The 7s, part 1: C87

As we are waiting to see what 2017 has in store for us, we are going to take a small trip down memory lane and listen again to some excellent music from past years ending in 7.

At first I thought of starting this time trip in the punk rock heaven of 1977 and working my way up to 2007, but since I just got in my hands the outstanding triple CD compilation C87,  released last year by Cherry Red Records to celebrate the 30th anniversary of C86, we'll start from 1987 instead.

The concept behind this compilation was to imagine what would have been the result if NME had decided to reconvene a year on from their original C86 cassette for a follow up. The resulting 70-plus tracks compilation, curated by one of the original C86 compilers, Neil Taylor, offers a 4-hour panorama of the new UK indie pop and rock scene of '87, featuring bands ranging from the well-known to obscurities making their debut on CD. 

All tracks come from the period just after C86, i.e. summer 1986 to the end of 1987, and features first recordings by names that later found chart success and became familiar to indie fans the world over, like indie legends The Wedding Present, The House Of Love or The Inspiral Carpets, and others who at best enjoyed cult status (for example The Boy Hairdressers, who evolved into Teenage Fanclub or The Vaselines who found fame after they were covered by Nirvana) or disappeared after a handful of excellent but hard to find singles. It's truly mind-blowing that all this was happening in the short period between 1986 and 1987 and no wonder it is still offering inspiration to new bands opting to create guitar music in the 21st century.

Here are just a few examples of the fine indie rocking happening in the UK of 1987, that you will find in the C87 compilation:

The Wedding Present - My Favourite Dress (the band's 5th overall single and first from their 1987 classic debut LP "George Best")

Talulah Gosh - Talulah Gosh (the 4th single by the cult band that later evolved into Heavenly)

The Flatmates - I Could Be In Heaven (their debut single - the above video was recorded live at The Tropic Club, Bristol, 31st August 1986)

The Sea Urchins - Pristine Christine (first ever single on Sarah Records)

I, Ludicrous - My Baby's Got Jet Lag (from their debut album "It's Like Everything Else")