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Boy’s Own: The Complete Fanzines 1986-92
A bumper 440-plus pages featuring faithfully reprinted issues of the original acid house fanzine produced by Terry Farley, the late Andrew Weatherall, Cymon Eckel, and Steve Mayes.
“In these days of the Internet and mass media, fanzine culture is long forgotten,” says Terry Farley in his introduction, “but back in the day it was an important way to get across a view and culture that the music and fashion press ignored totally.”
And as journalist Clive Martin wrote in Vice here in the 21st Century, “There aren’t many people in the history of British club music held in higher regard than the Boy’s Own crew.” Originally emerging from the soul boy culture of the mid-80s, Boy’s Own fanzine tracked the evolution of acid house as a cultural movement.
The team in turn grew from amateur publishers into seminal party organisers, world-famous DJs, and music business svengalis. By the time the Boy’s Own record label was rebranded as Junior Boy’s Own it had already signed both Underworld and The Chemical Brothers (when they were still called Lemon Interrupt and The Dust Brothers).
Original fanzines are exceptionally rare, with second hand copies reportedly sold on E-bay for £300. The compilation was originally released by Bill Brewster’s DJ history organisation in 2009 and sold out almost immediately.
The Complete Fanzines includes every issue. Landmark features include ‘Bermondsey Goes Balearic’ by Paul Oakenfold, considered the first ever piece of writing on rave culture. Also reprinted are and the ‘Club Gang’ series of group photos featuring regulars from parties across the UK, and Andrew Weatherall’s ‘The Outsider’ column which stated, “We wont pigeonhole our readers, but are aiming at the boy (or girl) who one day stands on the terraces, the next day a sweaty club, and the day after stays in reading Brendan Behan whilst listening to Run DMC.”
There’s irreverent humour including the staple Uppers and Downers, recommendations on travel- ling to the disco on your sister’s Space Hopper, Sitting Bull’s Camp Fire Casuals, and Millwall the speaking dog who lived on Jamaica Road, partied down the Old Kent Road and drove a Suzuki jeep. Plus, some seminal ‘Top Tune’ playlists which deserve their own Spotify channel.
Order this piece of electronic music culture – and social history – today.
