Album Review: Various Artists: The Roots Of Indie Pop 1980-1984

Cherry Red seem to have become the masters of the box set compilation in recent years, with the C86 and C87 sets some choice punk and new wave compilations; and now The Sun Shines Here, the natural follow-up to the Scared To Get Happy Box set, which in fact proved so popular it has recently had a repress and is now available again.

One could argue this compilation is the latter stages of post punk rather than the Roots of indie POP, and 1985 to early 86 may have provided more roots as it were; however, we could quibble about that all day and one thing I cannot argue about is the quality and array of the artists featured here and at the very competitive price of £20.99 for 74 tracks.

There are some class tunes here, many I bought on release but sadly most have more crackle than pop and it’s a real treat to hear them again after so many years, not that I haven’t revisited some, the likes of Wah Heat’s “Better Scream”, The June Brides’ “In The Rain”, Au Pairs’ “It’s Obvious”, Josef K, and The Jesus and Mary Chain are regulars on my stereogram and have been for many years.

The good thing about these compilations, as I’ve mentioned in other reviews on the C86/87/88 sets is the bands you have heard of but maybe not given the listen they deserved back then, again this compilation opens up your memory and delivers some quite brilliant moments. 

There`s no doubting the greatness of The Nightingales’ “Inside Out”, and the quality of some of the contributions from Microdisney, Girls At Our Best, early Aztec Camera and The Teardrop Explodes, but as you play through the 3 CDs you will find some really interesting material from The Monochrome Set, Vic Goddard and The Wild Swans, to name a few, Girls at Our Best no doubt had influence on latter indie pop with the likes of bands featured on Sarah and Subway records.

Tracks on the final CD to my mind do bring us closer to the real roots of indie POP – The Brilliant Corners, The Pastels, The Wee Cherubs and The Jasmine Minks to name a few, it’s a very credible compilation and will sit well with its predecessors.

The set is available now from Cherry Red direct and the track listing is as follows:

DISC ONE:

1 WAH HEAT! Better Scream
2 THE TEARDROP EXPLODES Read It In Books
3 LORI & THE CHAMELEONS The Lonely Spy
4 SCARS Love Song
5 THE DISCO ZOMBIES Mary Millington
6 MO-DETTES Twist And Shout 7 IT’S IMMATERIAL Young Man (Seeks Interesting Job)
8 MANICURED NOISE Freetime 9 THE CHEFS Sweetie
10 JOSEF K It’s Kinda Funny 11 AU PAIRS It’s Obvious
12 DOLLY MIXTURE Step Close Now
13 VIC GODARD & THE SUBWAY SECT Stop That Girl
14 FAMILY FODDER Debbie Harrry
15 LUDUS Mutilate
16 GIRLS AT OUR BEST! Go For Gold!
17 ESSENTIAL LOGIC Fanfare In The Garden
18 THE MONOCHROME SET Ten Don’ts For Honeymooners
19 ART OBJECTS 20th Century Composites
20 THE LINES Transit
21 JOWE HEAD Cake Shop Girl
22 THE WILD SWANS God Forbid
23 ALTERED IMAGES Insects
24 THE BLUEBELLS Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool (Demo)
25 THE JAZZATEERS Don’t Let Your Son Grow Up To Be A Cowboy

DISC TWO:

1 SCRITTI POLITTI The “Sweetest’ Girl”
2 THE NIGHTINGALES Inside Out
3 WEEKEND The View From Her Room
4 EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL On My Mind
5 BLUE ORCHIDS Wait
6 PREFAB SPROUT Radio Love
7 JONI DEE Featuring THE TIMES Here Come The Holidays
8 THE FARMER’S BOYS Whatever Is He Like?
9 THE PALE FOUNTAINS Just A Girl
10 THE RAINCOATS Running Away
11 THE GIFT Crashing Down
12 TRACEY THORN Simply Couldn’t Care
13 MICRODISNEY Hello Rascals
14 DISLOCATION DANCE You’ll Never Never Know
15 THE LAUGHING APPLE Wouldn’t You?
16 THE CINEMATICS Puffa Train 17 IN EMBRACE Sun Brings Smiles
18 THE DAINTEES Involved With Love
19 FIVE OR SIX Chalk Circle
20 TRIXIE’S BIG RED MOTORBIKE Hold Me
21 THE GYMSLIPS Big Sister (It’s Probably Better)
22 BEN WATT On Box Hill
23 MARINE GIRLS That Fink Jazz-Me-Blues Boy
24 DEL AMITRI The Difference Is

DISC THREE:

1 FRIENDS AGAIN State Of Art
2 PULP There Was…
3 JANE AND BARTON I Want To Be With You
4 SWALLOW TONGUE Got To Be There
5 THE PAGE BOYS You’re My Kind Of Girl
6 THE JETSET Judy’s Toy Box
7 HURRAH! Hip Hip
8 BIFF BANG POW! Fifty Years Of Fun
9 THE JUNE BRIDES In The Rain
10 THE REVOLVING PAINT DREAM In The Afternoon
11 THE BRILLIANT CORNERS Tangled Up In Blue
12 YEAH YEAH NOH Bias Binding
13 APRIL SHOWERS Abandon Ship
14 THE TWINSETS Sophisticated Boom Boom
15 AZTEC CAMERA Jump
16 THE RINGING Caprice
17 THE HIGSONS Music To Watch Girls By
18 THE LOFT Winter
19 JASMINE MINKS Ghost Of A Young Man
20 THE WEE CHERUBS Waiting For My Man
21 GRAB GRAB THE HADDOCK I’m Used Now
22 THE PASTELS Million Tears
23 ST CHRISTOPHER Crystal Clear
24 THE SUEDE CROCODILES Paint Yourself A Rainbow
25 THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN Upside Down