4 stars out of 5
Last week I reviewed the Wrecking Crew documentary. In it, they discuss the Hal Blaine drumbeat opening to “Be My Baby,” instantly recognizable to millions of people the world over. The same cannot be said for the Dr. Rhythm drum machine which accompanies “Emma’s House” by the Field Mice, as heard in this wonderful Sarah Records documentary. It’s also a truly classic song, yet is instantly unknown to millions. Billions, even. Oh well, that’s indiepop for you; emphasis on the indie, not so much on the popular.
Likewise, this documentary isn’t exactly going to shatter box-office records. It’s a niche market, but true believers wouldn’t want it any other way. And after the trailer first materialized in early 2014, it was kind of like the old days, sweet friends whispering about a cool British import. (This February, my pal Anastasia told me there’d be a screening in Jersey City in mid-April, and I dutifully marked my calendar.)
It’s interesting to be reminded how very different the world was during the Sarah label’s existence, 1987–95. For me, that was ages 18 to 26. I’d gone off to college, joined the radio station, and started learning about independent record labels. (As mentioned in the film, the best labels truly had their own aesthetic, so if you liked one of their releases you’d probably like them all.) But indie England remained a mystery. Now and again a compilation record would appear, filled with unfamiliar band names, from labels like Sarah and Creation. What was going on over there?
All these years later, My Secret World sets the record straight. It’s an affectionate, well-made, and definitive tribute to a labor-of-love record label and a very specific moment in time. We meet label co-founders Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes (still rocking a pudding-bowl haircut). They were college kids in Bristol who liked the same music, they liked the same bands, they liked the same clothes. Clare and Matt fell in love and put out some records. Oh, those aching melodies! Oh, those chiming guitars!
Director Lucy Dawkins wisely uses the Sarah discography as the framing device for the film, starting with SARAH 1. We hear the story behind the band and the recording, often with interviews with band members and music journalists. (Dawkins spoke to virtually all the key players, with the notable exception of Bobby Wratten from the Field Mice.) Visually, a blank page fills up with SARAH 1, and then SARAH 2, and SARAH 3… and the thought did occur to me, “my god, we’re going to be here watching this for six hours.” But not every release is highlighted, so the movie does clock in at a normal length.
Along the way, My Secret World addresses many related topics, including fanzine culture, the huge impact of DJ John Peel, sexism in the music industry, the economics of running an indie label, and (for me at least) a revelatory segment on how the UK’s “mainstream” alternative press absolutely despised the Sarah label and wrote the nastiest possible reviews.
No such criticism here. I had a big, big smile on my face watching this film, from beginning to end. For me personally, it filled in many holes in the Sarah story. At the time I knew the Field Mice and Heavenly (two of my very favorite bands ever) and a handful of others, but there was so much more to explore and I’m glad there still is. It’s interesting and sad and yet totally understandable to me that the label ended just as Clare and Matt were getting a little bit older. I was the same age and in retrospect it does feel like a moment had passed — pure, innocent, pre-Internet — here and gone.
The music remains, thank goodness.
Click here for screening info for My Secret World. The documentary will also be shown as part of NYC Popfest on Friday, May 29 at 5 p.m. at the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg.
Jack Silbert, curator