An intimate history of Rough Trade Records indeed

This morning's blogroll contained the extreme treat of this week's issue of the New Vulgate - the blog zine headed up by writer and former SST Records (amongst others) guy, Joe Carducci. In order to promote the publication of a new book about Rough Trade Records, Document And Eyewitness: An Intimate History of Rough Trade: The Rough Trade Story by Neil Taylor (so far only available from the UK), Joe has collated an incredible little group of stories remembering those heady days of the post punk era in the Bay area where Rough Trade first bloomed Stateside.

Besides Joe's, included are stories from Steve Beeho, Ray Farrell, and Johnny Myers. These guys were there and lived it, and were involved with the label on some level. If you're at all interested in indie label histories, this is absolutely required reading! Special thanks to Joe for use of a couple of ephemeral images. Read the whole thing right here.



Steve Beeho: Looking back on it now, the punk/post-punk idealistic vision of the transformative power of “alternative” music can seem like a massive delusion, where being “oppositional” ended up as an end in itself. But even if that’s true, the belief that something crucial was at stake and it really mattered, was a necessary collective delusion to inspire all that feverish activity.

Ray Farrell: Rough Trade wanted to establish a label and distribution system stateside. I was interviewed by a group of the RT staff in an S.F. apartment the evening of Dec 8, 1980 -- the day John Lennon was shot. On arrival, I tried to open the conversation expressing disbelief anyone would assassinate Lennon. There were blank stares, and someone chimed in that Lennon was dead well before that day. He was now part of the “dead rock geezer club” and his passing was insignificant. I half-remembered the slogan, “No Beatles, Stones or Seals & Crofts in 1977” and realized that some of these folks took their mission seriously.

Joe Carducci: By the time I wandered into Renaissance in late 1977 the shop was run primarily by Peter Handel. Peter was what NW folks recognize as a Reedie – a graduate of the semi-experimental Reed College. He was a stoner and really into the Stones and reggae, and also Patti Smith. He’s the one who began ordering the import 45s that Jem Records was offering (Sex Pistols, Clash, Jam, X-Ray Spex, Buzzcocks, etc.). I liked Peter and began to run the shop for three hours in the afternoon and close it up for him; I’d get one album or three 45s for pay. I have pretty cools records from that time. Peter was interested in checking out this reggae shop in London his ex-partner had told him about so he went over in 1978. Everything was changing fast in London and he was inspired by what Geoff Travis, Richard Scott, and the others had going on; it was hip and righteous and though increasingly involved in the kind of punk rock Peter didn’t particularly care for, he could tell it was culture going somewhere.