A deluxe 5LP vinyl box set edition of Always Now, the debut album by Section 25, produced by legendary producer Martin Hannett and sleeved by Peter Saville is released on 6 September 2019 on Factory Benelux.

Recorded as a trio at Pink Floyd's Britannia Row studio in London in January 1981, Always Now combined austere post-punk rhythm and noise with elements of Can, Krautrock and modern psychedelia. Key tracks include Friendly Fires, Dirty Disco and New Horizon, along with C.P. (a collaboration with Hannett) and Hit (extensively sampled by Kanye West for the track F.M.L. on his 2016 album The Life of Pablo).

The first 1000 copies of this lavish new edition feature vinyl platters pressed in black, clear, yellow, red and silver. The outer case in printed in PMS 123 with spot varnish.

The accompanying 16-page booklet features unseen images by noted photographer Philippe Carly and texts by founder SXXV members Larry and Vin Cassidy. Also included is the first ever interview with guitarist Paul Wiggin, whose sudden departure in late 1981 saw Tony Wilson try (and fail) to recruit pre-Smiths teenager Johnny Marr as replacement.

The album is available to pre-order now via Factory Benelux Mailorder [->].

Tracklisting

LP1 [the original Always Now album - black vinyl]

A1. Friendly Fires
A2. Dirty Disco
A3. C.P.
A4. Loose Talk (Costs Lives)
A5. Inside Out
A6. Melt Close

B1. Hit
B2. Babies in the Bardo
B3. Be Brave
B4. New Horizon

LP2 [non-album singles from the period 1980-81 including 'Je Veux Ton Amour' and 'Girls Don't Count' - clear vinyl]

A1. Knew Noise
A2. Up To You
A3. Girls Don’t Count
A4. After Image
A5. Human Puppets

B1. Charnel Ground
B2. Haunted
B3. Je Veux Ton Amour
B4. One True Path

LP3 [complete live show recorded at Groningen, NL on 26 October 1980 - yellow vinyl]

A1. Loose Talk (Costs Lives) (live)
A2. Human Puppets (live)
A3. Knew Noise (live)
A4. Friendly Fires (live)
A5. Girls Don’t Count (live)

B1. New Horizon (live)
B2. Haunted (live)
B3. You’re On Your Own (live)
B4. One Step Backward (live)

LP4 [second studio album 'The Key of Dreams' - red vinyl]

A1. Always Now
A2. Visitation
A3. Regions
A4. The Wheel
A5. No Abiding Place
A6. Once Before

B1. There Was a Time
B2. Wretch
B3. Sutra

LP5 [further experimental material recorded in 1981 and self-released on 'Illuminus Illumina' cassette plus live encore jam recorded with all four members of New Order at Reading University on 8 May 1981 - silver vinyl]

A1. Fallen Monument
A2. Are You There?
A3. Virtually Everything
A4. Tape Loop
A5. Subferior
A6. In the Garden of Eden
A7. Cry

B1. Red Voice
B2. Floating
B3. Reading Uni Jam with New Order 1981

Labels: album, Factory_Benelux, Section_25

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