tempobet yeni adresi
like this cd review

11/12/2016 : VARIOUS ARTISTS - Sharon Signs To Cherry Red (Independent Women 1979-1985)

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Sharon Signs To Cherry Red (Independent Women 1979-1985)

MusicCD


[90/100]   

Cherry Red Records
11/12/2016, Didier BECU

Cherry Red Records is surely one of the most important labels of all time. The record company was founded in 1978 by Ian McNay. Until today, it remains one of the leading indie labels, the fact that The Fall is one of their acts says more than enough. McNay always believed in the individual power of the musicians and that is perhaps why Cherry Red is so varied.

In recent years, Cherry Red has specialized in releasing forgotten pearls on CD, often with a lot of unreleased stuff as a bonus. The label also digs in its own archives, like on Sharon Signs To Cherry Red. This title refers to the eponymous track of The Kamikaze Pilots which begins this compilation. The single was slashed down by NME. Journalist Danny Kelly. In his review he made a joke about the many bands that tried everything to get noticed by Cherry Red. There are a lot of them. From the many releases, demos or self-released tapes of female-fronted bands, the label makes a tribute to them. Most bands (45 in total) were ignored and only loved by vinyl nerds or noticed by that man named John Peel.

The double CD Sharon Signs To Cherry Red is a fantastic trip for the indie fan. We're not going to review all 45 bands, as that would take us too far. We made our selection, even if we are convinced that every listener will make a personal choice.

I Confess by Dorothy is great indie and was submitted as a candidate for the Eurovision Song Contest. Of course without any success, but later Dorothy did beautiful things with Genesis P-Orridge and Alex Furgusson of Psychic TV.

Marine Girls is one of the more famous bands on the compilation, and this is of course because it is the first band of Tracey Horn of Everything But The Girl. The indie jazz was never appreciated by the general public, but Marine Girls was noted by indie fans. In all fairness, it is not the best track on this compilation. Much better is the funk of Scream And Dance from Bristol. In Rhythm sounds quite a bit like Bow Wow Wow, and the band is famous (well in a way) because of John Langley who later would join Blue Aeroplanes.

The name Ingrid probably doesn’t ring a bell, but the singer worked with greats such as Ian Dury and Chaz Jankel. Jazzy pop with ska and reggae influences. Margox is new wave of Liverpool, and it is no wonder that Factory boss Tony Wilson loved its sound.

Jaqui & Jeanette recorded one song only, but it was a band with forthcoming stars: Budgie who became the drummer of Siouxsie & The Banshees, and who formed The Glove with singer Jeanette Landray along with Robert Smith of The Cure.

Of course you know Strawberry Switchblade. Seaside (Go Away) is a nice proof that the duo could do more than the superhit Since Yesterday. Scottish C86 sounds are made by The Twinsets and it is clear that the Bell sisters loved The Fall. Helen And The Horns is jazzpop and features Lester Square of The Monochrome Set.

Also rockabilly is on this compilation. The Shillelagh Sisters were actually the girlfriends of the rockabilly stars Polecats. In the line-up you find Jacquie O'Sullivan who later replaced Siobhan Fahey in Bananarama.

Dawn Chorus And The Blue Tits (what a name!) is the group of Dawn Chorus, a renowned DJ on Radio One who sang a poppy cover of Teenage Kicks by Undertones. Tracie is actually a discovery by Paul Weller who was looking for a singer for The Style Council, although she only was a member for a few months. Vivien Goldman played with The Flying Lizards. Her reggae punk with a jazz touch was often compared with PIL’s Systems Of Romance. Red Roll-On was the band of Barbara Gaskin, who later scored a hit with David Stewart of Eurythmics, you know, the cover of Lesley Gore's It's My Party.

The Mo-dettes is punk from the 70s and can compete with the best of The Slit. Janet Armstrong is more STIFF-like post-punk, although her three minutes of fame came later when she did the backing vocals on David Bowie’s Absolute Beginners.

Sunset Gun does a cover of William DeVaughn (Be Thankful For What You've Got that was later redone by Massive Attack). Louise and Deirdre later did some vocals on albums by This Mortal Coil.

Eleanor Rigby is a mod star from the 80s. Her single I Want You to Sleep came with a free condom. Pride Of The Cross is none other than Cait O'Riordan, who later became Elvis Costello’s wife, and who was also the female part of The Pogues in the early days.

So yes, a lot of choice!

Didier BECU
11/12/2016


Music reviews

09
10
NERO/GRIS
Silenci
07
10
SUBATOMIC STRANGERS
Resuwrecked
01
10
BLOKKONTROLL
I-II-III
28
09
SUNSHINE BLIND
Scarred but Fearless
27
09
DARK MINIMAL PROJECT
Pleasure Is A Sin
26
09
PROMENADE CINEMA
Afterlife

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

NEWS

14
10
43 years of “Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn” by Die Krupps: A Blueprint for Industrial Resistance
09
10
Baby Turns Blue and 43 today!
03
10
BIMFEST XXIII – 2026 - Full Line-Up Announced!
28
09
De Delvers announces third full-lenght album 'Zwarte Siroop'
27
09
CURSE MACKEY Unveils ‘Imaginary Enemies’, A Darkwave Descent Into Grief & Revelation
25
09
Today, exactly 38 years ago The Klinik released 'Plague'!

Concert reviews

17
08
KRAFTWERK
Royal Palace Open Air - Brussels - August 14 2025
22
04
GAVIN FRIDAY
Live at 404 / De Vooruit - Ghent - 01/04.2025
28
11
BELGIAN ELECTROWAVE IS NOT DEAD 3
Belgian ElectroWave Is Not Dead 3

GET A COPY OF OUR MAGAZINE
SEND TO YOUR HOME

INTERVIEWS

27
09
CORPUS DELICTI
''All is quiet, the motion's cold. I face the wind as I'm taking the road.''
18
09
WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW
This album isn’t about bashing religion and faith. That would be a pretty cheap trick.
17
09
ZWAREMACHINE
We were able to secure the support slot for Front 242. Everything was looking positive until Bas’s cancer reemerged and there were complications.
27
08
BEAUTIFUL FREAKIN' WEIRDO
An Interview With UK Industrial Metal Act, Beautiful Freakin' Weirdo
29
07
EX-VOTO
“Decisions. In a modern time. Transmissions. From the inner mind.“

PHOTOS

21
09
KRUPPS
Kulttempel Oberhausen
12
09
ULTRA SUNN
De Casino St Niklaas
12
09
ULTRA SUNN
De Casino St Niklaas
08
09
AUX ANIMAUX SUPPORT SHE PAST AWAY
Kulttempel Oberhausen
07
09
SHE PAST AWAY
Kulttempel Oberhausen
17
08
NEW MODEL ARMY
Summerkultur Dinslaken
23
07
DUCTAPE
Amphi Festival Keulen

ADVERTISE
IN PEEK-A-BOO

VIDEO CLIPS

17
10
ZANIAS
Unseen (Official Video)
16
10
DOPE
Blood Money
15
10
SOFT CELL
Martin (The Hacker 2025 Remix)
14
10
DARK MINIMAL PROJECT
Schlafen !
13
10
PEAK FLOW
Don't Die In Your Sleep (Remix)
13
10
CRASH COURSE IN SCIENCE
Flying Turns (Live @ BIM 2009)
12
10
COCTEAU TWINS
Hazel