The latest Contrast Podcast theme is 1986. I was going to contribute to this one but was unable to find a microphone to record my bit in time. Each contributor has to record an introduction to the record they choose.

I was going to choose Richenel's L'esclave Endormi to prove that it's not all jangly guitars but indiepop won out in the end. There were no such things as mp3's 20 years ago and free music used to come on flexi discs via the many fanzines at the time. So because of this my choice was going to be The Rosehips covering The Chesterfields Ask Johnny Dee which came with the Two Pint Take Home fanzine.

I still have no microphone so you can download the track instead and for completists the Fat Tulips track is also available.

The Rosehips - Ask Johnny Dee
The Fat Tulips - You Opened Up My Eyes

You can download the Contrast 1986 podcast from here.

The Rosehips
The Fat Tulips

The Brilliant Corners, a British indie pop band from Bristol, England, recorded throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The group formed in 1983, taking their name from a Thelonious Monk jazz passage. The line-up included Davey Woodward (b. Avonmouth, Bristol, England; vocals, guitar), Chris Galvin (b. 1959, d. 22 December 1998; bass), Winston (percussion, backing vocals), Bob (drums) and Dan (occasional keyboards).

The band's first releases were an early example of indie pop, with three singles being released in 1984 on their own SS20 label. Debut (mini-)album Growing Up Absurd appeared the following year. With 1986 seeing an explosion of indie pop groups, their May Fruit Machine EP saw them gain both attention and radio airplay, followed by a second mini-album, What's In A Word. "Brian Rix", a re-recorded version of a track from the LP, with added trumpet, and a tribute to Rix, the "king of farce", was issued as a single, the proceeds going to Mencap, the charity of which Rix was chairman. The video, featuring Woodward running Rix-like around a couch with his trousers around his ankles, was shown on The Tube, further raising the band's profile.

In March 1988 the band set up another label - McQueen - and released third album Somebody Up There Likes Me, followed by a collection of their sought-after early singles, Everything I Ever Wanted. Two more albums followed in 1989 (Joyride) and 1990 (Hooked), followed by a second compilation, 1991's Creamy Stuff. They released one last effort, 1993's A History Of White Trash, before splitting up.

Woodward and Galvin formed the Experimental Pop Band in 1995. Galvin died from cancer in 1998. (via)

The four tracks here are all taken from 1988's Why Do You Have To Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me? single which featured Amelia Fletcher on backing vocals.



The Brilliant Corners - Why Do You Have To Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me?
The Brilliant Corners - Shangri La
The Brilliant Corners - Things Will Get Better
The Brilliant Corners - Goodbye

The Would Be's hailed from Dublin, Ireland. There is not much information about them on the net. Their debut single I'm Hardly Ever Wrong was released in 1990 making number 12 in that years John Peel Festive 50. I am pretty sure the original vocalist left at this point (Eileen Gogan replaced by Julie McDonnell or was it the other way round?). The follow up was 1991's the Silly Songs For Cynical People EP after which the band dis-banded.

They re-emerged with a new single and live gigs at the turn of the century but since then it's all been quiet. The tracks here are from the debut EP:

The Would Be's - I'm Hardly Ever Wrong
The Would Be's - Great Expectations
The Would Be's - I Want To Say What Goes Without Saying
The Would Be's - There Is There Are That's All

Eileen Grogan is now in Melba with the members of Crumb (ex Hey Paulette)

When I first posted this EP on indie-mp3 a few years back it generated a flurry of e-mails from someone connected to the band. I had kept all the correspondsance for a re-post but sadly it went down the chute when the PC died! So if that person is reading this please get back in touch!

You can also download the bands Peel Session from 25/02/1990 from here. (it was re-broadcast on 19/03/1990)

The Heartthrobs were a group hailing from Reading, England. They formed in 1987 and split in 1993. The band included Rose and Rachel Carlotti who were the half sisters of the late Echo and The Bunnymen drummer Peter De Freitas.

The band released their debut single Toy on In-Tape in 1987. This was followed by two singles for Rough Trade and two more on their own Profumo label. They then signed for One Little Indian where they remained for the duration of their existence releasing seven singles and three albums.

I first saw the band when they supported the Jesus and Mary Chain in 1987 and I was so impressed that I remember rushing out to buy the Toy single the following day. I saw them a few times mainly at the beginning of their career. 1990's Cleopatra Grip album remains one of my all time favourites and single such as Here I Hide, I Wonder Why and Dreamtime still stand the test of time today.

You can read more about the band at Yinpop's Heart Throbs pages or via their Wikipedia entry.

The tracks here are all from the 12" version of Toy.

The Heartthrobs - Toy
The Heartthrobs - I, The Jury
The Heartthrobs - Make My Day

The photo is one of these pictures of the band live in 1993.

[My Space link]