Document and Eyewitness

Name: Document and Eyewitness
Price: 45 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781399634717

An Intimate History of Rough Trade

Neil Taylor

$45

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

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English

White Rabbit
19 February 2026

Music; Music reviews & criticism; Industry & industrial studies; Music industry

UPDATED WITH NEW MATERIAL FOR 2026

'An essential purchase . . . Taylor's book is a joy' INDEPENDENT

'The type of reader that buys rock biographies will crave the detailed information that spans the late 1970s to 1991 - and they will not be disappointed' RECORD COLLECTOR

Rough Trade is practically a byword for the history of independent music over the last fifty years. Document And Eyewitness: An Intimate History of Rough Trade tells the story from the inside of a phenomenally influential record label, through the voices of Geoff Travis, Jarvis Cocker, Robert Wyatt, Green Gartside and many more.

From the early records of Cabaret Voltaire, Kleenex and the Swell Maps, through to groundbreaking releases by The Fall, The Smiths and Scritti Pollitti, on through the collapse of the independent collective and the rebirth of Rough Trade at the turn of the century, this is the definitive, essential account for any serious music fan. This 2026 edition features brand new material by the author.

By: Neil Taylor
Imprint: White Rabbit
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 214mm, Width: 132mm, Spine: 38mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781399634717
ISBN 10: 1399634712
Pages: 464
Publication Date: 19 February 2026
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Neil Taylor worked for the NME during the mid-1980s and has more recently worked in publishing. He is a dedicated regionalist and now lives in Winchester.

Reviews for Document and Eyewitness: An Intimate History of Rough Trade

An essential purchase for anyone who was involved in or influenced by the punk maelstrom of 1976, a riveting evocation of a period in musical history that becomes more important the further we get away from it ... Taylor's book is a joy * INDEPENDENT * Long overdue...The type of reader that buys rock biographies will crave the detailed information that spans the late 1970s to 1991 - and they will not be disappointed * RECORD COLLECTOR * DOCUMENT AND EYEWITNESS' treatment of its main players is affectionate-going-hagiographical, but the implication of that end-point is inescapable. The journey from the mid-1970s to now denotes the arrival of an altogether duller world: music that tends to be reverential rather than iconoclastic * GUARDIAN *