Although conceived to be simply the latest of NME’s cassettes, C86’s immediate impact was to accidentally give birth to a subgenre of indie music – imaginatively titled C86. But of course hindsight is always 20/20 and no one was to know just how significant and popular the tape would become. If you were a reader of the music press in the 1980s this is essential reading, and even if you weren’t it is a fascinating story of life after fame (in most cases). Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. It’s not hard to imagine The Shrubs’ distorted, discordant vocals cropping up in today’s noise-rock scene, while the wonky rhythms of the Stump song ‘Buffalo’ provided a rough blueprint for guitar music’s whole-hearted embrace of the dancefloor in the ‘00s.

About the Author: Nige Tassell is a music journalist whose writing has appeared in The Word, Q, The Guardian, The Sunday Times and New Statesman among others. I started reading NME in the late ‘90s, so this era of bands is before my time, but this book is just brilliant.The Mighty Lemon Drops’ guitarist Dave Newton was hunted down to California where he’s a record producer for hire, operating out of the studio in his double garage.

The Financial Times and its journalism are subject to a self-regulation regime under the FT Editorial Code of Practice. The book deconstructs the imagined glamour of life in a Peel session / NME single of the week / top 10 indie chart hit band to the point where you feel almost fatherly to the young groups of 36 years ago. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs.It's a simple premise for a book - what makes it such an interesting read is uncovering the stories that came next. We really get a broad range of personalities too, those who remain proud of their contribution and others who wish to distance themselves from it and are determined not to be defined by it. A highly experienced interviewer and author, Tassell has received admiration for his writing from the likes of Ian Rankin, Adam Buxton, Danny Baker, Steve Lamacq, Janice Long and Lucy Porter. RICHARD OSMAN 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.

This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. This had little impact, with Mogwai and Broadcast being the only acts on the compilation to subsequently enjoy mainstream success. But even today, nearly forty years on a whole generation and then some, know exactly what you mean when you say the words C86. Before C86, women could only be eye-candy in a band; I think C86 changed that - there were women promoting gigs, writing fanzines and running labels.Several of the bands included on C86 would subsequently gallop forward in their careers – the likes of Primal Scream, the Soup Dragons, the Wedding Present and Half Man Half Biscuit. The C86 name was a play on the labelling and length of blank compact cassette, commonly C60, C90 and C120, combined with 1986. Bookplates are official labels which are signed by the author and then fixed to the title page of the book. It’s really interesting to see the challenges and problems that each band had before, during and after C86, some complain of too much freedom, others of too much control, some sought mainstream, pop success, others were happy to remain obscure. Music is the common thread but the book's really about how you replace it when real life encroaches.