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At a glimpse: Sarah Records reissue a cause for celebration
The disbanded record label Sarah Records will always be remembered as the home for cutting-edge music that arose from the British independent music scene
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he disbanded record label Sarah Records will always be remembered as the home for cutting-edge music that arose from the British independent music scene.
Founders Matt Haynes and Clare Wadd started the label first as a fanzine that gave away music. What started off as side project turned into a successful enterprise with releases from Sarah Records defining much of the sound of the British independent scene of jangle pop.
Throughout the label’s existence between 1987 and 1995, hundreds of releases saw the light of day.
The label disbanded in 1995 through the now famous New Musical Express (NME) ads titled, “A Day for Destroying Things”, which stated that there would not be any encore of Sarah Records.
Following the disbanding of Sarah Records, its back catalogue had turned somewhat into a Holy Grail for fans. One of the most sought-after artifacts from the Sarah Records era is Unisex, an album from the Reading-based band Blueboy. The band recorded two full-lengths with Sarah Records, including the Dirty Mags single.
There are only small numbers of copies pressed for Unisex, making it a much prized commodity among crate diggers with some willing to pay a premium price for old copies.
Earlier this year, Haynes and Wadd gave the rights to the London-based él Records to reissue the album, padded with additional tracks from River and Dirty Mags singles.
The reissue has given reason for fans to rejoice. The memory of lead singer Keith Girdler – who died in 2007 after suffering from cancer – and Paul Stewart’s guitar works will soon be brought to life.
“él Records was always Keith and Paul’s favorite record label. Neither of them were keen on Blueboy material being reissued, as they thought that too much nostalgia was unhealthy, but to have a release on él, the label they’d always loved, was something different,” Haynes said about the reissue.
Dominic McKenna from Records added, “I had heard that Matt and Clare were difficult to deal with but I have never found that. They are rightly protective over Sarah Records, but they worked very hard to make the Blueboy reissues happen. They were in contact with everyone from the start making sure that the end result was exactly what everyone wanted. They still really care about the records.”
Haynes said, “It seems to exist in a time and world of its own, it doesn’t need any apology or explanation. When it was recorded, it was not influenced by any particular musical trend, it simply sounded how the band wanted it to sound, and it sounds just as good and important today as when it was released.”
Blueboy may not be as famous as other English bands from the same period such as Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine or New Order, but they already had a special place in the hearts of loyal fans.
“We need to make sure that everything is done properly and stylishly. Sarah [Records] was special because we had very high quality control – everything had to be perfect, even the smallest detail, and that must apply to everything, otherwise it devalues everything we create,” said Haynes.
There are probably only a small number of fans of Blueboy in Jakarta, but news about the reissue is indeed a cause for celebration.
Aji Gergaji of the Bandung-based shoegaze outfit, The Milo, is one of those devoted fans. Among the small circle of Brit rock aficionados, he is known probably as the only one who owned the original copy of Unisex, “It has a special place in my collection. Based on my preference, it was a masterpiece. I love the honesty and originality of the album,” he said.
