The Shop Assistants
Encyclopedia
Shop Assistants were an indie pop
band from Edinburgh
, Scotland
, formed in 1984, initially as Buba & The Shop Assistants. After achieving success with independent releases they signed to Chrysalis Records
sublabel Blue Guitar, releasing their only album in 1986. After splitting in 1987, with singer Alex Taylor moving on to The Motorcycle Boy
, they reformed for two further singles in 1990.
), on vocals, David Keegan (guitar), Sarah Kneale (bass), Laura MacPhail (drums) and Ann Donald (drums). This line-up released one single, the now highly-collectible "Something to Do" which was produced by Stephen Pastel
. Stephen Pastel also contributed backing vocals.
Aggi left to be replaced by Alex Taylor. Soon after, the name shortened to simply 'Shop Assistants' and the first release under their new name was the Shopping Parade EP
in 1985 on The Subway Organization
, the lead track from which, "All Day Long
" was described by Morrissey
as his favourite single of that year. Ann Donald left round about November 1985 and was briefly replaced by Joan Bride (possibly a pseudonym!). Shopping Parade was followed in early 1986 with "Safety Net
", the first release on Keegan's 53rd & 3rd Records, which peaked at number two in the UK Independent Chart, and the band recorded a national radio session with Janice Long
and a second John Peel
session, both of BBC
's Radio One
. The exposure they gained from the sessions enabled the group to have two songs to be voted into John Peel's Festive Fifty
in both 1985 and 1986.
In 1986, they were featured on the NME
s compilation C86
with one of their slower songs, "It's Up To You", taken from Shopping Parade EP. Also in that year, they signed to Chrysalis Records
's sublabel Blue Guitar
for another single, "I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You" as well as their first and only LP album, The Shop Assistants. This spent one week at number 100 in the UK album charts, which gives the band the distinction of being the (joint) least successful act ever to hit the national charts. The album was re-released on CD in 2001, although it is now very hard to find.
The band split early in 1987, when Taylor left the group to join The Motorcycle Boy
. After a two-year hiatus, the band reformed without Taylor in 1989 with Kneale on vocals and MacPhail on bass and the addition of Margarita Vasquez-Ponte of Jesse Garon And The Desperadoes
on drums. With the new lineup they released "Here It Comes" and "Big 'E' Power" in 1990 before splitting again, Keegan joining The Pastels
.
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, formed in 1984, initially as Buba & The Shop Assistants. After achieving success with independent releases they signed to Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
sublabel Blue Guitar, releasing their only album in 1986. After splitting in 1987, with singer Alex Taylor moving on to The Motorcycle Boy
The Motorcycle Boy
The Motorcycle Boy were an indie pop band formed in East Kilbride, Scotland, in 1987 by former members of Meat Whiplash and The Shop Assistants....
, they reformed for two further singles in 1990.
History
The original line-up was Aggi (Annabel Wright, later of The PastelsThe Pastels
The Pastels are a group from Glasgow, Scotland, UK.Their early records for labels like Whaam!, Creation, Rough Trade, and Glass Records, had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time...
), on vocals, David Keegan (guitar), Sarah Kneale (bass), Laura MacPhail (drums) and Ann Donald (drums). This line-up released one single, the now highly-collectible "Something to Do" which was produced by Stephen Pastel
The Pastels
The Pastels are a group from Glasgow, Scotland, UK.Their early records for labels like Whaam!, Creation, Rough Trade, and Glass Records, had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time...
. Stephen Pastel also contributed backing vocals.
Aggi left to be replaced by Alex Taylor. Soon after, the name shortened to simply 'Shop Assistants' and the first release under their new name was the Shopping Parade EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 1985 on The Subway Organization
The Subway Organization
The Subway Organization was an independent music label founded in 1985 in Bristol, by Martin Whitehead.-Indie Pop and C86:The label was associated with the Indie Pop movement and the seminal NME cassette tape C86, that included the track It's Up To You by the Shop Assistants, from the label's first...
