I must admit that when I first saw the tracklisting for CD86 (compiled by Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley) my head did drop some bit. On first glance it seemed that many of the tracks here have already seen appearances on other compilations such as the recent Rough Trade indie pop vol 1 and the Subway compilations on Cherry Red. It also seemed that the same old tracks were making yet another appearance and that dis-heartened me. Not because they aren't good (some here are classics) but the fact that I would have liked to have seen some rarer tracks get an outing on CD for the first time especially those rare flexi disc releases.

However stepping back away from the above this is a pretty good and indispensable introduction for all those who want to know what C86 was and what it was all about. After listening to it for the past few days I feel more is achieved by this compilation than if the original tape was re-released.

What was C86? It was originally a cassette given away by the NME in 1986 and collated many of the bands from the new burgeoning UK independent scene at the time. However as time went by it soon became clear to many that the NME were trying to invent (or even impose on it's readers) a scene which just wasn't there. The only thing most of the bands had in common were the fact they were on the tape in the first place! Many of the bands were influenced by sixties bands like The Byrd's, Velvet Underground and many of the girl groups. There were also influences from the likes of The Buzzcocks, The Ramones, The Raincoats, Postcard Records and the attitude that Creation Records had.

However the scene, for the want of a better word, has had a greater impact than at first realised with indie pop and shoegazing being two derivative genres that appeared as a result. It also contributed to the rise of indie dance especially where old punk and C86 fan Andrew Weatherall was involved remixing the likes of Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine and creating another movement as a result.

The lack of diversity on the tape meant that it comes in for criticism when compared to it's predecessor C81. That point is somewhat unfair given that music outside the shambling guitar sound didn't have much impact on the NME buying readers at the time. Despite some great bands and tracks on C81, C86 had a much wider influence and is still felt today. Just listen to the likes of Belle & Sebastian, Sarandon, Aberfeldy and the majority of bands coming out of Sweden or the Philippines at the moment. Granted that in the influence stakes Orange Juice and Josef K have given inspiration to the likes of Franz Ferdinand (as well as bands on C86) but at the end of the day banding the term C81 is not going to bring as much recognition as it's successor. And as for C96 we will stop just there!

As previously mentioned this is not a re-release of the tape although tracks that were on it appear here - these include The Bodines classic Therese as well as Primal Screams Velocity Girl a track that will remain forever timeless. The compilation also sees tracks from bands that preceded and influenced C86 (TV Personalities, The Loft, Jesus & Mary Chain) although somewhat bizarrely none from Postcard Records, from bands who were never on the tape but have somehow become synonymous with it (Talulah Gosh, BMX Bandits, June Brides) and tracks from bands who came after many of the C86 bands had long splintered into oblivion (Darling Buds, East Village, Primitives etc).

The expectation was that some bands on C86 were to go and have commercial success. The Mighty Lemon Drops were the clearest example. Hailed by many as the saviours of pop they were dominant between 1985 and 1987 but it just didn't go to plan although they hung on until 1992. They signed to Chrysalis/Blue Guitar at the same time as The Shop Assistants who self imploded after their only album was released although they did re-appear gloriously for a while at the end of the decade. Commercial success did come for The Wedding Present, Primal Scream, The Primitives and The Darling Buds but for many their time had been and gone.

Many of the bands here were on C86 but with different tracks. The tracks here are much stronger than the original submissions and these include Age Of Chance and their industrial stomper Bible Of The Beats, The Wolfhounds Anti Midas Touch and The Soup Dragons Whole Wide World before the latter went all baggy on us.

There are some surprises too. The Fizzbombs appear on CD for the first time with the wonderful Sign On The Line and the original recording of If I Said from the Darling Buds debut 7" also pops up. The addition of these two tracks alone make this a worthwhile purchase as do tracks from bands who never got a look in such as Raw Herbs and Laugh.

This CD still doesn't clear up some myths due to some glaring omissions. The majority of the bands here could be tagged as jangle pop giving belief that C86 was all about twee. It wasn't but non-appearances by bands on the original tape such as Bogshed, Stump or A Witness and appearances by those who weren't such as Talulah Gosh and Sarah label bands like The Sea Urchins and The Hit Parade would suggest otherwise. Other notable omissions include the likes of The Rosehips and Bubblegum Splash whose inclusion would have described the amateurish feel that bands of the era had. These bands may have not been the best ever but their attitude, shambling take on indie pop and the diy fanzine culture that encapsulated them summarised the era better than most although the sleeve notes and some nicely written words by Bob Stanley almost manages to capture this.

Some of the politics also has seemed to have gone missing but this is clearly understandable twenty years on although the current administration is doing it's best to impersonate the mid 1980's Tory government. McCarthy who were followers of the Workers Revolutionary Party appear and reminds us of those despairing days that in the end contributed to many of the bands making music - well it was better than being on the dole a quote I recall from The Shop Assistants whose track Safety Net is the Teenage Kicks of the C86 generation.

Listening to this compilation, which captures the spirit if the era, makes me excited as when I first heard this music which has had a pretty big impact on my life. C86 and issues around it means it has it's detractors but twenty years on and I'm Not Scared To Get Happy once again.

Essential stuff - buy!