'Do It Yourself' charts the rise of the independent music industry after punk - from the hundreds of bands and tiny labels that sprung up with like-minded ideals, to the network of shops, manufacturers, studios, printers etc, all connected via a loose network of record distributors that would help define independent music over the following thirty years. This compilation features seminal recordings from the likes of THE BUZZCOCKS,THROBBING GRISTLE, SCRITTI POLITTI, THE FLYS, ARTERY, FIRE ENGINE and more. Bands that paved the way for the sound and band like HUMAN LEAGUE, CABARET VOLTAIRE, THE SMITHS, THE FALL, JOY DIVISION and SEX PISTOLS to name a few. Beginning with The Buzzcocks' 'Spiral Scratch' EP released in early 1977, on the newly formed NEW HORMONES label, in Manchester, it soon seemed that every town in Britain had its own music scene complete with bands, small labels, record shops and studios. Directly influenced by the ideals of Punk - selfdetermination, freedom of expression, etc -as much as the music meant that these bands were interested in alternatives to the status quo inmanaging their careers. Pivotal to the development of the scene was the ROUGH TRADE RECORDS shop run by music fan GEOFF TRAVIS. In 1977 customers began to bring their own newly pressed-up records into the shop, and Travis began distributing the records to a handful of like-minded shops throughout the country. This developed into a network and bands soon found they could sell 1000s of their own records with no marketing, management, agents etc. This album includes a 40 page booklet, featuring exclusive interviews, text, band biographies, artwork and original photos.