Document And Eyewitness – An Intimate History Of Rough Trade by Neil Taylor
White Rabbit Books
Published Feb 19th
A record shop, distribution business and, first and foremost, iconic label, the name Rough Trade has long been synonymous with cutting-edge new music, cementing its reputation by being right at the forefront of the punk and new wave revolution. What set them apart from the rest was that they weren’t a mere conduit for the cultural explosion of the late 70s / early 80s but were an integral part of it. Whereas most of their rivals were simply looking to cash in on new talent, Rough Trade wanted to nurture and champion it, with profit often seeming to be an afterthought. As Morrissey puts it in his foreword, “I saw a record label of liberal education and harmonious support, with an unstoppable aim to broaden public taste instead of simply replicating it. Rough Trade were providing everything that young bands needed but could not bring about.”
Neil Taylor’s Document And Eyewitness (appropriately echoing the title of Wire’s Rough Trade album of the same name) is exactly that: a thorough, fascinating and entertaining account of the company’s inception, meteoric rise, calamitous demise and phoenix-like resurrection and reinvention, through the eyes of those who were there. Marking Rough Trade’s 50th anniversary, the updated book includes brand new coverage and contributions detailing their 15 years of activity since its original publication.
Since Geoff Travis founded Rough Trade Records in 1976, the list of artists who, in one way or another, have shared their story is as impressive, eclectic and groundbreaking as any roster you’ll find. From Stiff Little Fingers, Swell Maps, The Fall and The Smiths to The Libertines, Sea Power, Warpaint and Sleaford Mods, their DNA is all over the creative musical landscape of the past five decades, even during the fallow years from 1988-2020. However, this book never sets out to provide an exhaustive list of these luminaries and their achievements, details of which are documented elsewhere. Instead, this is the story of the people who have made Rough Trade tick from the very beginning to the present day, examining the highs and lows, the underlying philosophy, and the cultural and historical backdrop in the process. And while, like the credits of an epic film, some of the particulars may be primarily of interest to those involved, this is never to the detriment of the readers’ enjoyment, but rather pays testament to the author’s forensic attention to detail. Indeed, this book is nicely compartmentalised with the main chapters clearly delineated by year, each with a pithy description to set the mood.
Highlights are plentiful, meaning that, while enjoyed at its best as a sequential cover-to-cover journey, you can dip into in this illuminating tome anywhere and discover a great quote, surprising fact, enlightening insight or never-before-told anecdote, not to mention contributions from the main players and a liberal smattering of topical images. As well as the man himself, Geoff Travis’s sister Jackie Rafferty, his housemate and long-term employee Jo Slee, sidekick Steve Montgomery and famed journalist/author and Rough Trade regular John Savage, provide first-hand accounts of the formative days. Legendary Buzzcocks’ manager, Richard Boon, explains how Rough Trade ended up distributing the band’s Spiral Scratch record almost by default: ‘After they’d taken a second batch then a third batch, we seemed to have the rudiments of a distributor.’ Rough Trade signing, the marvellously eccentric Robert Wyatt, provides a revealing account of the difference between working with them compared with his experiences of the more capital-driven CBS and Virgin, underlining the artistic and political freedom he enjoyed. Johnny Marr, Don Letts, Bernard Butler and Jarvis Cocker are amongst the many other household names who share their memories.
One of the joys of Document And Witness is that it not only provides a blow-by-blow account of the Rough Trade story, but also sets it within the context of the era which both shaped and was shaped by this priceless institution. A forceful reminder that we should never take things for granted and that an awful lot of hard work can go into producing the simple pleasures in life, this is a revealing narrative of what goes on behind the scenes – one which is made all the more riveting by the unique and sometimes haphazard approach taken by Rough Trade and their absolute refusal to conform. Altogether a nicely presented, in-depth and eminently readable volume which, far from being a dry history to take up space on the coffee table, is a genuine, real-life page-turner.
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All words by Robin Boardman. More writing from Robin on Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive.
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