Cherry Red Records next spring will release a 4CD box called Scared To Get Happy: A Story of Indie-Pop 1980-1989 that the U.K. label says is inspired by the Lenny Kaye’s classic Nuggets garage-rock compilation and is “devoted to the 1980s indie guitar-pop revolution which swept across the British Isles.”
The box set does not yet have an announced tracklist or release date, but a Facebook page set up for the project promises it will celebrate the “golden era” spanning “the post-punk scene and Postcard Records through the explosion of bands celebrated by the NME on their famous C86 cassette through to perhaps the ultimate distillation of the scene, Sarah Records.”
The label has, however, posted a list of songs being considered, including tracks by The House of Love, Close Lobsters, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Josef K, Felt, Slowdive, Prefab Sprout, Microdisney, Pop Will Eat Itself and many far more obscure acts.
Check out that list:
14 ICED BEARS Balloon Song
ANOTHER SUNNY DAY I’m In love With A Girl Who Doesn’t Know…
APPLE BOUTIQUE Love Resistance
BACHELOR PAD The Albums Of Jack
BIFF BANG POW! The Chocolate Elephant Man
BLACK Human Features
BLOW UP Forever Holiday
BLUE ORCHIDS Work
BLUEBELLS
BMX BANDITS Sad
BODINES God Bless
BOY HAIRDRESSERS Tidalwave
BRADFORD Skin Storm
BRILLIANT CORNERS Delilah Sands
BUBBLEGUM SPLASH One Of Those Things
CHARLOTTES Are You Happy Now?
CHERRY BOYS Kardomah Café
CHESTERFIELDS Completely And Utterly
CLAIM Picking Up The Bitter Little Pieces
CLOSE LOBSTERS What Is There To Smile About (Demo)
CLOUDS Tranquil
CORN DOLLIES Be Small Again (or Forever Steven)
CUD Only (A Prawn In Whitby)
DAINTEES Roll On Summertime
DARLING BUDS Shame On You
DENTISTS She Dazzled Me With Basil
DESERT WOLVES Speak To Me Rochelle
DOLLY MIXTURE Everything And More
EAST VILLAGE Strawberry Window
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL Feeling Dizzy *
FANATICS Suburban Love Songs
FANTASTIC SOMETHING If She Doesn’t Smile It’ll Rain
FARMERS BOYS I Think I Need Help
FELT – TBC
FIELD MICE Emma’s House
FIRE ENGINES Candy Skin
FLATMATES Shimmer
FRIENDS AGAIN Honey At The Core
GIRLS AT OUR BEST Getting Nowhere Fast
GOL GAPPAS Albert Parker
GOLDEN DAWN My Secret World
GRAB GRAB THE HADDOCK I’m Used Now
GROOVE FARM Surfin’ Into Your Heart
GROOVY LITTLE NUMBERS You Make My Head Explode
HANGMAN’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS Love Is Blue
HEART THROBS Toy
HEPBURNS The World Is
HOUSE OF LOVE The Hill
HURRAH The Sun Shines Here
INSPIRAL CARPETS Keep The Circle Around
JAMIE WEDNESDAY Vote For Love
JANE It’s A Fine Day
JASMINE MINKS Where The Traffic Goes
JAZZ BUTCHER Southern Mark Smith
JOSEF K The Missionary
JUNE BRIDES Just The Same
KING OF LUXEMBOURG A Picture Of Dorian Gray
KOROVA MILK BAR Do It Again
LA’s Son Of A Gun (Demo)
LAUGH Take Your Time Yeah!
LINES Nerve Pylon
LLOYD COLE & THE COMMOTIONS Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken (Indie Vsn)
LOFT Up The Hill And Down The Slope
MARINE GIRLS Don’t Come Back
McCARTHY Red Sleeping Beauty
McTELLS Jesse Man Rae
MICRODISNEY Dolly
MIGHTY LEMON DROPS Something Happens
MIGHTY MIGHTY Is There Anyone Out There?
MILLTOWN BROTHERS Roses
MONOCHROME SET Jet Set Junta
NIGHTINGALES Paraffin Brain or The Crunch
ORCHIDS I’ve Got A Habit
PASTELS I Wonder Why
POOH STICKS Indiepop Ain’t Noise Pollution
POP WILL EAT ITSELF Sweet Sweet Pie
POPGUNS Landslide
POPPYHEADS Pictures You Weave
PREFAB SPROUT Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone)
PULP Everybody’s Problem
RAW HERBS She’s A Nurse
RAZORCUTS Big Pink Cake
REVOLVING PAINT DREAM In The Afternoon
RODNEY ALLEN Circle Line
ROSEHIPS Room In Your Heart
ROSEMARY’S CHILDREN (Whatever Happened To) Alice?
ROTE KAPELLE Sunday
SEA URCHINS Solace
SERVANTS Transparent
SHOP ASSISTANTS All Day Long
SIDDELEYS My Favourite Wet Wednesday Afternoon
SLOWDIVE Beach Song
SOUP DRAGONS Not For Humbert
STRAWBERRY SWITCHBLADE Trees And Flowers
SUN & THE MOON Adam’s Song
TALULAH GOSH Beatnik Boy
TELESCOPES Perfect Needle
THIS POISON Engine Failure
TRIXIE’S BIG RED MOTORBIKE Norman And Narcissus
VASELINES Jesus Don’t Want Me For A Sunbeam
WALTONES She Looks Right Through Me
WEATHER PROPHETS Almost Prayed
WEEKEND Summerdays
WHIRL Heaven Forbid
WOLFHOUNDS Cut The Cake
WONDER STUFF It’s A Wonderful Day
YEAH JAZZ Sharon
YEAH YEAH NOH Temple Of Convenience
I thought I was the only remembered “I’m In Love With a Girl Who Doesn’t Know I Exist,” though I’m also disappointed – and surprised – that the Railway Children didn’t make the cut. “A Gentle Sound” isn’t comp-worthy?
Hi BCE, thanks for your interest. The list on Facebook only includes tracks we’ve basically cleared and not those we’ve applied for. We’re in touch with Gary Newby about including “A Gentle Sound”!