26 Aug 2013
The Record Peddler's Factory Video Guide Pt 1 
Factory Records released many retail videos but what about those hard-to-find promos they also did?
These were mainly one-track (with the odd compilation thrown in) original videos that were used as promotional tools for singles and other releases.

Many of these found there way onto the consumer market through one route or another. And if you were in Manchester, your go-to place for Factory product was, of course, The Record Peddler. Sadly the Peddler is long gone from Swan Street but the legacy lingers on and Mark from the shop has provided Cerysmatic Factory with detailed information on several releases which should help distinguish the genuine articles from the knock-offs. Catalogue numbers, credits, oddities and, in some cases, a brief description of the video itself are all here.

Factory's promo videos generally came as VHS tapes in in hard plastic cases with the release information specified in one or more of the following ways:

- chopped down sleeves from a 12" single inserted into the pocket on the case to create an impromptu cover
- generic Factory black and white sleeve with the title details hand-written
- a title sticker typed and adhered to the actual tape
- a typed title sticker adhered to the spine of the tape
- a countdown clock at the beginning of the video
- none of the above and are simply a VHS tape in a box with no identifying marks!

So, here we go with selected releases up to Fac 247...

Fac 73R: New Order – Blue Monday (1988 Breer & Wegman version)

Starts with colour bars and sound level continuous beep, then to black screen and video start. Full video and then to black screen. Tape is complete in clear plastic box. The tape has ANS International Video Ltd labelling to front and spine.

Fac 176: Happy Mondays – Tart Tart

Starts with Colour Bars and beep, then countdown clock with the legend 'Happy Mondays, Tart Tart, Fac 176, A film directed by Michael Avatar and Donald Guy, March 1987'. Full video finishes and fades to black screen. This tape comes in a genuine IKON black video box

Fact 180/1: Various – Factory Instore video No.1

This is a genuine original VHS tape, with glossy card title cover and IKON label on the tape. The box is a black IKON video box. The full tape lasts 63 minutes. Each track is preceded by a flashing IKON/Factory logo and black and white title. Following the William S. Burroughs final track, the legend 'The End' precedes the flashing IKON/Factory slide and the 'Factory Communications 1987' in white on a black background. This stays on the screen for several minutes before cutting to black.

Fac 183: New Order – True Faith

This is a genuine copy which comes in a black plastic IKON video box. It begins with a countdown clock with the legend 'New Order, True Faith, 4mins 22 secs, Factory Communications Limited, RX 14/7/87. The full video fades to scrambled lines on the screen and the legend 'Factory Communications ltd. 1987'. This is followed by slide titles: New Order True Faith / Director Philipe Decoufle / Producer Michael H. Shamberg / Executive Producer Anthony H. Wilson / Production, Paris Jean-Luc Ormieres for Titane / Production Glastonbury Anthony H. Wilson / Post production Mark Eskenazi, Craig Price (SVC London).

Fac 188: Biting Tongues – Compressor

Wrongly titled 'Compression' on the title card. Starts with a countdown clock and the legend 'Ikon Productions, Biting Tongues, Compressor, Dur: 4 min 52 secs, Media Communications. Bizarrely it also has a copy of ACR 'Shack-up' Video after the compressor video. This is complete from the mesh at the start to a still fade out at the end. I have no idea why this is. The tape and contents are just as I received them from a promoter.

Fac 192: Happy Mondays – 24 Hour Party People

This video comes in a 'Media Communications' box and the videotape has matching labels (wrongly labelled as FACT 192). The complete video from a still start to a fade-out at the end.

Fac 193: New Order – Touched by the Hand of God

Comes in a blue plastic box. The tape has a Media Communications labels on front and spine with title, date, etc (title is misspelt 'hands'). The video is full and continues after the music track ends, until Peter Hook kicks away some debris on the stage and comes to a still and fades. % minutes in total according to the label!

Fac 197: Fadela – N'sel Fik

Comes in a black plastic box with the title typed on the cover and label. There is also a promoters label on the tape. The full video of a 'belly dancer' with montage of middle-eastern life lasts approximately 3 mins 06 secs.

Fac 211: 'Wired' feature - Joy Division, Channel 4 documentary, July 1988

This is a TV copy, not a promotional copy from a Media Company.

