Shop Assistants

Last updated

Shop Assistants
Origin Edinburgh, Scotland
Genres Indie pop
Years active1984–1987, 1989–1990
LabelsVilla21 Records
The Subway Organization
53rd & 3rd Records
Chrysalis
Blue Guitar
Avalanche Records
Past membersJoan Bride
Moray Crawford
Ann Donald
David Keegan
Sarah Kneale
Laura MacPhail
Karen Parker
John Peutherer
Alex Taylor
Margarita Vasquez-Ponte
Annabel Wright

Shop Assistants were a Scottish indie pop band from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed in 1984, initially as 'Buba & The Shop Assistants'. [1] After achieving success with independent releases they signed to Chrysalis Records sublabel Blue Guitar, releasing their only album in 1986. After splitting in 1987, with singer Alex Taylor moving on to The Motorcycle Boy, they reformed for two further singles in 1990.

Contents

History

The group began as Buba & the Shop Assistants, consisting of lead vocalist Aggi (Annabel Wright, later of The Pastels), guitarist David Keegan, bassist John Peutherer, and drummer Moray Crawford. This line-up released one single, the now highly collectible "Something to Do" on Villa21 Records, [2] which was produced by Stephen Pastel. Pastel also contributed backing vocals. Peutherer and Crawford were credited on the sleeve as "Murray-John."

Aggi left to be replaced by Karen Parker, who was later joined by second vocalist Alex Taylor. After some live performances, Parker, Peutherer, and Crawford departed and were replaced by Sarah Kneale (bass), Laura MacPhail (drums) and Ann Donald (drums). The band's name was shortened to Shop Assistants, and the first release under their new name was the Shopping Parade EP in 1985 on The Subway Organization. The lead track, "All Day Long" was described by Morrissey as his favourite single of that year. [3]

Donald left in late 1985, and was briefly replaced on drums by Joan Bride. Shopping Parade was followed in early 1986 with "Safety Net", the first release on Keegan's 53rd & 3rd Records, [3] which peaked at number two in the UK Independent Chart, [4] and the band recorded a national radio session with Janice Long and a second John Peel session, both of BBC's Radio One. [5] The exposure they gained from the sessions enabled the group to have two songs to be voted into John Peel's Festive Fifty in both 1985 and 1986. [6]

In 1986, Shop Assistants were featured on NME 's compilation C86 with one of their slower songs, "It's Up to You", taken from Shopping Parade EP. [1] Also in that year, they signed to Chrysalis Records's sub-label Blue Guitar for another single, "I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You", as well as their only album, Shop Assistants . [1] That single reached number 77 [7] in the UK Singles Chart, while the LP spent one week at number 100 in the UK Albums Chart. [8] The album was re-released on CD in 2001. In 2024 it was re-released on vinyl and on a double CD set which includes unreleased and live tracks, and a John Peel session. [9]

Shop Assistants split early in 1987, when Taylor left the group to join The Motorcycle Boy. [1] After a two-year hiatus, the group reformed without Taylor, and with Kneale on vocals, MacPhail on bass, and the addition of Margarita Vasquez-Ponte of Jesse Garon And The Desperadoes on drums. [1] With the new line-up, they recorded new material in late October 1989 at Chamber Studios in Edinburgh; releasing the singles "Here It Comes" in 1989 and "Big 'E' Power" in 1990 on Avalanche Records. [3] They also recorded a cover of The Rolling Stones' 1978 song "Respectable" for the tribute album Stoned Again - A Tribute to The Rolling Stones on Imaginary Records. They split up again shortly afterwards, with Keegan joining The Pastels. [1]

It was revealed in 2020 that Alex Taylor had died in 2005. [10]

The band features in the book Postcards from Scotland detailing the 1980s and 1990s independent music scene in Scotland. [11]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pastels</span> Scottish indie rock band

The Pastels are an indie rock group from Glasgow formed in 1981. They were a key act of the Scottish and British independent music scenes of the 1980s, and are specifically credited for the development of an independent and confident music scene in Glasgow. The group have had a number of members, but currently consists of Stephen McRobbie, Katrina Mitchell, Tom Crossley, John Hogarty, Alison Mitchell and Suse Bear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wedding Present</span> British indie band

The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, by members of The Lost Pandas. The band has been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strawberry Switchblade</span> Scottish pop duo

Strawberry Switchblade were a Scottish pop duo formed in Glasgow in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, best known for their song "Since Yesterday" from 1985, and their flamboyant clothing with bows and polka-dots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darts of Pleasure</span> 2003 single by Franz Ferdinand

"Darts of Pleasure" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, released as the band's debut single in the United Kingdom on 8 September 2003 through Domino Records. In the United States, it was issued as an extended play (EP). The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 44 on 15 September 2003, where it stayed for one week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiss (Prince song)</span> 1986 single by Prince and the Revolution

"Kiss" is a song composed, written, and produced by American musician Prince. Released by the Paisley Park label as the lead single from Prince and the Revolution's eighth studio album, Parade (1986), on February 5, 1986, it was a No. 1 hit worldwide, holding the top spot of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks. The single was certified gold in 1986 for shipments of 1,000,000 copies by RIAA.

Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes were a Scottish band formed from around, and within, the Edinburgh indie pop scene of the mid-1980s. The band had a distinctive guitar-jangle sound with male and female vocals. The band took their name from Elvis Presley's stillborn twin brother, Jesse Garon Presley.

Girls at Our Best! were an English post-punk band, founded in Leeds, England in 1979 under the name The Butterflies. They had several UK Independent Singles Chart hits during their three-year existence.

Meat Whiplash were an alternative rock band from East Kilbride, Scotland, that were amongst the first to be signed to Creation Records.

<i>Mobile Safari</i> 1995 studio album by the Pastels

Mobile Safari is the third album by the Scottish band the Pastels, released in 1995.

Stump were an Irish-English indie/experimental/rock group consisting of Mick Lynch (vocals), Rob McKahey (drums), Kev Hopper (bass) and Chris Salmon (guitar). Their music has been described as a mixture of Captain Beefheart and The Fall, and they are best known for their influential, critically acclaimed, but poor selling 1988 album, A Fierce Pancake.

Bogshed were an Indie band formed in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England, in 1985 by Phil Hartley (vocals), Mark McQuaid (guitar), Mike Bryson (bass) and Tristan King (drums). They released two albums, two EPs and two singles before splitting up in 1987.

Age of Chance were a British alternative rock-dance crossover band from Leeds, England, active from 1983 to 1991. They were perhaps most known for their mutant metallic cover of Prince's "Kiss" which topped the UK Indie Chart in 1986, and peaked at No. 50 in the UK Singles Chart in January the following year. Despite signing for major label Virgin, and being favourites with the UK music press, they never enjoyed a major hit in the UK, although "Don't Get Mad… Get Even" reached No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play chart.

It's Immaterial are an English indie pop band from Liverpool, England, formed in 1980. They are best known for their 1986 single "Driving Away from Home ", which reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart.

BOB were an indie pop band from North London, England, formed in 1986.

The Motorcycle Boy were a Scottish indie pop band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1987 by former members of Meat Whiplash and Shop Assistants.

The Jasmine Minks are a British indie pop band, whose early singles were amongst the first releases by Creation Records.

<i>Shop Assistants</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Shop Assistants

Shop Assistants is the only album released by Shop Assistants. It was released in November 1986 on the Chrysalis Records "indie" offshoot Blue Guitar. The album was critically acclaimed by Sounds staff who put Shop Assistants on the list of top 50 best albums of 1986.

SLAB! are an industrial music/alternative rock band initially active between the mid-1980s and early 1990s. They reformed in 2009.

<i>Truckload of Trouble</i> 1993 compilation album by the Pastels

Truckload Of Trouble is a compilation album by the Pastels, released in 1993. The album compiles songs from their EPs and singles released between 1986 and 1993, with some popular album tracks. Included are well known songs such as "Comin' Through", "Nothing to be Done", "Truck Train Tractor", "Crawl Babies", "Speeding Motorcycle" and "Baby Honey".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety Net</span> 1986 single by Shop Assistants

"Safety Net" is a song by Shop Assistants which was recorded in 1985 and released as a single in 1986.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN   1-84195-335-0, p. 502
  2. ↑ "Villa21 Records". Discogs.com. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 251/2. ISBN   0-85112-579-4.
  4. ↑ Lazell, Barry (1998) Indie Hits 1980-1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN   0-9517206-9-4, p. 204
  5. ↑ Garner, Ken (1993) In Session Tonight, BBC Books, ISBN   0-563-36452-1, p. 292
  6. ↑ "The Shop Assistants", Keeping It Peel, BBC, retrieved 2011-07-23
  7. ↑ "SHOP ASSISTANTS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 "SHOP ASSISTANTS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ "Alex Taylor: An Appreciation » We Are Cult". Wearecult.rocks. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  11. ↑ McPhee, Grant (2024). Postcards from Scotland. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9781913172473.
  12. ↑ "UK Singles Charts: 1986 (including chart panel sales)". Ukmix.org. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.