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Fast Product was anindependent record label established inEdinburgh by Bob Last, his partner, Hilary Morrison and Tim Pearce in December 1977. Its first release was the first single bythe Mekons, on 20 January 1978.
The label issued the first records by a number of early and influentialpost-punk bands fromNorthern England, including the originalHuman League,Gang of Four andthe Mekons. Fast Product also released the first singles by the Scottish punk bandsScars andThe Flowers. The label also released compilations of various new bands called 'ear comics' orEarcom. Many of the label's releases were also produced by Bob Last with Morrison producing photographs and visuals for the record sleeves.
Fast Product's releases challengedpop music conventions (hence the label's early monikers: "difficult fun" and "mutant pop"), and through its releases and marketing invoked aDIY punk spirit and generallysocialist political outlook. Often packaging records with a caustic yet subtle sideswipe atconsumerism (for example, the image of a wall ofgold discs on the cover of the Mekons' second single), Fast Product attempted to show that all aspects of the record business, from musicianship to design to distribution, could be taken out of the hands of the major labels.
Lloyd Cole also name-checked Fast Product in his song Women's Studies, from the 2013 albumStandards.[1]
Later, the pair also established the Pop Aural label, releasing singles by such acts asThe Flowers,Boots For Dancing andThe Fire Engines.
The label was profiled in depth in the 2015 documentary filmBig Gold Dream.[2]
The story of Fast Product was extensively covered in the 2022 book Hungry Beat written by Douglas MacIntyre and Grant McPhee with Neil Cooper, published by White Rabbit Books
Bob Last has joked thatFactory Records is "Fast 13" - the label's final release - saying "I just never told them they had a catalogue number."[3]
The source for the information below is the website vinylnet.co.uk.[4]
The source for the information below is the website discogs.com[5]
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