, the lead track from which, "All Day Long
All Day Long
All Day Long is a jazz album by guitarist Kenny Burrell. It was released in 1957 under Prestige label as PRLP 7081. It's characterized by fast pieces and also was one of the first albums in which Burrell was presented as a leader. All the pieces were composed by the members of the band...
" was described by Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
as his favourite single of that year. Ann Donald left round about November 1985 and was briefly replaced by Joan Bride (possibly a pseudonym!). Shopping Parade was followed in early 1986 with "Safety Net
Safety Net
"Safety Net" is a song by The Shop Assistants which was recorded in 1985 and released as a single in 1986.-Recordings:The song was first recorded for the band's first session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show on 8 October 1985...
", the first release on Keegan's 53rd & 3rd Records, which peaked at number two in the UK Independent Chart, and the band recorded a national radio session with Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
and a second John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
session, both of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Radio One
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. The exposure they gained from the sessions enabled the group to have two songs to be voted into John Peel's Festive Fifty
Festive Fifty
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's fifty best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show...
in both 1985 and 1986.
In 1986, they were featured on the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
s compilation C86
C86 (music)
C86 is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine NME in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from independent labels of the time. As a phrase, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based musical genre characterised by "jangly" guitars and fey melodies, although other...
with one of their slower songs, "It's Up To You", taken from Shopping Parade EP. Also in that year, they signed to Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
's sublabel Blue Guitar
Blue Guitar
"Blue Guitar" is the name of a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. In 1963, Richard Chamberlain released it as the lead single from his album Twilight of Honor...
for another single, "I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You" as well as their first and only LP album, The Shop Assistants. This spent one week at number 100 in the UK album charts, which gives the band the distinction of being the (joint) least successful act ever to hit the national charts. The album was re-released on CD in 2001, although it is now very hard to find.
The band split early in 1987, when Taylor left the group to join The Motorcycle Boy
The Motorcycle Boy
The Motorcycle Boy were an indie pop band formed in East Kilbride, Scotland, in 1987 by former members of Meat Whiplash and The Shop Assistants....
. After a two-year hiatus, the band reformed without Taylor in 1989 with Kneale on vocals and MacPhail on bass and the addition of Margarita Vasquez-Ponte of Jesse Garon And The Desperadoes
Jesse Garon And The Desperadoes
Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes were a Scottish band formed from around, and within, the Edinburgh indie-pop scene of the mid-1980s. The band had a distinctive guitar-jangle sound with male and female vocals...
on drums. With the new lineup they released "Here It Comes" and "Big 'E' Power" in 1990 before splitting again, Keegan joining The Pastels
The Pastels
The Pastels are a group from Glasgow, Scotland, UK.Their early records for labels like Whaam!, Creation, Rough Trade, and Glass Records, had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time...
.
Albums
- Shop Assistants aka Will Anything Happen (Nov 1986, Blue Guitar, AZLP2 [LP]/ZAZLP2 [C]), #100 LP chart - reissued on CD, 2001.
Singles
- "Something to Do" (Nov 1984, Villa 21, 002 [7"]) - as Buba & The Shop Assistants
- Shopping Parade EP: "All Day Long"; "Switzerland"; "All that ever mattered"; "It's up to you" (Aug 1985, Subway, SUBWAY1 [7"])
- "Safety NetSafety Net"Safety Net" is a song by The Shop Assistants which was recorded in 1985 and released as a single in 1986.-Recordings:The song was first recorded for the band's first session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show on 8 October 1985...
" (Feb 1986, 53rd & 3rd, AGAAR1 [7"]/AGAAR112 [12"]) - "I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You" (Sep 1986, Blue Guitar, AZUR2 [7"]/AZURX2 [12"])
- "Here It Comes" (Jan 1990, Avalanche, AGAP001 7" / AGAP001B [7" + flexi + postcard + badge] box set)
- "Big 'E' Power" (May 1990, Avalanche, AGAP003 [7"]/AGAP003MC [c-s]/AGAP003T [12"]/AGAP003CD [CDS])