meaning of c86; books about pop
C86. (Spurious tone of authority on.) Yes, NME C86 was a
giveaway cassette with an NME issue in that year; it was also (and remains
available in used record stores as) a good, LONG, compilation LP, only
about half of which counts as janglepop. It had, for example, Primal
Scream's "Velocity Girl," and the Bodines' "Christine." A "C86" band
came to mean a janglepop band, even though C86 also had strange crackly
annoying stuff like Stump.
NME C86, the cassette-title, was a reference to the important NME C81
cassette, which had things like Orange Juice and the Blue Orchids-- I
don't have an accessible track listing, though I bet Mike Appelstein does;
that cassette became a benchmark for post-punk Rough-Trade-centered
semi-experimental New Wave, in the way that C86 did for janglepop.
Was there a C80?
Somebody is thinking of the Bow Wow Wow song about home taping, too: "C-30
C-60 C-90 Go!" Wish I'd seen them here.
I believe that the NME did a C96 and that it was virtually worthless; I
remember seeing a track listing, but haven't heard the thing.
Whatever happened to the Bodines anyway? All I have is the LP and the
"William Shatner" 12", plus two mediocre songs on a Play Hard compilation
LP (which also includes King of the Slums, if anyone cares about THAT band
as I do).
Books. (Spurious tone of authority off.) I have High Hopes & Excitement
Avaiting the Duke's book; anyone read the two he named? I often find
myself the only one in a room with a kind word for Greil Marcus-- for me
he's the only "pro" (paid writer of whole books) who remotely approaches
what good zines should sound like. I too wish there were a Kevin Pearce
book-- though not as fervently as I wish somebody would do a book of what
Matt & Clare have written.
And finally: any US listees catch Toothpaste 2000 last Thursday (ex-Cowboy
& Spingirl)? I wish I could have done.
I promise to introduce myself soon, too: I have the neat feeling, reading
this list, that I'll eventually meet most of the people I don't already
know. I think that's why I like it.
steve