Falling A Records was a very important Essex, England based Independent record label formed in the late 1970`s, and heavily involved with the D.I.Y cassette movement of the early 1980s. It owned a shop in Clacton-on-Sea which sold new and second hand records, distributed fanzines such as New Crimes, Vague, Vox, Flipside, Juniper beri-beri, Blam!, and D.I.Y magazines/comics including the very first copies of Viz Comics from England. It also distributed leaflets for various causes such as "anti-apartheid" and "anti-vivisection", music and politics being very much interlinked at the time. This article is about the county of Essex in England. ... The concept of an independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of one of the major record labels, which are generally defined to be the handful of media corporations which have recently dominated the recorded music industry in the West. ... Cassette culture was an offshoot of the mail art movement of the 1970s and 1980s. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 60s and 70s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Town - Clacton-on-Sea Location - Essex, England Founded - 1871 Population (1991) - 45,065 Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring Peninsula, in Essex, England. ... A fanzine (see also: zine) is an nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular subject for the pleasure of others who share their interest. ... Flipside was a punk rock fanzine published in Los Angeles, California from 1977 - 2001. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Viz is a popular British adult spoof comic magazine. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... Anaesthetised rat in a stereotaxic restraining device about to undergo brain surgery. ...

It had a roster of several bands on its own label, such as the insane picnic (sic) and Spasmodic Caress, as well as cassettes and some vinyl it distributed for other D.I.Y cassette labels including Cause for Concern, Subway, Adventures in Reality, Music for Midgets, Third Mind and Colortapes. Many notable bands were distributed by Falling A, including The Cleaners from Venus featuring Martin Newell, the Modern Art, Attrition, The Pastels, The Membranes and the legendary Wavis O'Shave also known as Foffo Spearjig. Some exclusive material was recorded for Falling A by The Cleaners from Venus and Foffo Spearjig amongst others. In the early 1980s, English band the insane picnic (always printed in lower case) were one of the pioneering D.I.Y. cassette bands. ... Spasmodic Caress were an English post punk / new wave band that played many gigs along the East coast and in Ipswich, Colchester and London between 1979 and 1984. ... Cause for Concern was an important DIY cassette label of the 1980s. ... Martin Newell (born 1953), also known as the Wild Man of Wivenhoe, is an English rock and roll musician, poet and author. ... There are two semi-famous people named Martin Newell. ... The Modern Art (sometimes spelled Mødern Art) was a psychedelic rock band formed by Gary Ramon in the 1980s. ... The Pastels are a band from Scotland, UK, who have been playing since early 1980. ... Wavis OShave is an eccentric English musician and comedian who has released several cult classics including the album Anna Ford`s Bum. ...

In 1985 the cassette culture was threatening the fabric of the established music industry and Falling A`s profile was such that it received the largest write up in the annual Music Week directory of UK Record labels. Even more words than EMI. Cassette culture was in part an offshoot of the mail art movement of the 1970s and1980s, and in both the United States and the United Kingdom it owed a lot to the DIY ethic of punk. ...

The label is still in existence today (2004). It is currently reissuing back catalogue on CD whilst releasing new music and creating a vast archival resource from all the memorabilia, ephemera and past product in its vaults.

See also

• List of record labels
• List of independent record labels
• Cassette culture
• Six Armed Man

The following is a partial list of record labels, both past and present. ... This is a list of record labels that are independent from the Big four record labels and typically specialize in different forms of indie rock, punk rock, and styles of alternative rock, electronica and hip-hop. ... Cassette culture was in part an offshoot of the mail art movement of the 1970s and1980s, and in both the United States and the United Kingdom it owed a lot to the DIY ethic of punk. ... Six Armed Man is an experimental music record label that was launched by Falling A records to allow the release of music not bound by conventions or restrictions. ...

External link

• Official site