Beggars Banquet Records

Beggars Banquet Records is a British independent record label. Beggars Banquet started as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin and is part of the Beggars Group of labels, which owns or distributes several other labels, including 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings and Young. Older labels within the group, including Beggars Banquet itself and Too Pure, are now part of Beggars Arkive, which is the catalogue department for its labels that are no longer active.

In 1977, spurred by the prevailing DIY aesthetics of the British punk rock movement (then at the height of its popularity), Martin Mills and Nick Austin founded a record label to release records under the Beggars Banquet imprint. The first band on the label was the English punk group the Lurkers; the first release on the label was the Lurkers' 7" single "Shadow"/"Love Story". They also released the first solo "Duffo" album from Australian big-band vocalist Jeff Duff. Later in the decade and into the early 1980s, hits with Tubeway Army and Gary Numan secured the label's future. Other bands who were signed to the label include the Associates, the Bolshoi, the Cult, Flesh For Lulu, Gene Loves Jezebel, the Icicle Works and the Go-Betweens.

(Please read more at Wikipedia (label) or Wikipedia (group).)

Links To Peel[]

"Praise Heaven for the Small Wonders and Beggars Banquets of this world."
(John Peel, Sounds column, 12 Aug. 1978.)[1]

"On the radio ... it was very difficult to find outlets: apart from John Peel's program."
(Martin Mills looks back at promoting the Lurkers, Dec 2000 interview, reposted L'ultima Thule blog, 2014)[2]

In June 2022, an auction of items from John Peel's record collection featured a poster for the 1977 Beggars Banquet compilation LP "Streets" (catalogue number: BEGA 1), which brought together tracks from a variety of new independent labels, including "Be My Prisoner" by the Lurkers.[3] The band had been responsible for the first single released by Beggars Banquet itself ("Shadow" / "Love Story"), with both sides subsequently appearing in the DJ's self-selected 1977 Festive Fifty.

Also under the hammer at the same event was a rare factory sample pressing of the 1968 Rolling Stones album that inspired the name of the indie operation.[4] In 1998, Peel played tracks from a covers compilation of the record, released to mark the label's 21st anniversary.

As well as the Lurkers, Peel was a keen supporter of early Beggars Banquet artist Gary Numan / Tubeway Army, whose chart success helped secure the label's future, helped by backing from major WEA for marketing and distribution.[5]

In the 1980s, Peel show mainstays the Fall and Wah! each found a home on the Beggars Banquet roster, with both bands enjoying related Festive Fifty and Peelenium entries.

Meanwhile, the label renewed its indie credentials with spin-off imprints such as 4AD and Situation 2, which were distributed by Rough Trade. In 2014, a record box of 80s favourites chosen from Peel's record collection by former Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde featured Situation 2 releases from Singers & Players, Drowning Craze and Associates, as well as several put out by 4AD.[6] When he left school, Raymonde had worked behind the counter at Beggars Banquet record shop, with the label offices upstairs.

In later years, especially after the collapse of UK indie distribution under Rough Trade, other labels with artists featured by Peel also came into the Beggars Banquet fold, leading to the creation of the independent Beggars Group. In January 2003, the DJ voiced loud displeasure on-air after getting complaints from group label XL for playing tracks from an advance copy of its upcoming White Stripes album "Elephant".

Peelenium[]

(Beggars Banquet releases among JP's Peelenium picks from 100 years of popular music.)

Peelenium 1984: Mighty Wah!: Come Back
Peelenium 1984: Fall: Lay Of The Land
Peelenium 1987: Fall: Hit The North
Peelenium 1996: Dick Dale: Nitrus

Sessions[]

(Beggars Banquet artists who recorded Peel sessions. List includes sessions when the artists were not on the label but excludes artists signed to other Beggars Group labels or who appeared only on v/a compilations released by Beggars Banquet. Please add any missing information.)

Associates: (2 sessions, 1981-82)
Bauhaus: (2 sessions, 1980-82)
Biffy Clyro: (1 session, 2004)
Bowery Electric: (1 session, 1997)
Buffalo Tom: (1 session, 1990)
John Cale: (1 session, 1975)
Carpettes: (2 sessions, 1978-9)
Charlatans: (2 sessions, 1990-91)
Dick Dale (5 sessions, 1995-2004)
Dream City Film Club: (2 sessions, 1996-99)
Fall: (24 sessions, 1978-2004)
Flesh For Lulu: (1 session, 1982)
Fun-Da-Mental: (3 sessions, 1992-4)
Gene Loves Jezebel: (2 sessions, 1983-84)
Go-Betweens: : (2 sessions, 1982-84)
Roy Harper: (10 sessions, 1969-78)
Icicle Works: (3 sessions, 1982-84)
Lurkers: (4 sessions, 1977-79)
Billy Mackenzie: (1 session, 1983)
Mercury Rev: (5 sessions, 1991-2001)
Merton Parkas: (1 session, 1979)
Modern English: (2 sessions, 1980-81)
Nectarine No.9: (5 sessions, 1993-2001)
Nico: (2 sessions, 1971-74)
Gary Numan: (3 sessions, 1979-2001)
Tindersticks: (3 sessions, 1993-96)
Tubeway Army: (1 session, 1979) (see also Gary Numan)
Wah!: (6 sessions, 1980-2000)

Festive Fifty[]

(According to The Festive Fifty by Mark Whitby (1st edition, 2005, pg195), Beggars Banquet had the ninth most Festive Fifty entries of any label in Peel's lifetime (with 29, behind Rough Trade, Factory, 4AD, Polydor, Virgin, CBS, Island and Creation Records), and the sixth highest number of separate tracks (29, behind Rough Trade, 4AD, Factory, Island and Creation). The list below covers Festive Fifty entries on Beggars Banquet; it does not include entries by Beggars Banquet artists on other labels. Please add any missing information.)

Associates: 1982 Festive Fifty (yearly chart): Party Fears Two =#14
Bauhaus: 1982 Festive Fifty (yearly): Third Uncle #46 / Ziggy Stardust =#14
Cult: 1984 Festive Fifty: Spiritwalker #30 / 1985 Festive Fifty: She Sells Sanctuary #04
Dick Dale: 1996 Festive Fifty: Nitrus #27
Dream City Film Club: 1997 Festive Fifty: If I Die I Die #25
Fall: 1984 Festive Fifty: No Bulbs #44 / c.r.e.e.p. #18 / Lay Of The Land #9 // 1985 Festive Fifty: L.A. #42 / Couldn't Get Ahead #39 / Gut Of The Quantifier #33 / Spoilt Victorian Child #23 // 1986 Festive Fifty: Dktr. Faustus #48 / Lucifer Over Lancashire #37 / R.O.D. #26 / Bournemouth Runner #20 / Living Too Late #15 / US 80s 90s #10 / Mr. Pharmacist #3 // 1987 Festive Fifty: Hit The North Part 1 #9 // 1988 Festive Fifty: Guest Informant #40 / Jerusalem #36 / Kurious Oranj #27 / Big New Prinz #24 / Bremen Nacht #16 / Cab It Up! #14 // 1989 Festive Fifty: Dead Beat Descendant #38
Lurkers: 1977 Festive Fifty: Shadow #12 / Love Story #31
Tubeway Army: 1979 Festive Fifty: Are 'Friends' Electric? #39
Wah!: 1984 Festive Fifty: Come Back #5