Do it Yourself: The Story of Rough Trade

Can't find a thread for this anywhere, which surprises me. Anyway, it was screened on BBC4 last friday & is transmitted again this (sunday) evening. Unmissable. And the "RT at the BBC" show even includes Microdisney's Whistle Test appearance.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00j4dx5
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00j4dx7

I saw both of these shows the other day. Terrific stuff. Loved the Smiths & Sandy Shaw TOTP performance!

yes Shaw was great, had never seen that before. full list of performances on the show:

Young Marble Giants - Wurlitzer Jukebox
The Raincoats - Only Loved At Night
Delta 5 - Anticipation
Weekend - Drumbeat For Baby
Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding
Aztec Camera - Oblivious
The Smiths - This Charming Man
Sandie Shaw & The Smiths - Hand In Glove
Violent Femmes - Country Death Song
Microdisney - Birthday Girl
Ivor Cutler - I'm Happy
Camper Van Beethoven - Take The Skinheads Bowling
James - Sit Down
Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
Pulp - Common People
The Strokes - Last Nite
The Libertines - Time For Heroes
Antony & The Johnsons - Hope There's Someone

Prompted me to dig out those old Microdisney albums!

Sorry, this video is only available in the UK

:(

look for a torrent

As a US residing ex-RT employee, I would be grateful if anyone could point me to a file to DL this, torrent or otherwise. Maybe some UK residing and kindly ILX-er could DL this for dispersal to us lowly colonials?

Watched both these programmes last night on iPlayer. Fascinating documentary, though I thought bookmarking it with Duffy seemed a bit odd. I suppose she is proof of RT's current commercial standing. The stuff about the internal politics during the 80s and 90s was really interesting - some serious animosity still there all these years on.

quite good this, though the book from Black Dog Publishing that came out a while back is a lot
more satisfying. did someone actually utter at one point: 'this was a high point for all that humanity could achieve if it truly aspired' ? i think they did.

Hey factcheckr,

www.uknova.com is a private tracker for UK TV programmes (only ones unavailable commercially so usually freshly transmitted stuff).

I think the the sign up is still open and they have the do it yourself programme up.
Tell me if you have a problem.

Yeah, it proved the story of RT is every bit as interesting as Factory's, and even fairly similar in many respects, just minus all the self-mythologising.

The collection of live performances was very good, though tailed off somewhat after the Violent Femmes. Never even heard of Weekend before.

Weekend is Allison Statton from Young Marble Giants

I spotted that.

Alison, anyway. As culty as YMG and Alison are, Weekend's Simon Booth has a pretty great track record, too - a producer of Vic Godard, member of Scritti Politti, founding member of Working Week and currently in the underrated Afro-Celt Sound System! And he's the brother of one of the main Dislocation Dance fellows. And Weekend wouldn't have been Weekend without Spike, who was in Reptile Ranch (Wales' answer to the Desperate Bicycles), issued the first vinyl YMG recordings, and worked successfully with all the members of YMG after their break-up - most notably the "Alison Statton & Spike" albums, which were better than anything that Weekend did, but in a similar vein.

Much better was the accompanying compilation of BBC footage of rough trade acts, including some great rare stuff: YMG, raincoats, Delta 5. I was a bit sceptical about one of the captions which claimed that the Fall left rough trade cos they were putting too much effort into the Smiths. I thought the Fall were on Kamera by the time morrisey and co came along. correct me if i'm wrong....

"Hand in Glove" was the first single from British band The Smiths, released in May 1983
"This Charming Man" is a song by the British alternative rock band The Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer/lyricist Morrissey. It was released as the group's second single in October 1983

1983-09-19 single #10 [show tracks] Kicker Conspiracy/Wings Kicker Conspiracy / Wings // Container Drivers / New Puritan Rough Trade double A-side
1983-11-00 single #11 [show tracks] Marquis Cha-Cha Marquis Cha-Cha / Room To Live Kamera

i loved the way GT had no recollections of the troubled times when the shop/label/distribution arms were going in seperate directions.
a clear case of selective memory loss syndrome.
there was a definite twinkle in his eye giving an indication that he just wan't going to tell all ... not yet.

thanks mark

np.

