Ready Records
Small but influential Toronto indie label of the early 1980s.
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Ready Records was a Toronto-based independent label active from 1979 to 1985. Founded by Angus MacKay and Andy Crosbie, it focused on local talent, releasing new wave and indie rock on 7" and 12" singles, LPs, and cassettes.
The label's biggest seller was the Spoons, while other acts like Blue Peter, Colin Linden, and Manteca also charted minor hits or gained national attention. After the label folded, Universal included two compilations—Best of Ready Vol. 1 and Best of Ready Vol. 2—in its 20th Century Masters series. A partial discography lists releases from the Demics, Steve Blimkie and the Reason, Regulators, 102.1 Band, Battered Wives, The Extras, Santers, Fergus Hambleton, Kevin Coyne, Rosetta Stone, Teenage Head, and Gordon Deppe, among others.
Lore & Background
Founded in 1979 by Angus MacKay and Andy Crosbie, the label existed between 1979 and 1985, when it folded. It focused primarily on local Toronto-area talent, releasing 7" and 12" singles, LPs, and cassettes. Its best selling group was the Spoons, but other acts that had minor hits or received national attention included Blue Peter, Colin Linden, and Manteca.
Reader's Guide
The following partial discography is based upon information taken from existing Ready Records releases. Where two numbers appear in brackets beside a listing, the first denotes the LP release number, and the second the cassette release number. Note: The Demics' EP Talk's Cheap is not a Ready Records release; it was released on the band's own label. Also, no Ready Records volumes exist in Universal's 20th Century Masters series.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Ready Records?
Ready Records was a small independent label out of Toronto, Canada, that existed from 1979 to 1985. It focused on putting out new wave and indie rock acts from the local scene in 7-inch and 12-inch singles, LPs, and cassettes.
Who started Ready Records?
The label was co-founded in 1979 by Angus MacKay and Andy Crosbie, who built it as a vehicle for Toronto-area musicians during the early-1980s indie wave.
More in New wave record labels
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ready Records (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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