Sarah Records
Sarah Records was a UK independent record label active between 1987 and 1995,[1] best known for its recordings of twee pop.
The label was formed in Bristol in 1987 by Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes, and grew out of the fanzine scene at the time, Haynes having previously edited Are You Scared To Get Happy?, and Wadd Kvatch. Both these fanzines had given away flexidiscs - indeed, AYSTGH had been part of the Sha-la-la organisation, a record label set up solely to produce flexidiscs. Several Sarah releases were fanzines and flexi-discs, as it was felt this summed up the aesthetic of the label better than 12" singles and albums.
Sarah Records was usually seen as being grounded in the C86 jangly indie-pop sensibility, though the late Seventies DIY scene and independent yet stylish and imaginative labels such as Postcard Records, Factory and Creation, plus the mid-Eighties fanzine culture, were bigger influences. It ceased operation with the release of There and Back Again Lane, the hundredth release in the main catalogue sequence - a booklet telling the story of the label, along with a CD of representative tracks. Half-page adverts entitled "A Day For Destroying Things" in both NME and Melody Maker marked the release. "We don't do encores", the advert announced, and the label has stuck by this sentiment, with no further releases. Bands on the label included Heavenly, East River Pipe, The Orchids, The Hit Parade, Even As We Speak, Boyracer, Brighter, Blueboy, The Field Mice, Another Sunny Day and St. Christopher.
Haynes subsequently established Shinkansen Recordings, where many Sarah artists went on to record; he now edits a zine, Smoke, dedicated to writing and art inspired by London.
Seven inch singles and fanzines
• Sarah 001 The Sea Urchins, "Pristine Christine", 1987
• Sarah 002 The Orchids, "I've Got A Habit", 1988
• Sarah 003 Another Sunny Day, "Anorak City", 1988
• Sarah 004 untitled fanzine, 1988
• Sarah 005 14 Iced Bears, "Come Get Me", 1988
• Sarah 006 Poppyheads, "Cremation Town", 1988
• Sarah 007 Another Sunny Day, "I'm In Love With A Girl Who Doesn't Know I Exist", 1988
• Sarah 008 The Sea Urchins, "Solace", 1988
• Sarah 009 The Golden Dawn, "My Secret World", 1988
• Sarah 010 Springfields, "Sunflower", 1988
• Sarah 011 The Orchids, "Underneath The Window, Underneath The Sink", 1988
• Sarah 012 The Field Mice, "Emma's House", 1988
• Sarah 013 Christine's Cat, "Your Love Is", 1989
• Sarah 014 "lemonade" / "cold - a lie" (fanzines), 1989
• Sarah 015 St. Christopher, "You Deserve More Than A Maybe", 1989
• Sarah 016 Another Sunny Day, "What's Happened", 1989
• Sarah 017 The Golden Dawn, "George Hamilton's Dead", 1989
• Sarah 018 The Field Mice, "Sensitive", 1989
• Sarah 019 Brighter, "Around The World In Eighty Days", 1989
• Sarah 020 St. Christopher, "All Of A Tremble", 1989
• Sarah 021 Wake, "Crush The Flowers", 1989
• Sarah 022 Another Sunny Day, "You Should All Be Murdered", 1989
• Sarah 023 The Orchids, "What Will We Do Next", 1989
• Sarah 024 The Field Mice, "The Autumn Store part 1", 1990
• Sarah 025 The Field Mice, "The Autumn Store part 2", 1990
• Sarah 026 Gentle Despite, "Darkest Blue", 1990
• Sarah 027 Brighter, "Noah's Ark", 1990
• Sarah 028 Action Painting!, "These Things Happen", 1990
• Sarah 029 The Orchids, "Something For The Longing", 1990
• Sarah 030 Heavenly, "I Fell In Love Last Night", 1990
• Sarah 031 Eternal, "Breathe", 1990
• Sarah 032 "Sunstroke" (fanzine), 1990
• Sarah 033 The Sea Urchins, "A Morning Odyssey", 1990
• Sarah 034 St. Christopher, "Antoinette", 1990
• Sarah 035 Another Sunny Day, "Rio", 1990
• Sarah 036 The Sweetest Ache, "If I Could Shine", 1990
• Sarah 037 Even As We Speak, "Nothing Ever Happens", 1990
• Sarah 038 The Field Mice, "So Said Kay", 1990
• Sarah 039 The Sweetest Ache, "Tell Me How It Feels", 1990
• Sarah 040 Springfields, "Wonder", 1991
• Sarah 041 Heavenly, "Our Love Is Heavenly", 1991
• Sarah 042 The Orchids, "Penetration", 1991
• Sarah 043 Tramway, "Maritime City", 1991
• Sarah 044 The Field Mice, "September's Not So Far Away", 1991
• Sarah 045 Gentle Despite, "Torment To Me", 1991
• Sarah 046 St. Christopher, "Say Yes To Everything", 1991
• Sarah 047 The Sweetest Ache, "Sickening", 1991
• Sarah 048 Wake, "Major John", 1991
• Sarah 049 Even As We Speak, "One Step Forward", 1991
• Sarah 050 "Saropoly" (fanzine/board game), 1991
• Sarah 051 Heavenly, "So Little Deserve", 1991
• Sarah 052 Tramway, "Sweet Chariot", 1991
