Various Artists - [FAST Product] Rigour Discipline And Disgust

Fast Product: Rigour Discipline and Disgust is the crowning, historical anthology that completely preserves the structural legacy of Bob Last and Hilary Morrison's legendary Edinburgh imprint. Released by EMI in 1993, this expanded compact disc release breathes digital life into the foundational "Mutant Pop" framework that dictated the terms of British post-punk between 1978 and 1981. Rather than celebrating standard rock-and-roll clichés, the album's unyielding title explicitly references Fast Product's rigid, conceptual, and anti-commercial corporate design philosophy—a system that treated musical subversion with the cold seriousness of an industrial manufacturing line.

Historically, this CD edition functions as an absolute masterclass in alternative curation, binding together the crucial early recordings of bands that altered the global musical trajectory. By collecting the scratchy Marxism of Gang of Four, the embryonic synth isolation of The Human League, and the brilliant amateurism of The Mekons, the compilation lays out the exact blueprint of a fracturing counterculture. The critical upgrade of the 1993 edition rests on its final three tracks, which integrate the manic, hyper-kinetic post-punk singles of Edinburgh’s Fire Engines. This vital addition brings Fast Product's timeline to a natural conclusion, showcasing the direct evolution from basic lo-fi cynicism to danceable, razor-sharp indie pop.

Various Artists - [FAST Product] Earcom#3 2x7''

Earcom 3 stands as a monumentally daring, final entry in Fast Product’s legendary compilation series, functioning as an expansive, geopolitical snapshot of underground counterculture at the turn of the decade. Released at the tail-end of 1979, the double-EP layout abandoned the insular, cold-wave British parameters of Earcom 2 to construct a panoramic overview of global dissonance. Rather than presenting a clean, cohesive sonic narrative, label founder Bob Last curated a intentionally erratic, challenging package that sat at the intersection of proto-hardcore, early Electronic Body Music (EBM), and primal, unfiltered amateur punk rock.

The true historical significance of this specific release rests on its radical curation, introducing British ears to international movements that would completely alter alternative music throughout the 1980s. By licensing the blazing, fast-tempo tracks of California icons The Middle Class alongside the abrasive, electronic machinery of West Germany's D.A.F., the compilation explicitly tracked the exact moments punk was splitting into both extreme speed and pure synthesisers. Combined with hyper-obscure underground cuts from the US and UK, Earcom 3 serves as a fiercely independent, timeless blueprint for international subcultural networking.

Various Artists - [FAST Product] Earcom#2

Earcom 2: Contradiction stands as an essential, high-water mark archival document from the golden age of independent British post-punk. Released in the autumn of 1979 under Bob Last's uncompromising Fast Product imprint, the compilation functions as a deliberate creative bridge connecting three isolated underground industrial centers: Manchester, Edinburgh, and Teesside. Rather than chasing the commercial, chart-friendly sounds dominating mainstream radio, the EP intentionally grouped unsigned, avant-garde collectives who were actively dismantling traditional rock tropes and replacing them with themes of urban alienation, technological anxiety, and stark sonic minimalism.

The towering historical significance of this specific release rests entirely on the inclusion of Manchester legends Joy Division. Earcom 2 provided the very first public home for "Auto-suggestion" and "From Safety to Where...?", two monumental, brooding tracks recorded alongside visionary producer Martin Hannett. While these tracks were later canonised globally on the band's posthumous 1988 singles collection, Substance, their inclusion here originally served as a vital testament to Fast Product's unmatched ear for generation-defining underground talent. By pairing this rising force alongside regional acts like Thursdays and Basczax, the record successfully captured a grim, beautifully compromised snapshot of pre-Thatcherite British counterculture.

Various Artists - [FAST Product] Earcom#1

Earcom 1 is a monumentally important archival artifact that captures the frantic, localized fragmentation of British independent music immediately following the first wave of punk. Released in 1979 under Bob Last's visionary Fast Product imprint, the record serves as the opening salvo for a series designed to bypass traditional music industry gatekeepers. Rather than curating commercial pop structures or polished studio creations, the compilation celebrates a stark, DIY ethos. It captures teenage energy and art-school detachment, blending them into a subversively packaged product that treated the artists and songs as interchangeable elements of a larger, manufactured art statement.

The historical significance of this specific release lies in its snapshot of the late-70s Scottish and Northern English underground scenes. By capturing early, raw recordings from Edinburgh post-punk outfits like The Flowers, the adolescent punk fury of The Prats, and the abstract, electronic performance art of Graph and The Blank Students, Earcom 1 became a foundational blueprint for lo-fi indie labels. Long out of print in its original standalone physical format, the record remains an essential time capsule, documenting the exact moment where the anti-establishment aggression of punk evolved into the highly intellectual, minimalist experiments of early post-punk.

Various Artists - [FAST Product] Mutant Pop '78-'79

Fast Product: Mutant Pop 78–79 is a monumentally influential archival compilation that chronicles the radical fragmentation of rock music following the initial 1977 punk explosion. Released as an LP in 1980, the record acts as the definitive historical anthology for Bob Last’s short-lived but fiercely visionary independent label, Fast Product, based out of Edinburgh, Scotland. Rather than chasing the standard guitar-driven formulas of first-wave punk, the compilation tracks a loose collective of art-school subversives and synth enthusiasts across northern Britain who were actively dismantling pop music and rebuilding it with a cynical, highly intellectual edge.

The historical weight of this specific release rests on its track list, which boasts the literal first official studio recordings of artists who would redefine alternative music across the globe. By packaging the early, independent output of Leeds Marxist-funk outfits like Gang of Four, Sheffield electronic pioneers The Human League, and local Scottish punk poets like Scars on a single piece of vinyl, the album became a blueprint for the nascent post-punk genre. Serving as a critical bridge to North American markets via PVC Records, Mutant Pop successfully contextualized a scattered underground movement into a coherent, revolutionary musical philosophy.

Various Artists - [FAST Product]

Fast Product was a seminal independent record label founded in Edinburgh in late 1977 by Bob Last and Hilary Morrison, serving as a vital catalyst for the UK post-punk movement. Defined by a "difficult fun" manifesto and a DIY, left-field political ethos, the label is famously responsible for launching the careers of influential acts like Gang of Four, The Human League, and The Mekons. Its output challenged mainstream music conventions through inventive marketing—such as its "Earcom" compilation series and "Mutant Pop" branding—and distinctive visual design, often blending highbrow theory with populist instincts. Although the label only operated until 1979 before being succeeded by Pop Aural, its experimental approach and willingness to bypass major-label distribution provided a blueprint for later legendary indies like Factory Records and Rough Trade.

Earcom #2: Contradiction

Not long now until Christmas is upon us with all the present giving and receiving, so in keeping with the spirit of  the season I'm going to carry on regardless of weather conditions, alcohol consumption and festive eating by getting back to basic posting. Below is the last in the series of compilations (did I hear a sigh?) for this year with a view to returning to them later in 2019. The volume of views to the posts shows that there is indeed an interest in all of them (some more than others) from you all.
Thanks to you all for your support this year, now lets us see what December has in store for us.

This is the second 12” [Fast Product] Earcom compilation of up and coming "bigger than the sum of its parts" exploration into twitchy pop music, even though we are talking about some pretty tasty adventures here. The Thursdays (whose recorded output seems to solely consist of the two songs contributed here) opener “Perfection” took me straight to the Big Boys (something better than good in my book), while their take on Otis Redding's 1968 posthumous "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" hit is a good curve ball to throw in there, specially without the whistling part and the slowed down dynamics. The songs were recorded onto 8 track and mixed at Barclay Towers in Edinburgh, June 1979. Basczax ("bass+sax”), is probably the most enjoyable stuff on here, "Karleearn Photography" (what's with the spelling?) being the perfect crown jewel it is, if synths and jerky, rhythmic formation flying are your thing. These songs were recorded onto 16 track at Cargo in Rochdale. Joy Division are certainly beyond introductions, so let's just say that these two tracks were part of the Martin Hannett produced Unknown Pleasures sessions undertaken at Strawberry Studios in Stockport. They ended up being officially released on Substance and the Heart and Soul box set.

A (more micro than macro) optimus prime historic piece of a snapshot.

Earcom #1

When releasing this (12" EP) first issue of the Earcom compilations, Bob Last might seem to have thought that giving an opportunity to fresh happening talent, in fact at times so fresh, that some of these young padawans would not venture far beyond this very point.

Now I wouldn’t want to suggest that you skip the Prats offerings because I find them completely awful, even giving them the benefit of the doubt because they were still at High School when they committed themselves to recording directly onto a portable cassette tape, learning to play their instruments as they pressed the REC button. Horrible! However, both of the (I wouldn't be seen dead with them!) Blank Students (from Preston Lancs) contributions are awesome. "Background Music" is on the more Wire side of things, which as a reference point/influence is not bad at all for 1979. Graph delivers a screechy mid-tempo dirge, with some nasty "Fear of Drowning" vocal barks thrown in at the end. Drowning could be a touch too long, but overall still an interesting listen. We have already been introduced to future Pop Aural artists The Flowers who managed to get both tracks from their Confessions / After Dark 7" single on the Mutant Pop 78/79 comp (featured last month) as well.

Oh, and finally there's The Guest Item version of "(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures" (that would be track B5), credited to Simon Bloomfield/Tim Pearce and written by Jo Callis of The Rezillos. Again, not really worth waiting for, but mildly interesting if you’re a fan of hammering nails into your eyes. Definitely worth a download as five outta the nine tracks are enjoyable enough.

[Fast Product] Earcom #3

Established in Edinburgh by Bob Last and his partner, Hilary Morrison, in December 1977 the label issued the first records by a number of early and influential post-punk bands from Northern England, including the original Human League, the Gang of Four and the Mekons. Fast Product also released the first singles by the Scottish punk bands Scars and The Flowers. Compilations of various new bands called 'ear comics' or Earcom releases were also produced by Bob Last with Morrison producing photographs and visuals for the record sleeves. Fast Product's releases challenged pop music conventions (hence the label's early monikers: "difficult fun" and "mutant pop"), and through its releases and marketing invoked a DIY punk spirit and generally socialist political outlook. Often packaging records with a caustic yet subtle sideswipe at consumerism (for example, the image of a wall of gold discs on the cover of the Mekons' second single), Fast Product attempted to show that all aspects of the record business, from musicianship to design to distribution, could be taken out of the hands of the major labels.

Mutant Pop 78-79

Designed for the American market, this 1980 release, Fast Product sampler album has become legendary. No Filler, All Killer is rare in a single label comp, but I’m pretty confident that this album manages to buck that trend and in some style. Fast Product was the first born child of Bob Last who’s two record labels (Pop:Aural being the other) released some of the most amazing post punk singles of the era. The three instant classic singles presented here are from Human League, Gang Of Four and the Mekons, although my personal favourites are the two offerings from Edinburgh’s Scars, Adultery and Horror Show.