All The Cats/ Carole Jenner/ Neon Barbs/ Radio Cairo - The Stand

Edinburgh label's eighties showcase compilation

Label: Logical Step

Year of Release: 1984

"Can a group of devoted penniless people succeed in their painful struggle to gain attention, recognition and success?

Well, if there is to be a new-wave of enthusiasm to overcome the nonsense it begins with you, and movements like ourselves progressing together within the realms of trust and respect for the creation of music.

Logical Step is endeavouring to provide an opportunity for talent to flourish in an atmosphere of co-operation and consent and you are the stand."

Oh man, I love a mystery. Logical Step were an Edinburgh based label who volleyed three records out into a savagely competitive marketplace in the early eighties, namely the Neon Barbs single "Break Your Chains" in 1981, and two records by Synthetic Dreams, "Obsession" (1981) and "Sulphate Suicide" (1982). As back catalogues go, this is slender pickings and hardly justification for a label sampler. Just as well that "The Stand" wasn't really a sampler in the traditional sense, then, and seems to have been a way of attempting to get fresh work from as many new artists on to record store shelves as possible. We've all heard of cash-strapped indie bands shoving out split seven inch singles together; this LP appears to be the work of four performers splitting two sides of 12" vinyl, presumably in the hope they could make a bigger splash for less outlay than four singles. 

That didn't happen, of course, and the trail they've all left behind is actually borderline non-existent. Neon Barbs are probably the best known artists here, as their "Break Your Chains" single has gone on to attract a fringe cult following among those who are fascinated by eighties esoterica. The rest? There's nothing out there. All The Cats, Carole Jenner and Radio Cairo arrived with this release, then subsequently disappeared again.

Fascinatingly, the record seems to evidence some kind of micro-scene up in Edinburgh, filled with antiseptic synthetic washes, anguished vocals and sulky moods taking priority over sharp hooks. The opening track from All The Cats, "Landsend", is yet another example of how much the mid-eighties were filled with minor groups for whom Talk Talk and Japan were bigger inspirations than Orange Juice or Human League. The track sails its way through misty atmospheres instead of hitting the listener with big choruses, grooves or mission statements. For all its subtlety, it's surprisingly memorable and haunting. 

Radio Cairo manage to sound exactly like you'd expect a band called Radio Cairo to; their sound is faintly exotic with a subtle ambient undertow, and features inevitable sax solos.

The "stars" of the show Neon Barbs, meanwhile, are perhaps expectedly the most dated sounding act here, still leaning on a distinctly New Wave jitteriness but producing solid and chilly noises nonetheless. 

Only Carole Jenner can really be described as "pop", contributing tracks which are every inch positive and aspirational but perhaps lack enough ambition in the arrangements to really be 1984 mainstream contenders. 

Of course, all this chin-stroking and contemplation brings us no closer to understanding who these people are, so if anyone knows, please do drop me a comment. The Neon Barbs, we know, consisted of Andy McKean, David Singg, Donald Stirling, Jimmy Hannah and Phil Cowan, but the rest? I have nothing on them. As this proved to be Logical Step's last release, however, I hope everyone involved found other bands, outlets and dreams to hang their lives on.

Previews of "Landsend" and "My Special Friend" can be found below - the rest of the LP can be downloaded by clicking this link.

Track Listing:

1. All The Cats: "Landsend"

2. Neon Barbs: "My Special Friend"

3. Carole Jenner: "Europe"

4. Radio Cairo: "Over The Top"

5. All The Cats: "She's A Cat"

6. Neon Barbs: "Rapped In Amber"

7. Radio Cairo: "Oh Kay"

8. Carole Jenner: "Body and Soul"