• Sarah 053 Secret Shine, "After Years", 1991
• Sarah 054 Forever People, "Invisible", 1992
• Sarah 055 Blueboy, "Clearer", 1991
• Sarah 056 Brighter, "Half-Hearted", 1991
• Sarah 057 The Field Mice, "Missing The Moon", 1991
• Sarah 058 The Hit Parade, "In Gunnersbury Park", 1991
• Sarah 059 Even As We Speak, "Beautiful Day", 1992
• Sarah 060 Another Sunny Day, "New Year's Honours", 1992
• Sarah 061 Secret Shine, "Ephemeral", 1992
• Sarah 062 The Rosaries, "Forever EP", 1992
• Sarah 063 The Sugargliders, "Letter From A Lifeboat", 1992
• Sarah 064 Harvest Ministers, "You Do My World A World Of Good", 1992
• Sarah 065 Blueboy, "Popkiss", 1992
• Sarah 066 The Orchids, "Thaumaturgy", 1992
• Sarah 067 The Sugargliders, "Seventeen", 1992
• Sarah 068 Harvest Ministers, "Six O'Clock Is Rosary", 1992
• Sarah 069 Brighter, "Disney", 1992
• Sarah 070 Blueboy, "Cloud Babies", 1993, with 3 mini-fanzines:
• "just as good as I should be"
• "nice boys prefer vanilla"
• "i am telling you because you are far away"
• Sarah 071 Secret Shine, "Loveblind", 1993
• Sarah 072 The Sugargliders, "Ahprahran", 1993
• Sarah 073 Action Painting!, "Classical Music", 1993
• Sarah 074 Blueboy, "Meet Johnny Rave", 1993
• Sarah 075 East River Pipe, "Helmet On", 1993
• Sarah 076 Boyracer, "B Is For Boyracer", 1993
• Sarah 077 The Sugargliders, "Trumpet Play", 1993
• Sarah 078 East River Pipe, "She's A Real Good Time", 1993
• Sarah 079 Even As We Speak, "Blue Eyes Deceiving Me", 1993
• Sarah 080 Blueboy, "Some Gorgeous Accident", 1993
• Sarah 081 Heavenly, "P.U.N.K. Girl", 1993
• Sarah 082 Heavenly, "Atta Girl", 1993
• Sarah 083 The Sugargliders, "Will We Ever Learn", 1993
• Sarah 084 Harvest Ministers, "If It Kills Me And It Will", 1993
• Sarah 085 Boyracer, "From Purity To Purgatory", 1993
• Sarah 086 The Sugargliders, "Top 40 Sculpture", 1993
• Sarah 087 Action Painting!, "Mustard Gas", 1993
• Sarah 088 Blueboy, "River", 1994
• Sarah 089 Secret Shine, "Greater Than God", 1994
• Sarah 090 The Hit Parade, "Autobiography", 1994
• Sarah 091 Ivy, "Wish You Would", 1994
• Sarah 092 Ivy, "Avenge", 1994
• Sarah 093 Aberdeen, "Byron", 1994
• Sarah 094 Northern Picture Library, "Paris", 1994
• Sarah 095 Northern Picture Library, "Last September's Farewell Kiss", 1994
• Sarah 096 Boyracer, "Pure Hatred '96", 1994
• Sarah 097 Aberdeen, "Fireworks", 1994
• Sarah 098 Shelley, "Reproduction Is Pollution", 1995
• Sarah 099 Blueboy, "Dirty Mags", 1995
Albums
10" (all + CD except Lyceum, Snowball, Bacharach)
• Sarah 401 The Orchids, Lyceum, 1989
• Sarah 402 The Field Mice, Snowball, 1989
• Sarah 403 St. Christopher, Bacharach, 1990
• Sarah 404 Brighter, Laurel, 1991
• Sarah 405 East River Pipe, Goodbye California, 1993
• Sarah 406 Harvey Williams, Rebellion, 1995
• Sarah 407 East River Pipe, Even The Sun Was Afraid, 1995
12" (all + CD except Skywriting, They've Scoffed The Lot)
• Sarah 601 The Field Mice, Skywriting, 1990
• Sarah 602 Wake, Make It Loud, 1990
• Sarah 603 Heavenly, Heavenly Vs. Satan, 1991
• Sarah 604 Talulah Gosh!, They've Scoffed The Lot, 1991
• Sarah 605 The Orchids, Unholy Soul, 1991
• Sarah 606 The Field Mice, Coastal, 1991
• Sarah 607 The Field Mice, For Keeps, 1991
• Sarah 608 The Sweetest Ache, Jaguar , 1992
• Sarah 609 The Sea Urchins, Stardust, 1992
• Sarah 610 Heavenly, Le Jardin de Heavenly, 1992
• Sarah 611 The Orchids, Epicurean, 1992
• Sarah 612 Blueboy, If Wishes Were Horses, 1992
• Sarah 613 Another Sunny Day, London Weekend, 1992
• Sarah 614 Even As We Speak, Feral Pop Frenzy, 1993
• Sarah 615 Secret Shine, Untouched, 1993
• Sarah 616 Harvest Ministers, Little Dark Mansion, 1993
• Sarah 617 The Orchids, Striving For The Lazy Perfection, 1994
• Sarah 618 Wake, Tidal Wave of Hype, 1994
• Sarah 619 The Sugargliders, We're All Trying To Get There, 1994
• Sarah 620 Blueboy, Unisex, 1994
• Sarah 621 East River Pipe, Poor Fricky, 1994
• Sarah 622 The Hit Parade, The Sound Of The Hit Parade, 1994
• Sarah 623 Heavenly, The Decline And Fall Of Heavenly, 1994
Compilations
(in chronological order)
• Sarah 587 Shadow Factory, 1988
• Sarah 376 Temple Cloud, 1990
• Sarah 545 Air Balloon Road, 1990
• Sarah 501 Glass Arcade, 1991
• Sarah 583 Fountain Island, 1992
• Sarah 628 Engine Common, 1993
• Sarah 530 Gaol Ferry Bridge, 1994
• Sarah 359 Battery Point, 1995
• Sarah 100 There And Back Again Lane, 1995
From an original article by Colin Allen on Wikipedia
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