Fast Product was an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

established in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

by Bob Last, his partner, Hilary Morrison and Tim Pearce in December 1977. Its first release was the first single by the Mekons, on 20 January 1978. The label issued the first records by a number of early and influential

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

bands from

Northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...

, including the original

Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

and the Mekons. Fast Product also released the first singles by the Scottish punk bands Scars and The Flowers. The label also released compilations of various new bands called 'ear comics' or ''Earcom''. Many of the label's releases were also produced by Bob Last with Morrison producing photographs and visuals for the record sleeves. Fast Product's releases challenged

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

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 Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

political outlook. Often packaging records with a caustic yet subtle sideswipe at

consumerism Consumerism is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies. It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing quantities. In contemporary consumer society, the ...

(for example, the image of a wall of

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

s 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.

Lloyd Cole Lloyd Cole (born 31 January 1961) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was lead vocalist of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989 and subsequently worked solo. Early life Cole was born in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. He ...

also name-checked Fast Product in his song Women's Studies, from the 2013 album

Standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

. Later, the pair also established the Pop Aural label, releasing singles by such acts as The Flowers, Boots For Dancing and The Fire Engines. The label was profiled in depth in the 2015 documentary film Big Gold Dream. The story of Fast Product was extensively covered in the 2022 book Hungry Beat written by Douglas MacIntyre and Grant McPhee with Neil Cooper, published by White Rabbit Books Bob Last has joked that

Factory Records Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order (band), New Order, A Certain Ra ...

is "Fast 13" - the label's final release - saying "I just never told them they had a catalogue number."

Discography

The source for the information below is the website vinylnet.co.uk.

Singles

* FAST 1 The Mekons - "Never Been In A Riot" / "32 Weeks" / "Heart & Soul" 7-inch (1978) * FAST 2 2.3 - "Where To Now?" / "All Time Low" 7-inch (1978) * FAST 4

The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

- " Being Boiled" / "Circus Of Death" 7-inch (June 1978) * FAST 5

- "Damaged Goods" / "Love Like Anthrax" / "Armalite Rifle" 7-inch (December 1978) * FAST 7 The Mekons - "Where Were You?" / "I'll Have To Dance Then (On My Own)" 7-inch (November 1978) * FAST 8 Scars - "Adult/ery" / "Horrorshow" 7-inch (1979) * FAST 9a ''Earcom One'' ( The Prats, The Flowers, Blank Students, Graph, Simon Bloomfield and Tim Pearce) 12-inch * FAST 9b '' Earcom Two'' (

Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...

, Thursdays & Basczax) 12-inch * FAST 9c ''Earcom Three'' ( DAF, Noh Mercy,

Middle Class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

, Stupid Babies, From Chorley) double 7-inch (1979) * FAST 10

- " The Dignity of Labour" 12-inch (some with flexi-disc) (1979) * FAST 12

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

- " California über alles" / "Man with the Dogs" 7-inch

Albums

* FAST 11 ''The First Year Plan'' - Compilation of single releases, licensed to EMI, so also has catalogue number EMC 3312) * ''Mutant Pop'' - US reissue of early Fast Product and Pop Aural singles by the Mekons, the Gang of Four,

the Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

, The Flowers, 2.3 and Scars (PVC/JEM Records 1980)

Miscellaneous

* FAST 3 Fast Product The Quality Of Life No.1 (

zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...

issued March 1978) * FAST 6 Fast Product The Quality Of Life No.2 (

issued April 1979) * Virgin VS300 The Mekons - "Work All Week" / "Unknown Wrecks" 7-inch (1979) - FAST Logo on label, 'Produced for Fast Product' credit * Fast Product America FPA 002

Fire Engines A fire engine or fire truck (also spelled firetruck) is a vehicle, usually a specially designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to ...

- "Aufgeladen Und Bereit Fur Action Und Spass" LP (1981)

Pop:Aural Discography

The source for the information below is the website discogs.com

Singles

* POP001 The Flowers - "Confessions" / "(Life) After Dark" 7-inch (1979) * POP002 Boots For Dancing - "Boots For Dancing" 12-inch (1980) * POP003 The Flowers - "Ballad Of Miss Demeanour" 7-inch (1980) * POP004 Drinking Electricity - "Shaking All Over" / "China" 7-inch (1980) * POP005 Drinking Electricity - "Shake Some Action" 7-inch (1980) * POP006 Boots For Dancing - "The Rain Song" / "Hesitate" 7-inch (1980) * POP007 Restricted Code - "First Night On" / "From The Top" 7-inch (1980) * POP008 Drinking Electricity - "Cruising Missiles" / "Shaking All Over (dub) 7-inch (1980) * POP009 Restricted Code - "Love To Meet You" 7-inch (1980) * POP010 Fire Engines - "CandySkin" / "Meat Whiplash" 7-inch (1981) * POP011 Marching Girls - "1" 7-inch (1981) * POP012 Jo Callis / S.H.A.K.E. Project- "Woah Yeah!" 7-inch EP (1981) * POP013 Fire Engines - "Big Gold Dream" 7-inch (1981)

Albums (on the Accessory label)

* ACC001 Fire Engines - "Lubricate Your Livingroom" LP (1981) * ACC002 Frank Hannaway and Michael Barclay - "At Home" Mini LP (1981)

Discography

Singles

Albums

Miscellaneous

Pop:Aural Discography

Singles

Albums (on the Accessory label)

References

See also