Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids?: An Indie Odyssey
£9.60£10.40 (-8%)
Shortlisted for the Penderyn Music Book Prize
A Rough Trade Book of the Year
A Resident Book of the Year
A Monorail Book of the Year
A Virgin Radio Book of the Year
In 1986, the NME released a cassette that would shape music for years to come. A collection of twenty-two independently signed guitar-based bands, C86 was the sound and ethos that defined a generation. It was also arguably the point at which ‘indie’ was born.
But what happened next to all those musical dreamers?
Some of the bands, like Primal Scream, went on to achieve global stardom; others, such as Half Man Half Biscuit and The Wedding Present, cultivated lifelong fanbases that still sustain their careers today. Then there were the rest – the ones who endured general indifference from the record-buying public and ultimately returned to civvy street.
Now, thirty-five years on, journalist Nige Tassell tracks down the class of C86, unearthing members of all twenty-two bands and sharing the stories, both tragic and uplifting, of these long-lost musicians.
Told with warmth, compassion and humour, this is a very human account of ambition, hope, varying degrees of talent and what happens after you give up on music – or, more accurately, after music gives up on you. It’s a world populated by bike-shop owners, dance-music producers, record-store proprietors, ornithologists, driving instructors, solicitors, caricaturists and possibly even an Olympic sailor. And let’s not forget the musician-turned-actor gainfully employed as Jeremy Irons’ body double…
More than simply the tale of the tape, Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids? is an exploration of C86’s wide-reaching and often surprising legacy.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Nine Eight Books (25 May 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 352 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1788705602 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1788705608 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 2.3 x 19.8 cm |
by A_Very_Modern_Slave
Turns out most of them lead pretty boring lives.
by Amazon Customer
I’ve got one or two of the authors books and they’re always a good read . This one is no different and is a fascinating account of the history of the bands on the NME C86 cassette. Some great stories of fame and what might have been. I actually owned a copy of the tape but I have to admit I was tempted by a very good offer on it a few years ago. Do I regret it? After reading this book …..a bit…
by Whatley
Nige Tassell’s odyssey to track down all of the bands featured on the legendary C86 cassette is a delight. Funny, hopeful and bittersweet. A great and well-written read.
by Mr. D
A beautifully written, touching book.
by Darren Floyd
Can’t say how much I loved this book! A wonderful story of a tape which came to define a time in British music, and what happened subsequently to the bands on it. it’s worth admission alone for the chapter on Stump. A great book which will make you smile and leave you happy.
How much is the fish?
by Mr. T. M. Everett
Anyone who has even tge slightest bit of interest in 80s indie music needs this book. Absolutely essential reading.
by Chris Kendall
What a brilliant book. Honest, kind-hearted, informative – fascinating, in fact – and never less than hugely entertaining.
I wasn’t too familiar with the less well-known bands on the C86 cassette – I was either too young (11 years old in 1986 – music didn’t change my life until ’91 or ’92 when Nirvana appeared), not cool enough…or too young AND not cool enough. Either way, this book thoroughly addressed the gaps in my musical knowledge of the time. The way Nige Tassell lets the subjects tell their stories, from their early days in bands to the present day, just shines. He has a voice, but it’s never intrusive and always interesting. Some of the stories are surprisingly emotional too, without being in any way mawkish.
To paraphrase the author from his outro (the afterword), this is a collection of stories told from the heart.
It’s great – buy it and love it.
(Now, if I could just encourage the author to turn his talents to the 1980s UK home computer and computer games scene – Sinclair/Commodore/BBC/Amstrad…)
by LJ Kaluha
A great piece of detective work. Quite sad to hear of Mick Lynch from Stump passing away far too early. Great band. Made me want to go back an reassess many of the artists on C86 that I’d not really paid much attention to before.
If this era is of musical interest, as well as the very human aspect to the tales, highly recommended.
(And can other reviewers please keep their reviews short? You don’t write for the NME).