'Earcom 1' was a 12-inch compilation issued by the Edinburgh independent label Fast Product in 1979, catalogued as FAST 9A. It was the first instalment in the label’s 'Earcom' series, followed later that year by 'Earcom 2' and 'Earcom 3'. Rather than simply collecting previously released material, the record was used to introduce several newer and less established acts working around the emerging post-punk and DIY scenes. Contemporary advertising described it as a “Giant EP” featuring “24 minutes of mutant pop.”
The record opens with The Prats, the young Edinburgh group made up of Paul McLaughlin, David Maguire, Greg Maguire and Tom Robinson, who contribute three tracks: “Prats 2”, “Inverness” and “Bored”. Their primitive, deliberately awkward approach fitted perfectly with Fast Product’s interest in bands that could make something distinctive without conventional musical polish. The Prats had been influenced by groups such as The Slits and The Mekons, and their appearance on 'Earcom 1' was followed by a John Peel session in 1979.
The Blank Students appear twice with “Fun At The Fair” and “Background Music”. The group came from the same loose Scottish experimental/post-punk environment that Fast Product was documenting, and their contributions sit somewhere between punk minimalism, primitive new wave and deliberately eccentric performance. John Peel played “Background Music” on his BBC Radio 1 programme in May 1979, shortly after the compilation appeared.
Graph contribute “Drowning”, one of the more experimental pieces on the record. The group were associated with Sheffield and used electronics and treated conventional instruments in their performances. Contemporary coverage placed them alongside Cabaret Voltaire, noting their use of films and slides during live shows and describing “Drowning” as part of Fast Product’s 'Earcom 1' project.
The remaining tracks come from The Flowers, another Scottish group who contribute “Criminal Waste” and “After Dark”. John Peel picked up both the band and the compilation very quickly, playing “Criminal Waste” in May and June 1979 and “After Dark” in July. The final track, “(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures”, is credited to Simon Bloomfield and Tim Pearce, giving the record an additional experimental element beyond the four main groups.
Fast Product had been established in Edinburgh in December 1977 by Bob Last, Hilary Morrison and Tim Pearce. The label's first release was The Mekons' Never Been in a Riot' single in January 1978, and its catalogue quickly expanded to include 2.3, The Human League, Gang of Four, Scars and other artists who were helping shape the transition from punk into the more fractured sounds of post-punk.
Last and his associates approached the label as something broader than a conventional record company. Fast Product combined records with fanzines, unusual packaging, photography, graphics and deliberately unconventional promotional ideas. The label used terms such as “mutant pop” and “difficult fun” to describe its approach, while its releases reflected the DIY attitude that had developed around punk but pushed it towards electronics, experimental music, conceptual presentation and new forms of pop.
'Earcom 1' also fits into Fast Product's numbering system in an interesting way. FAST 8 had been the 1979 Scars single 'Adult/ery', while FAST 9A was 'Earcom 1', followed by FAST 9B for 'Earcom 2' and FAST 9C for 'Earcom 3'. The second volume featured Joy Division, Thursdays and Basczax, while the third came as a double 7-inch set.
The physical presentation of 'Earcom 1' was also part of the project. Original copies came with a four-page booklet and an embossed circular insert, while some editions were associated with an additional pink flexi-disc featuring material by Jo Callis. The combination of unusual packaging, new groups and deliberately limited presentation was very much in keeping with Fast Product's way of treating the record as an object rather than just a carrier for songs.
Label:
Fast Product – Fast 9a, Fast Product – F9Ax/1, Fast Product – F9AX/2
Series:
Earcom – 1
Format:
Vinyl, LP, 45 RPM, Compilation
Country:
UK
Released:
1979
Style:
Lo-Fi, Punk, New Wave, Minimal, Synth-pop, Experimental, Post-Punk
Tracklist:
A1 The Prats – Prats 2 2:02
A2 The Blank Students – Fun At The Fair 2:08
A3 Graph – Drowning 5:03
A4 The Blank Students – Background Music 2:03
B1 The Prats – Inverness 1:50
B2 The Prats – Bored 1:17
B3 The Flowers – Criminal Waste 3:47
B4 The Flowers – After Dark 3:45
B5 Simon Bloomfield / Tim Pearce – (My Baby Does) Good Sculptures 1:30
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