Postcard Records is a British,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

-based,

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- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

founded by Alan Horne in 1979, as a vehicle for releases by

Orange Juice Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange (fruit), orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. A ...

and Josef K. The label's motto was "The Sound of Young Scotland", a parody/tribute to the

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

motto; its logo featured a cartoon cat beating a drum. Although short-lived, Postcard was a key influence on the C81 and the later

C86 ''C86'' is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine '' NME'' in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from British independent record labels of the time. As a term, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based music g ...

indie-pop movements. The label's first release, in spring 1980, was Orange Juice's, " Falling and Laughing", which was jointly financed by Horne and band members

Edwyn Collins Edwyn Stephen Collins (born 23 August 1959) is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner from Edinburgh, Scotland. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. After the group split in ...

and bass guitarist David McClymont. The label went on to sign such bands as

Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/ new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter, and only consistent member. Formed in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: ''High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Knife'' ...

and

The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout it ...

, before winding down in 1981 shortly after Orange Juice left to sign a major deal with Polydor. In 1984 Horne then started a new label as part of a deal with London Records, called Swamplands, releasing a handful of singles before folding. He then resuscitated Postcard in 1992, releasing various new albums and retrospectives until 1997. The label was profiled in depth in 2015 documentary film, '' Big Gold Dream'', and the 2014 book by

Simon Goddard Simon Goddard (born Cardiff, 21 December 1971) is a British author and music journalist. He was born in Wales, later moving to Scotland. Though a writer by profession, Goddard originally went to art school in Carlisle, then Hull, and briefly con ...

, ''Simply Thrilled: The Preposterous Story of Postcard Records'', although both concentrate largely on the original 1980-81 era of the label, and Alan Horne declined to be involved in either endeavour. In March 2020, Postcard Records appeared to be showing signs of activity again, via a Twitter account @Dubh18.5. Tweets referencing "some kind of reboot", and various archival footage in a series of

GIF The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF; or , see pronunciation) is a bitmap image format that was developed by a team at the online services provider CompuServe led by American computer scientist Steve Wilhite and released on 15 June 1987. ...

s hinting at further releases. In December 2020, it was announced that the label was being reactivated as "Postcard Recordings Of Scotland Extra Terrestrial" to release a deluxe anthology vinyl boxset of recordings by Paul Quinn & The Independent Group, including a 144 page hard backed book. The boxset was limited to 300 copies only and went on pre-sale via Bandcamp on 2 April 2021. It sold out within 24 hours and was finally delivered to buyers in late July 2021, to universal praise. The box contained re-pressed versions of the two original 1990s LPs along with a new 3rd double LP of unreleased live and studio material, a 10" of other recordings, along with the aforementioned book, and a handmade screenprint.

Postcard Records Discography (1980-1981)

Swamplands Discography (1984–1985)

The source for the information below is the website discogs.com * SWP 1 Paul Quinn and Edwyn Collins – "Pale Blue Eyes" 7" (1984) * SWP 2

Patti Palladin Patti Palladin is an American singer and musician of the punk rock and post-punk / new wave genres. She is primarily known for her work with Snatch (with Judy Nylon), Johnny Thunders, and the Flying Lizards. Career Palladin was a member o ...

and

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with ...

– "Crawfish" 7" (1984) (unreleased) * SWP 3 James King and The Lonewolves - "The Angels Know" 7" (1985) * SWP 4 Memphis – "You Supply The Roses" 7" (1985) * SWP 5 Win – "Unamerican Broadcasting" 7" (1985) * SWP 6 Paul Quinn – "Ain't That Always The Way" 7" (1985) * SWP 7 James King and The Lonewolves – "Flyaway" 7" (1985) (unreleased) * SWP 8 Win – "You've Got The Power" 7" (1985)

Postcard Records Discography (1992–1997)

The source for the information below is the website discogs.com * DUBH 921 Paul Quinn And The Independent Group – "The Phantoms and the Archetypes" LP (1992) * DUBH 922 Orange Juice – "Ostrich Churchyard" LP (1992) * DUBH 931 The Nectarine No. 9 – "A Sea With Three Stars" LP (1993) * DUBH 932 Orange Juice – "The Heathers On Fire" LP (1993) * DUBH 933 Paul Quinn And The Independent Group – "Stupid Thing" EP (1993) * DUBH 934 Orange Juice – "Blue Boy" EP (1993) * DUBH 935 Paul Quinn And The Independent Group – "Road Song, Road Movie, Road Song" EP (1993) (Unreleased) * DUBH 936 Vic Godard – "End Of The Surrey People" LP (1993) * DUBH 937 Vic Godard – "Won't Turn Back" EP (1993) * DUBH 939 The Nectarine No. 9 – "Un-Loaded For You" EP (1993) * DUBH 9315 Various – "D'Un Échantillon De Marchandises" EP (1993) * DUBH 941 The Nectarine No. 9 – "Guitar Thieves" LP (1994) * DUBH 942 The Nectarine No. 9 – "This Arsehole's Been Burned Too Many Times Before" 7" (1994) * DUBH 945 Paul Quinn And The Independent Group – "Will I Ever Be Inside of You" LP (1994) * DUBH 951 The Nectarine No. 9 – "Saint Jack" LP (1995) * DUBH 952 Paul Quinn, The Nectarine No 9, Jock Scot – "Pregnant With Possibilities (Volume One)" EP (1995) * DUBH 972 Jock Scot – "My Personal Culloden" LP (1997)

Postcard Records Discography (2021)

The source for the information below is the website discogs.com * DUBH 18.5 Paul Quinn And The Independent Group – "Unadulterated/Unincorporated" Vinyl Boxset (2021)

Postcard Records Miscellaneous

* POSP 357 Orange Juice – "L.O.V.E. Love" 7" (1981) * POLS 1057 Orange Juice – "You Can't Hide Your Love Forever" LP (1982) * POSP 386 Orange Juice – "Felicity" 7" (1982) The above releases all had the Postcard drumming kitten logo on sleeve and label. The 7" catalogue numbers were prefixed POS(tcard)P(olydor)

References

External links

Official Postcard Records Website

{{Authority control British independent record labels Record labels established in 1979 Alternative rock record labels