For what it's worth, I doubt that was the overriding reason. Or even partly. I remember ME seeing Moz in RT reception, and saying "Good Morning Steven!" boldly.

Actually, the above is wrong, sort of:

They rejoined Rough Trade after Kamera went bust, and the "Marquis" single was issued after the fact, presumably by the receiver.

So:

1983-06-27 single #09 [show tracks] The Man Whose Head Expanded The Man Whose Head Expanded / Ludd Gang Rough Trade
1983-09-19 single #10 [show tracks] Kicker Conspiracy/Wings Kicker Conspiracy / Wings // Container Drivers / New Puritan Rough Trade double A-side
1983-12-05 album #07 [show tracks] Perverted By Language Eat Y'self Fitter / Neighbourhood Of Infinity / Garden / Hotel Bloedel / Smile / I Feel Voxish / Tempo House / Hexen Definitive/Strife Knot Rough Trade

.. and in the new year, Brix joined and then they signed to Beggars Banquet.

Pretty sure Brix had already joined before 1984 since she was on Perverted By Language.

true..

@ tommytannoy: BONUS! thanks much for that. This will further enhance my inclination to avoid getting my cable hooked back up.

I was really disappointed to hear that the rumored Richard Boone "tell all" was not to be finished. He was working in the production office @ the time, and was in the middle of the controversy over the Sonic Youth "Flower" cover.

I found this a really riveting watch. But two questions:

1. Who are these two who said they recorded their first single on the tape recorder shown?

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1292/vlcsnap8210337.png

2. And who's this dude who said "it was definitely worth doing" a second time with more enthusiasm:

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/2913/vlcsnap8210787.png

And in the "you said it; I didn't" category:

i loved the way GT had no recollections of the troubled times when the shop/label/distribution arms were going in seperate directions.

"Did I? hmmm...."

With the full knowledge that the other guy still hates him.

1. Is that The Door and the Window/ Nag and Bendle? (xp)

Number 2 guy looks a bit like Todd Carty.

Well THAT was a blast from the past. Pete's version of how the shop deal went down was exactly how he explained it to me @ the time. Richard Boone was looking good, and Steve Montgomery still has the gift of gab (and he must have got some new teeth?). He's the one who hired me and famously didn't sign REM but released the 1st Toiling Midgets LP. He was Rob Gretton's boy BTW.

I could have used a lot more commentary from the distribution side, as those were the people I knew. Richard Scott's version of how distribution was built up was a bit different than I recall, but I was wet behind the ears @ that time, and may not have got it right.

I saw Tony from Red Rhino across the room a couple of times @ MIDEM this year and had a nice little chat with Mike from Revolver as well, so some of the old crew are still in the game.

I now have to read the Black Dog book.

(thank to tommytannoy for the UK Nova hookup)

I watched this last night, actually. Had no idea that Mayo Thompson was so extensively involved with the label. Such a fascinating dude!

Bit jarring to see the show end with Duffy and a few forgettable indie bands though.

Bit jarring to see the show end with Duffy and a few forgettable indie bands though.

but that IS the story.

highly enjoyable, especially the desperate bicycles / scritti / the normal footage. geoff travis' selective memory recall also very amusing.

my UKNova account is "pending", thanks for the tip.

i can ysi this if anyone wants it?

a few forgettable indie bands though.

Like who? The Strokes? The Libertines?

xpost yeah stir if u could webmail me that would be super

yes plz stirmonster, us non-brits would greatly appreciate it

well, non-UK'ers

now I really have to digitize my crappy VHS copy of the Rough Trade South Bank Show. Anyone in NY w/ the means?

here it is -

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/665092635/5ec3ee92679b1614d824d36998cd90b3

will leave it up until later tonight but will have to take it down again before it eats up all my ysi bandwidth.

a few forgettable indie bands though.

Like who? The Strokes? The Libertines?

I meant the 1990s and some other band I've now forgotten.

Thanks, Stirmonster: even though I'm a UK-er, it's a big help to have it as an AVI. Much appreciated.