Fac 212: Happy Mondays – "Wrote for Luck, the movies, work in progress by the Bailey Brothers for Happy Mondays and Factory Communications"

This video comes in a black plastic box with a cover featuring a cut-down 12" sleeve. The label on the front of the tape has all of the above titling printed in black on a lime green background. The video starts with the word 'Performance' appearing across the screen from left to right and flashing blue and pink. This fades to a nightclub setting and the legend 'Manchester, Legends, 191088'scrolls across the screen from left to right over the intro music of the track. The video continues with the band and adult friends on the dance floor of the club. The full video is followed by individual appearances of each of the band members, Paul, Shaun. Gary, Mark, Bez, and then the legend 'That's all folks' scrolls across the screen from left to right. The picture then scrolls to the right leaving a black screen. The whole video lasts approximately 4 minutes in length.

Fac 213: Joy Division – Atmosphere

Starts with the Legend 'Joy Division' with a plus sign above and a minus sign below. The full video fades in at the beginning and out at end. This is followed by a plus sign above a minus sign, which fades to black and the legend 'Copy write MCMLXV111, Factory Communications' Fades to black.

Fac 222: Happy Mondays & Karl Denver – Lazyitis

This video comes in a blue plastic box with a cover featuring a cut-down 12" sleeve. The tape has a Media Communications typed title sticker on the front. The full length video lasting around 4 minutes continues after the soundtrack finishes and fades from a view of a barbed wire fence in the rain

Fac 223: New Order – Fine Time

This video comes in a blue plastic box with a cover featuring a cut-down 12" sleeve. The tape has a Media Communications typed title sticker on the front. The full length video continues to fade after the soundtrack has finished and then the legend 'TM 1988 Factory Communications' appears across the bottom of the screen. The video lasts 3 mins 27 secs.

Fac 228: Karl Denver – Wimoweh

This video comes in a blue plastic box with a cover featuring a cut-down 12" sleeve. The tape has a Signal Vision typed title sticker on the front of the box and also on the tape. The video begins with an intro by DJ Alan Freeman and continues into the animated cartoon and costumed dancers fading to black at the end. The full version lasts 3mins 54 secs.

Fac 232: Happy Mondays – Wrote for Luck (Raw mix)

This video comes in a black plastic box with no cover but has a Media Communications typed title sticker on the front of the tape. The full video contains slightly different Legends footage to Fac 209, some sped up and is followed by individual appearances of each of the band members, Paul, Shaun. Gary, Mark, Bez, and then the legend 'That's all folks' scrolls across the screen from left to right. The picture then scrolls to the right leaving a black screen. The whole video lasts approximately 4 mins 7secs in length.

Fac 232: Happy Mondays – WFL (Vince Clarke Mix)

This video comes in a blue plastic box with a cover similar to the release, but on good stock paper and states 'The Vince Clarke Mix'. The tape has a Signal Vision (Different production company to the above) typed title sticker on the front of the cassette. This is a different version of the song and although the footage is from Legends as with Fac 209, some different footage is used during this video. The full length of the track is 3 mins 13 secs.

Fac 242: Happy Mondays – Hallelujah

This tape comes in a blue plastic cover with Signal vision typed labels on the front of the box and tape. Dated 24.10.89, The full sepia coloured video of the band in a warehouse, in slow motion and normal speed, with dry ice and feathers on the floor and falling from above and hand held flares lasts approximately 3mins 13 secs and fades to black at the end.

Fac 242R: Happy Mondays – Clap Your Hands

This tape comes in a blue plastic cover with Signal Vision typed labels on the front of the box and tape. The full length sepia coloured video of the band in a warehouse, in slow motion and normal speed, with dry-ice and feathers on the floor and falling from above and hand held flares lasts approximately 3mins 33 secs and fades to white at the end.

Fac 247: Revenge – 7 Reasons / Jesus I Love You

This tape comes in a blue plastic cover with Signal Vision typed labels on the front of the box and tape. The full length video of 7 Reasons, in a mixture of colour and black and white, features footage of an urban and suburban nature interspersed with footage of the band underwater with fruit and flowers! The full length video lasts approximately 4mins and 5 secs. The video for Jesus I Love You, whilst obviously shot at the same time and containing some similar footage does not have industrial images and has different footage interspersed with some footage from 7 reasons. Jesus lasts approximately 4mins and 5secs also.

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That's all for Part One but we'll be back with more later...

Many thanks to Mark @ The Record Peddler for info.

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