Last year a University Student got in touch with me wanting help on an essay he was writing regarding C86. I was only to keen to help out as were many others as you can see in the essay itself. Chris who wrote the essay asked for it to be posted on indie-mp3 and I was happy to oblige. I was waiting until I redesigned indie-mp3 before posting it but after a piece on Take Your Medicine I thought it would be a good idea to do it now. Here is what Chris says:
Hi all,
I wrote this essay after having studied musicology for a year at the University of Lund in Sweden. Having had to conform to academic standards has restricted my language a bit - I couldn't write as if I was doing a fanzine - but I hope you'll find it interesting enough anyway! And if you do take the trouble to read through all of these twenty or something pages, please write to me and tell me what think about it! My address is kristerbladh@linuxmail.org. Tell your friends about it, or anyone who might be interested. I wrote this essay because it's something that needs to be written about...
cheers
Chris
C86 Essay - pdf file (1mb)(Right Click and Save)
Hi all,
I wrote this essay after having studied musicology for a year at the University of Lund in Sweden. Having had to conform to academic standards has restricted my language a bit - I couldn't write as if I was doing a fanzine - but I hope you'll find it interesting enough anyway! And if you do take the trouble to read through all of these twenty or something pages, please write to me and tell me what think about it! My address is kristerbladh@linuxmail.org. Tell your friends about it, or anyone who might be interested. I wrote this essay because it's something that needs to be written about...
cheers
Chris
C86 Essay - pdf file (1mb)(Right Click and Save)
Interesting to read. Certainly from late 1986/early 1987 - seems to hit the mark on my experiences of indie pop and how the many scenes developed. In 1987 so many bands would be lumped together for ease of reference when they had little else than not being 'mainstream' in common.
Thanks for posting the PDF Tom.
Hi I enjoyed reading the essay on the C86 tape and it helped me understand a bit more of what C86 actually means.
Before discovering this blog I had never heard of the term C86 before. I had heard of Twee of course and liked a lot of belle & Sebastian, Camera obscura etc and have discovered lots of new bands that I love through this website. I definitely wouldnt say they were all "twee" so the term "C86" was fine by me. I thought the term was made up by the Indie MP3 blogger from a free tape that set him down the path to discovery and for want of a better term used C86.
For me the actual essay was good from the point of view of a history lesson but I would like to have seen a bit more about its influences in todays bands. I will certainly be trying to track down some C86 classics. So farhave tried the raincoats and the pastels but neither have struck a chord I'm afraid
hey modiplop, try listening to early Soup Dragons, The Flatmates, Man From Del Monte, The Chesterfields, Mighty Lemon Drops, Mighty Mighty, Stars In Heaven, Shop Assistants, early Wedding Present, Pooh Sticks. The Raincoats? I'm afraid they were not part fo the c86 scene. but they were an 80's band and kurt cobain's fave.