From Duncan's Parcel of Pop (Part 1)

By far, the most rewarding aspect of doing this blog for 11-plus years has been the relationships cultivated from a simple comment or email from a fellow blogger or reader. One such pal is Duncan, a British expat that resides in New Zealand. He dropped a comment back in June, and the conversation about all kinds of music has continued throughout the summer. Great fun during a season of isolation. Duncan sent me some records, duplicates he had from his youth. I have returned the favor by securing him a copy of 'C86 and All That.'

The treasures found inside the box turned out to be more than just wax. There were old clippings from music papers, press photos and fanzines. It has felt like Christmas morning around here. I thought it would be fun to go through the parcel together, have a listen and even get perspective from the sender himself. Today's selection is Sha La La split flexi 005, featuring the Sea Urchins and the Orchids. Take it away, Duncan...

If one single artifact epitomises for me the whole 1985 to 1987 underground explosion of music, fashion, fanzines, clubs and friendships that would later became known as "C86", it would be this. At the time of its release in the late spring of '87, it seemed like the final word; a style and an attitude pushed to its ultimate conclusion; the culmination of a period of rapid development that began (appropriately enough) with "Something Going On" and which led us through the twin peaks of "It Happens" in '85 and "I'll Still Be There" in '86.

I first heard a preview of "Summershine" tucked away at the end of a compilation tape sent to me by Pete Williams, who later included the flexi in his groundbreaking Searching For the Young Soul Rebels fanzine. It amazes me that 33 years later, I can still experience that same rush of adrenaline and euphoria when I place this flimsy piece of plastic on the turntable as I did back then as an excitable 16 year old. For this song is a pure rush from the start to the finish of its three minutes and fifty-three seconds. One of THE great expressions of what it felt like to be a teenager; of that uncontainable overflowing of hopes, dreams, energy, doubts, fears and hormones; of the nights we spent "philosophising the rest of our lives", and of daring to dream that "we just might".

In many respects this was the first Sarah release in all but name. And looking back, that was significant. The end of a particular moment in British underground music culture, and the beginning of something quite different. Both the Sea Urchins and (especially) The Orchids would each go on to make better records during the time at Sarah, but for me, this flexi remains a high point of mid-eighties independent pop music...





My apologies for not ripping these songs for you today. My laptop is on the fritz, and it appears to be serious. I will have to take it in for the repair at some point, but I can't be without it right now. As you know, Sha La La flexis came with a few different fanzines, and Duncan threw in a fanzine that featured the above flexi...

What a lineup! Every band written about in Turn! is one I dearly love, and the writer's passion (mostly a chap from Yeovil named Graeme) and devil-may-care attitude really comes through in every shambolic article. Most of the bands were interviewed too. One of my favorite questions was to Andrew from Scotland's own Remember Fun. Don't forget, this is '87. Q: "Is Rod Stewart really the Loch Ness Monster in his spare time?" A: "That's a fair theory. When Rod's swimming on his back, his nose bares an uncanny resemblance to those murky photos of Nessie. Mind you, to be fair to Nessie, I don't think she'd perform in South Africa. Don't forget, Rod's one of you sassenachs." There are pages upon pages of this stuff.

Thanks, Duncan. You have brought me one flexi closer to my dream of having all the Sha La La flexis.