Rough Trade Exclusive. Shared Exclusive. Limited to 300 copies. UPC: 0660357767331 Of all the independent record labels of the 1980s, el was the most singular and exciting. el only existed for a few short years and yet paradoxically - given its modest commercial success - was hugely influential. For writer Jonathan Coe, one of the label's many devotees, el was 'Britain's great musical secret'. This 'best of' compilation LP, curated by label supremo Mike Alway himself, will remind the world of the greatness of el. The secret is out... el was created in 1984 by Alway, a mercurial A&R man for Cherry Red signing outstanding artists like Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set and Felt. Alway briefly co-ran Blanco Y Negro (an offshoot of WEA) but was soon constrained by the conservativism of the commercial music sector and left to set up his own label. el was once described as 'the most innately English record label there has ever been' and yet the look and the sound of the label achieved global reach. Alway's 'hands on' approach was to take complete control of the philosophy of the label's releases and even the titles of songs in the manner of pop impresarios of the past. Alway became a curator, selecting, shaping and overseeing the records issued on el. He employed songwriters proficient in classical pop techniques such as Nicholas Currie (AKA Momus) and Philippe Auclair (AKA Louis Philippe) who issued their own records while writing, arranging and performing for other el artistes. Great musicians such as Simon Turner (AKA The King of Luxembourg), Dean 'Speedball' Brodrick and producer Richard Preston completed the picture. el had a unique musical flavour, eschewing rock music for 1960s bubbelgum, chamber pop, European chanson, Latin rhythms and film scores (see in particular the work of Marden Hill). The label was decidedly un-macho and key artists such as Would Be Goods, Anthony Adverse and Bad Dream Fancy Dress examined the modern world through the female gaze. Alway saw el as a celebration of elegance and beauty: 'a pop...