D-I-Y: Do It Yourself

Geoff Travis: 'The first records I remember bands bringing into the shop were The Buzzcocks' Spiral Scratch, Scritti Politti Skank Bloc Bologna and The Desperate Bicycles.' Rough Trade Records had started as a second-hand record shop. In 1977 customers began to bring their own newly pressed-up records into the shop, Travis soon began distributing the records to a handful of like-minded shops throughout the country. This developed into a network and bands soon found they could sell 1000s of their own records with no marketing, management, agents etc. At first, the records were all coming from people bringing in music to Rough Trade in London, but soon new bands would turn up at their local store with their locally-pressed record and this led to the emergence of a music scene in each town. All the bands on this record released their music independently, either themselves or on a small label. Some went on to be incredibly famous and others didn't. This record celebrates all factions and discusses the social and economic conditions that allowed independent music to thrive in the years to follow up to the present day. It comes complete with interviews with label owners, bands, studios, mastering and pressing plants and even printers!" Includes: The Buzzcocks, Kleenex, A.P.B., Fire Engines, The Naffis, Swell Maps, Patrick Fitzgerald, Artery, Blurt, Glaxo Babies, The Flys, Russ McDonald, Scritti Politti, Windows, Icon A.D., Thomas Leer, The Frantic Elevators, Throbbing Gristle, The Last Gang, Biting Tongues, Tom Lucy and Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry.