The BMX Bandits’ first two LPs are sparkling collections of ramshackle three-chord guitar pop, performed with some of the naïve minimalism of Jonathan Richman. Formed in Bellshill in 1985, sometime members would find greater success with fuzz (Norman Blake in Teenage Fanclub; Eugene Kelly in Captain America/Eugenius) and baggy beats (Sean Dickson in Soup Dragons). But chief Bandit Duglas Stewart refused to play the game, and both the 1989 debut and its 1991 follow-up, brought together for the first time on this single disc, were completely out of step with prevailing indie tastes.
C86’s title was not a statement of intent, but an act of defiance; despite failing to make the cut for the NME’s famous mix tape, the Bandits were constantly written off as mere “C86 music”. It was recorded back-to-back with Teenage Fanclub’s A Catholic Education, in the same studio, sharing personnel and equipment. Indeed, opener Right Across The Street, was originally intended for the Fannies, and the two best tracks, Top Shop Girl and Disco Girl, were co-written with Norman Blake.
Star Wars’ 60s harmonies and jangling guitars are more polished. while it lacks some of the charm of C86, the title track, Life Goes On, The Sailor’s Song 2, Norman Blake’s Retitled, and the toe-tapping cover of Do You Really Love Me? (aka Daniel Johnston’s Tell Me Now), sound as fresh as ever.
