Rough Trade Records: Discografía Completa

Rough Trade Records is an independent record label, based in London, England. It was started in 1978 by Geoff Travis.
Geoff Travis was traveling in North America and amassed a huge record collection as he moved from coast to coast.[1] He then shipped these records back to the UK which became the basis of the Rough Trade Shop. The label grew out of the Rough Trade Shop, founded by Travis in West London in 1976. The Label was set up in 1978 and also went into the distribution business. Distributing amongst others "Joey Parratt's" first band The Flying Brix. It became independent from the shop in 1982, then went bankrupt in 1991, ruining quite a few smaller record labels to which money was owed. Rough Trade was relaunched in 2000.
Rough Trade specialised primarily in European post-punk and other alternative rock of the late 1970s and early 1980s. In the late 1980s Rough Trade branched out by issuing an eponymous album by Lucinda Williams. Other early signings included Agitpop, The Raincoats, Young Marble Giants, The Smiths and Scritti Politti (the latter re-signed to the label in the mid 2000s). Geoff Travis later launched Blanco y Negro Records in partnership with Warner Bros. Records.
Rough Trade was an independently owned entity — a partnership between Mr. Travis, Jeanette Lee, (a former member of PiL), and minority partners, Sanctuary Records, as a part of the Zomba Music Group until June 11, 2002 when BMG bought out this business. In July 2007 Sanctuary Records then sold Rough Trade to the Beggars Group making Rough Trade independent once again [2]
Since its re-birth, Rough Trade has released albums by high-charting artists such as The Strokes, The Libertines, Babyshambles, and Belle & Sebastian. A 192-page illustrated history of Rough Trade, written by Rob Young of The Wire, was published in September 2006 by the UK-based company Black Dog Publishing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rough_Trade_Records


RT001:

Metal Urbain: "Paris Maquis"/"Clé de Contact" (Single 7") - Publicado en 1978.

Métal Urbain was one of the first French punk groups. And "Paris Maquis" was Rough Trade's first release.
They were heavily influenced by The Clash and The Sex Pistols on one hand, and on the other by an electro approach related to "Metal Machine Music" by Lou Reed. They relied on heavily distorted guitars and replaced the traditional rock rhythm section of bass guitar/drums with a synthesizer and drum machine, a then-unique approach.
They were also known for their radical image (the color scheme of albums always being a stark black, white and red), and subversive lyrics sung in French.
They were met with much enthusiasm in England, particularly by John Peel and the Rough Trade label. They had an enthusiastic but small audience in France, receiving little exposure. The punk rock scene was not as popular in France as it was in England, and they did not interest the French media as English bands like the Sex Pistols did. As a result, the band broke up by 1979, though members scattered to form such groups as Metal Boys, Doctor Mix and the Remix, and Desperados, as well as joining Ashpalt Jungle.
Métal Urbain had focused their efforts on singles, and only produced one album, Les hommes morts sont dangereux, during their first period of activity . However, several compilation records were released, gathering their singles with additional material such as BBC sessions and live recordings. Their electro approach was very innovative for its time, and the group are a reference point for such groups as The Jesus and Mary Chain, Bérurier Noir, and the producer Steve Albini.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9tal_Urbain