A complete Respond records history by Flavio Candani (Cheers the cap!)

Paul Weller created Respond Records during the last phase of The Jam. In his mind the idea of a "new motown" promoting young artists and bands for a contemporary soul label. The project had a big step forward during the early days of The Style Council, with chart singles by Tracie, interesting records by The Questions, the late Vaughan Toulouse etc. It was almost an authomatic rule for every Weller/TSC fan, like me, to buy all the Respond stuff together with the Style Council stuff, also because Weller and Talbot were personally involved in the writing/production and playing, Weller wrote 'officially' many songs for Tracie and sometimes played guitar as "Jake Fluckery".. But he lost interest a couple of years later and the "new motown" closed.

In the late 90s the Japanese label "Trattoria" (funny choice for a name, means "cheap restaurant" in italian) reissued on CD -for the first and only time- almost all the Respond production, including some bonus never-heard-before tracks added at the end of the original albums. Those CDs are out of print and Trattoria is no more too. I started hunting for those CDs only recently and been lucky to find some cheap copies on ebay (it's not so easy, sometimes they rise at ridiculous high prices there, beware). The good people at splinters helped me to complete the collection, sending me the missing CDrs.

Personally I can't stand anymore a great part on this sound, so 80s and plastic, but there are some real gems inside... like Tracie's "I love you when you sleep" written by Elvis Costello, "Nothing happens here but you". "Spring summer autumn" and "Far from the hurting kind" to name 3 of many written by Paul Weller, or Questions' "Tear soup", "Tuesday sunshine" and "Someone's got yo lose" (with Steve White), the early Big Sound Authority and A-Craze.

So here 'tis, the full Respond/Trattoria "box" for all the Splinters/Cornershop readers. If you want to know more about it check MySpaceRespondRecords

Respond box, Part One
Respond Box, Part Two

Flavio Candani (The Capt Stax)

Complete tracklisting:

FAR FROM THE HURTING KIND / TRACIE PSCR-5483 /(I LOVE YOU) WHEN YOU SLEEP / SOULS ON FIRE / NOTHING HAPPENS HERE BUT YOU / I CAN'T HOLD ON 'TILL SUMMER / DR.LOVE / THANK YOU / MOVING TOGETHER / SPRING,SUMMER,AUTUMN / WHAT DID I HEAR YOU SAY / FAR FROM THE HURTING KIND /I CAN'T HOLD ON 'TILL SUMMER (without strings alternate take) / THANK YOU (instr.alternate take) / FINGER CROSSED (heartbeat demo) / FINGER CROSSED / I THINK YOU'RE LUCKY / FAR FROM THE HURTING KIND (early track 1 alternate take) / FAR FROM THE HURTING KIND (early track 2 alternate take)

WEARING YOUR JUMPER / A CRAZE PSCR-5482/ WEARING YOUR JUMPER/ SHE IS SO DUB, BUT NOT MUTE / KEEPING THE BOY AMUSED/ KEEPING THE BOY AMUSED (instr.)

BELIEF / THE QUESTIONS PSCW-5493 / BELIEF / ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD / THE BOTTOM LINE / MONTH OF SUNDAYS / SOMEONE'S GOT TO LOSE / BODY AND SOUL / TUESDAY SUNSHINE / DECEMBER / THE LEARNING TREE / DROP THAT BURDEN / EVERYTHING I SEE / IT'S IN ME (demo) / BOYS BACK HOME (demo) / WHAT DID I HEAR YOU SAY (demo) / TUESDAY SUNSHINE (demo) / DROP THE BURDEN (demo) / MONTH OF SUNDAYS (rough) / TEAR SOUP (live) / BODY AND SOUL (live)

LOVE THE REASON / VARIOUS ARTISTS PSCR-5494 / WORK'N'PLAY [QUESTIONS] / SHE IS SO [A CRAZE] / GIVE IT SOME EMOTION [TRACIE] / PEACE,LOVE & HARMONY [N.D.MOFFAT] / MAMA NEVER TOLD ME [TRACIE & QUESTIONS] / BUILDING ON A STRONG FOUNDATION [QUESTIONS] / FICKLE PUBLIC SPEAKIN' [THE MAIN T.K.O.] / KEEPING THE BOYS AMUZED [A CRAZE] / HISTORY OF THE WORLD [BIG SOUND AUTHORITY] / THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT [TRACIE] / GIVE IT UP GIRL [QUESTIONS] / EVERYTHING AND MORE [DOLLY MIXTURE] / THE BIG WOLF [URBAN SHAKEDOWN] / RAP THE WOLF [URBAN SHAKEDOWN] / BOY HAIRDRESSER [TRACIE] / ITALIAN GIRL [TRACIE] / FIND IT IN YOUR NATURE [TRACIE]

12” SINGLE COLLECTION / VARIOUS ARTISTS PSCR-5509-10 / TRACIE TALKS [TRACIE ] / THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT [TRACIE ] / SAME FEELING (WITHOUT THE EMOTION) [TRACIE] / THE VITAL SPARK (extended) [QUESTIONS] /SOUL'S ON FIRE (long version) [TRACIE] / SAVED BY THE BELL (extended) [QUESTIONS] / NEVER STOP (A MESSAGE) [MEFF] / MOVING TOGETHER (club mix) [TRACIE] / PRICE YOU PAY [QUESTIONS] / I CAN'T LEAVE YOU ALONE (pick'n'mix) [TRACIE YOUNG] / SOMEONE'S GOT TO LOSE (extended) [QUESTIONS] / TEAR SOUP (extended) [QUESTIONS] / NZURI BEAT [MEFF] / ACAPELLA FOUNDATION [QUESTIONS] / TRACIE RAPS [TRACIE] / GIVE IT SOME EMOTION (extended) [TRACIE] / NON-STOP ELECTRO [MEFF] / 19 (the wickhan mix) [TRACIE YOUNG] / FICKLE PUBLIC SPEAKIN' (extended) [MAIN T POSSE] / BELIEF (DON'T GIVE UP) (extended) [QUESTIONS] / THE GROOVE LINE [QUESTIONS] / CRUISIN' THE SERPENTINE (club mix) [VAUGHN TOULOUSE] / THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT [QUESTIONS] / INVITATION (rspv mix) [TRACIE YOUNG] / YOU SEE THE TROUBLE WITH ME (extended) [VAUGHN TOULOUSE] / TUESDAY SUNSHINE (sass mix) [QUESTIONS] / WORK'N'PLAY (extended) [QUESTIONS