Krautrock drive of "These Days"), Echo & the Bunnymen ("Pictures on My Wall"), Bauhaus ("Dark Entries"), and the Dead Kennedys (the lone American entry with "California Über Alles").
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| THE COMSAT ANGELS |
Others, while not as well recognized, are just as key to the compilation's quality. Wah!'s "Seven Minutes to Midnight" is the Liverpool group's finest moment, a gnashing romp of barely controlled frenzy. Swell Maps' "Let's Build a Car" is a gnashing romp of uncontrolled frenzy but certainly isn't any less riveting.
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| THE BEAT |
The Associates' "The Affectionate Punch" shows the Scottish duo in one of its earlier moments, demonstrating that -- as with the pair's prime influences, David Bowie and Roxy Music -- flash and substance can go hand in hand.
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| THE ASSOCIATES |
Other contributions come from German electro-industrial pioneers D.A.F. ("Kebabtraume"), the early Modern English ("Gathering Dust"), the Fall ("Totally Wired"), Holly & the Italians ("Tell That Girl to Shut Up"), Simply Red precursors the Frantic Elevators ("You Know What You Told Me"), and the rather laughable Dead or Alive precursors Nightmares in Wax ("Birth of a Nation").
By Andy Kellman
Various – The Indie Scene 80
Label: Connoisseur Collection – IBM LP 80
Series: The Indie Scene – 80
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: 1992
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Industrial, Indie Rock, Punk, New Wave, Goth Rock
SIDE A.
A1. Echo And The Bunnymen – Pictures On My Wall 2:51
A2. Joy Division – These Days 3:28
A3. Wah! – Seven Minutes To Midnight 3:29
A4. Bauhaus – Dark Entries 3:52
A5. Nightmares In Wax – Birth Of A Nation 5:05
A6. Woodhead Munro – Mumbo Jumbo 3:14
SIDE B.
B1. Spizzenergi – Where's Captain Kirk? 2:30
B2. Holly And The Italians – Tell That Girl To Shut Up 3:03
B3. The Associates – Affectionate Punch 3:31
B4. It's Immaterial – Young Man 2:56
B5. The Frantic Elevators – You Know What You Told Me 1:41
B6. The Q Tips – SYSLJFM (Live) 2:55
SIDE C.
C1. Cabaret Voltaire – Silent Command 4:12
C2. D.A.F. – Kebabtraume 3:35
C3. Fad Gadget – Ricky's Hand 4:08
C4. Modern English – Gathering Dus 4:20
C5. The Tea Set – Parry Thomas 4:45
SIDE D.
D1. Swell Maps – Let's Build A Car 3:06
D2. Dead Kennedys – California Uber Alles 3:05
D3. The Adicts – Easy Way Out 3:09
D4. The Normil Hawaiians – The Beat Goes On 2:58
D5. The Fall – Totally Wired 3:26
MP3 @ 320 Size: 172 MB
Flac Size: 497 MB
1977 The Indie Scene The Story Of British Independent Music HERE
1978 The Indie Scene The Story Of British Independent Music HERE
Thanks for this Kostas. Didn't know it and an extraordinary expo of Brit pop from its earliest indie manifestation. Cool as . . . Have done the usual and headed people across
ReplyDeleteA big thank you for all your hard work.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Just wait to see the next post. I'm working on it many hours.
DeleteAwesome! They are really good albums containing a cross section of some brilliant 'indie label' sounds of the day. Brought these collections on vinyl when they first came out and still have them in my record collection. Thanks for reminding me just how good they are
ReplyDeleteWow! This is a phenomenal series of albums: 1977 to 1986. I've spent almost a decade hoping to find higher bitrate rips of these as miy copies are mostly 192 kbps, especially 1986 as that is a mere 96 kbps!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these two.
Do you have others from the series, particularly the 80s ones, that you would share, please?
I have 1981 I will post it very soon. Thank you for your comment.
DeleteThat would be great, Kostas. Thank you.
DeleteI think I already upgraded my copies of 1977 and 1978 thanks to your earlier posts.