The Rubens Room: El Records – In Camera

Of all the independent record labels of the 1980s, |l was the most singular and exciting. |l only existed for a few short years and yet paradoxically – given its modest commercial success – was hugely influential. For writer Jonathan Coe, one of the label’s many devotees, |l was ‘Britain’s great musical secret’. This ‘best of’ compilation LP, curated by label supremo Mike Alway himself, will remind the world of the greatness of |l. The secret is out- |l was created in 1984 by Alway, a mercurial A&R man for Cherry Red signing outstanding artists like Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set and Felt. Alway briefly co-ran Blanco Y Negro (an offshoot of WEA) but was soon constrained by the conservatism of the commercial music sector and left to set up his own label. |l was once described as ‘the most innately English record label there has ever been’ and yet the look and the sound of the label achieved global reach. Alway’s ‘hands-on’ approach was to take complete control of the philosophy of the label’s releases and even the titles of songs in the manner of pop impresarios of the past. Alway became a curator, selecting, shaping, and overseeing the records issued on |l. Great musicians such as Simon Turner (AKA The King of Luxembourg), Dean ‘Speedball’ Brodrick, and producer Richard Preston completed the picture. |l had a unique musical flavor, eschewing rock music for 1960s bubblegum, chamber pop, European chanson, Latin rhythms, and film scores. The label was decidedly un-macho and key artists such as Would Be Goods, Anthony Adverse, and Bad Dream Fancy Dress examined the modern world through the female gaze. The fantastic visual style of the label, adopting the aesthetics of high fashion, art photography, and pop graphics was created by Alway with photographers Nick Wesolowski and Pete Moss and designer Jim Phelan. |l was critically acclaimed in the UK and popular in America and mainland Europe. The Rubens Room accompanies the book Bright Young Things by Mark Goodall (Ventil), the first publication to tell the fascinating story of the music found on The Rubens Room. With The Rubens Room, we can all share that joy. Tracklisting Side A Louis Philippe – “Anthony Bay” Louis Philippe – “Like Nobody Do” Louis Philippe – “Guess I’m Dumb” Louis Philippe – “Touch Of Evil” Louis Philippe – “If You’re Missing Someone” Anthony Adverse – “Now Listen” Anthony Adverse – “Ulysses And The Siren” Continued on Side B…