From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
|
In May 1986, the ”[[NME]]” released the [[C86]] cassette compilation album as a belated follow-up to ”[[C81 (album)|C81]]”, a more eclectic collection of new bands, released by the ”NME” in 1981 in conjunction with [[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]]. It was compiled by ”NME” writers [[Roy Carr]], [[Neil Taylor (journalist)|Neil Taylor]] and Adrian Thrills, who licensed tracks from labels including [[Creation Records|Creation]], [[The Subway Organization|Subway]], [[Probe Plus]], [[Television Personalities|Dan Treacy]]’s Dreamworld Records, [[Heavenly Records|Jeff Barrett]]’s Head Records, Pink, and [[Ron Johnson Records|Ron Johnson]]. Readers had to pay for the tape via mail order, although an [[LP record|LP]] was subsequently released on [[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]] on 24 November 1986.<ref>{{cite news |date=15 November 1986 |title=Record News |work=NME |publisher=IPC Media |page=43}}</ref> |
In May 1986, the ”[[NME]]” released the [[C86]] cassette compilation album as a belated follow-up to ”[[C81 (album)|C81]]”, a more eclectic collection of new bands, released by the ”NME” in 1981 in conjunction with [[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]]. It was compiled by ”NME” writers [[Roy Carr]], [[Neil Taylor (journalist)|Neil Taylor]] and Adrian Thrills, who licensed tracks from labels including [[Creation Records|Creation]], [[The Subway Organization|Subway]], [[Probe Plus]], [[Television Personalities|Dan Treacy]]’s Dreamworld Records, [[Heavenly Records|Jeff Barrett]]’s Head Records, Pink, and [[Ron Johnson Records|Ron Johnson]]. Readers had to pay for the tape via mail order, although an [[LP record|LP]] was subsequently released on [[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]] on 24 November 1986.<ref>{{cite news |date=15 November 1986 |title=Record News |work=NME |publisher=IPC Media |page=43}}</ref> |
||
|
As a term, ”C86” quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based [[ |
As a term, ”C86” quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based [[ ]] characterized by [[Jangle pop|jangling]] guitars and melodic [[power pop]] song structures, although other musical styles were represented on the tape. In its time, it became a [[pejorative]] term for its associations with so-called “shambling”, a pejorative description coined by British DJ [[John Peel]], which described the introspective, fey, self-conscious and primitive approach of some of the music.<ref>{{cite web |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |date=2006-10-23 |title=The C86 indie scene is back! |url=http://www.timeout.com/london/music/features/2167/The_C86_indie_scene_is_back.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002142154/http://www.timeout.com/london/music/features/2167/The_C86_indie_scene_is_back.html |archive-date=2012-10-02 |access-date=2015-06-11 |publisher=Timeout.com}}</ref> The ”C86” scene is now recognised as a pivotal moment for [[independent music]] in the UK.<ref>[[Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne)|Bob Stanley]], sleevenotes to ”[[CD86 (album)|CD86]]”</ref> |
||
|
== Background == |
== Background == |
||
Revision as of 17:11, 20 September 2025
C86 is a style and era of British indie rock that emerged in the the late 1980s. The term was coined by the release of the NME‘s cassette compilation “C86” in May 1986, and consisted of bands who drew primary influences from jangle pop and post-punk.
The movement was short-lived with most bands proliferating into other alternative rock genres by the 1990s. However, C86 has been cited as a key influence on the development of contemporary indie rock music, and led to the emergence of styles such as twee pop.[1]
Notable acts include The Wedding Present, Heavenly, Half Man Half Biscuit, The Shop Assistants, The Soup Dragons, The Pastels, Stump, Primal Scream, Bogshed, A Witness, The Mackenzies, Big Flame, Brilliant Corners and the Shrubs.
Etymology
In May 1986, the NME released the C86 cassette compilation album as a belated follow-up to C81, a more eclectic collection of new bands, released by the NME in 1981 in conjunction with Rough Trade. It was compiled by NME writers Roy Carr, Neil Taylor and Adrian Thrills, who licensed tracks from labels including Creation, Subway, Probe Plus, Dan Treacy‘s Dreamworld Records, Jeff Barrett‘s Head Records, Pink, and Ron Johnson. Readers had to pay for the tape via mail order, although an LP was subsequently released on Rough Trade on 24 November 1986.[2]
As a term, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based indie rock subgenre characterized by jangling guitars and melodic power pop song structures, although other musical styles were represented on the tape. In its time, it became a pejorative term for its associations with so-called “shambling”, a pejorative description coined by British DJ John Peel, which described the introspective, fey, self-conscious and primitive approach of some of the music.[3] The C86 scene is now recognised as a pivotal moment for independent music in the UK.[4]
Background
The UK music press was in this period highly competitive, with four weekly papers documenting new bands and trends. There was a tendency to create and “discover” new musical subgenres artificially in order to heighten reader interest. NME journalists of the period subsequently agreed that C86 was an example of this, but also a byproduct of NME‘s “hip hop wars”[5] – a schism in the paper (and among readers) between enthusiasts of contemporary progressive black music (for example, by Public Enemy and Mantronix), and fans of guitar-based music, as represented on C86.
Characteristics
The Byrds and the Velvet Underground.
Psychedelia and garage rock. Other post-punk influences included the music of Television Personalities, the Smiths and the Fall.
History
1980s
Forerunners
Dan Treacy‘s Television Personalities has been cited as an influence on the C86 generation.
Origins
See also
References
