Here's Where The Rough Trade Covers End

A representative of Corwood Industrial Records flogs Throbbing
Gristle's latest to Geoff Travis; Richard Scott is unimpressed

According to Rob Young's book Rough Trade: Labels Unlimited, several bad decisions led to Rough Trade's 1990 collapse. RT HQ moved to a five story building in Finsbury Park, where they installed a poorly chosen computer system to manage distribution and accounting. Debts went unpaid, and artists stopped receiving royalties. Rough Trade also failed to pay customs taxes -- a fatal mistake.

Damon Krukowski recalled that Rough Trade "declared bankruptcy without warning, even shutting their own employees out with a padlock on the door." Years later, he bought Galaxie 500's catalog at an auction. Lee Ranaldo complained that his songs were "sold without my permission to somebody I've never heard of." More than fifty of Britain's "most significant independent labels (were) unable to shift their stock until the receivers had done their work," wrote Rob Young.

Three unlikely lads from Leamington Spa, lost in Ladbroke Grove without a map

This last set covers ten years, from 1981 to 1990. It includes lovely ballads from songwriters such as Roddy Frame, Stuart Moxham, Martin Bramah, Grant McLennan, Mark Mulcahy, Vic Godard, Lucinda Williams, and Dean Wareham. Don't worry, there's a few rockers and some noisy bits. And don't worry about Rough Trade: the label was soon rebuilt by Geoff Travis and Jeanette Lee (that's Mrs. Gareth Sager, donchaknow). 

It was March 5th, 2018 that jonderblog began with a birthday tribute to the late Mark E. Smith. Two years later, The Fall's music remains vital, and continues to enrich my days.