Shop Assistants were a Scottish indie pop band from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed in 1984, initially as 'Buba & The Shop Assistants'.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 502 After achieving success with independent releases they signed to

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...

sublabel Blue Guitar, releasing their only album in 1986. After splitting in 1987, with singer Alex Taylor moving on to

The Motorcycle Boy The Motorcycle Boy were a Scottish indie pop band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1987 by former members of Meat Whiplash and The Shop Assistants. History The band consisted of Alex Taylor (vocals, formerly of The Shop Assistants), with Paul McD ...

, they reformed for two further singles in 1990.

History

The band began as Buba & The Shop Assistants, consisting of lead vocalist Aggi (Annabel Wright, later of The Pastels), guitarist David Keegan, bassist John Peutherer, and drummer Moray Crawford. This line-up released one single, the now highly collectible "Something to Do" on Villa21 Records, which was produced by

Stephen Pastel The Pastels are an indie rock group from Glasgow formed in 1981. They were a key act of the Scottish and British independent music scenes of the 1980s, and are specifically credited for the development of an independent and confident music scen ...

. Pastel also contributed backing vocals. Peutherer and Crawford were credited on the sleeve as "Murray-John." Aggi left to be replaced by Karen Parker, who was later joined by second vocalist Alex Taylor. After some live performances, Parker, Peutherer, and Crawford departed and were replaced by Sarah Kneale (bass), Laura MacPhail (drums) and Ann Donald (drums). The band's name was shortened to Shop Assistants, and the first release under their new name was the ''Shopping Parade'' EP in 1985 on The Subway Organization. The lead track, "All Day Long" was described by

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

as his favourite single of that year. Donald left in late 1985, and was briefly replaced on drums by Joan Bride. ''Shopping Parade'' was followed in early 1986 with "

Safety Net A safety net is a net to protect people from injury after falling from heights by limiting the distance they fall, and deflecting to dissipate the impact energy. The term also refers to devices for arresting falling or flying objects for the ...

", the first release on Keegan's 53rd & 3rd Records, which peaked at number two in the UK Independent Chart,Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 204 and the band recorded a national radio session with Janice Long and a second

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

session, both of BBC's Radio One.Garner, Ken (1993) ''In Session Tonight'', BBC Books, , p. 292 The exposure they gained from the sessions enabled the group to have two songs to be voted into John Peel's Festive Fifty in both 1985 and 1986.The Shop Assistants
, ''Keeping It Peel'', BBC, retrieved 2011-07-23 In 1986, The Shop Assistants were featured on the '' NME''s compilation '' C86'' with one of their slower songs, "It's Up To You", taken from ''Shopping Parade'' EP. Also in that year, they signed to

's sublabel Blue Guitar for another single, "I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You", as well as their only album, '' Shop Assistants''. That single reached number 77 in the UK Singles Chart, while the LP spent one week at number 100 in the UK Albums Chart. The album was re-released on CD in 2001, and is now out of print. The Shop Assistants split early in 1987, when Taylor left the group to join

. After a two-year hiatus, the band reformed without Taylor, and with Kneale on vocals, MacPhail on bass, and the addition of Margarita Vasquez-Ponte of Jesse Garon And The Desperadoes on drums. With the new line-up, they recorded new material in late October 1989 at Chamber Studios in Edinburgh; releasing the singles "Here It Comes" in 1989 and "Big 'E' Power" in 1990 on Avalanche Records. They also recorded a cover of The Rolling Stones' 1978 song "

Respectable Respectable may refer to: *Having significant social status * "Respectable" (Rolling Stones song), 1978 single * "Respectable" (Mel and Kim song), 1987 single *"Respectable", a 1960 single by The Isley Brothers, a 1965 album cover by the Yard ...

" for the tribute album ''Stoned Again - A Tribute to The Rolling Stones'' on Imaginary Records. They split up again shortly afterwards, with Keegan joining The Pastels. It was revealed in 2020 that Alex Taylor had died in 2005.

Discography

Albums

*'' Shop Assistants'' (November 1986, Blue Guitar Records) UK No. 100

Singles

*"Something to Do" (November 1984, Villa) - as ''Buba & The Shop Assistants'' *''Shopping Parade'' EP: "All Day Long"; "Switzerland"; "All That Ever Mattered"; "It's Up to You" (August 1985, Subway) *"

" (February 1986, 53rd & 3rd) *"I Don't Wanna Be Friends With You" (September 1986, Blue Guitar) UK No. 77 *"Here It Comes" (January 1990, Avalanche Recordst) *"Big 'E' Power" (May 1990, Avalanche Records)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shop Assistants Scottish indie rock groups Musical groups from Edinburgh British indie pop groups