And so we continue with our trawl through the Factory rarities in order to dig out some valuables, some to be found in the unlikeliest of places. All prices are extracted from the 2014 Record Collector Guide, some eager Discogs listings and my own experiences.

Wim Mertens



Take one Belgian neo-classical composer and two simultaneously issued albums (on Les Disques Du Crepuscule), switch the logos and alter the labels and what happens? Er, very little. By the time Factory got its act together and added them to its catalogue, both Educes Me (FACT 190) and the soundtrack to the heavy Peter Greenaway art-house film Belly Of An Architect (FACT 195) had already sold as many copies as they could muster a few months earlier. To be fair, Belly did fairly well and shifted a few units off the back of the film's VHS release (on Palace, sigh) and via continued interest in Greenaway's work. Educes Me, on the other hand, didn't exactly benefit from being on Factory but it did get a curious re-release as a boxed-cassette. If you happen to have such an item - smartly packaged in a bright yellow hue with a colourful inlay booklet - then have a seat. Record Collector valuations clock in at an eye-watering £200. For a tape. No, really. Check out our Wim Mertens discography to feast your eyes on his other work (much of which fetches serious money - see Part 3 of our Facs In The Attic series).

Various Artists



Inevitably, that most frequent purveyor of releases comes up trumps when it comes to Factory valuables. Various Artists releases include the A Factory Quartet double-album (FACT 24 - £20), the Palatine box-set (FACT 400 - £40 to £100), particularly the vinyl and CD sets and two curios that don't feature in the RC book of dreams. The first is the 4 x 12" promo pack which has no number but comes loosely-housed in a PVC sleeve with each track's BPMs helpfully printed on it, plus four white-label copies of Pleasure Crew's I Could Be So Good For You (FAC 169), Fadela's N'Sel Fik (FAC 197 - worth a tenner on its own), The Hood's Salvation (FAC 182) and Meatmouth's Meatmouth Is Murder (FAC 196). I'd estimate a £15 price-tag, partly for at least two of the enclosed records but also for the attractive Johnson Panas sleeve. The second is Martin (FACD 325), a collection of Hannett's finest production work including Joy Division, U2 and A Certain Ratio etc.. I'd pitch this at £15 to £20 all day long for the CD and vinyl.

All of which is peanuts when compared to A Factory Sample. FAC 2 was the first release on the label, came packaged in expensive polythene outers, bolstered by some natty stickers and four sides of music. No wonder it's valued from around the £200 mark. Without the stickers, it's probably worth £100 - £125 and with a scruffy sleeve minus the polythene, around half that again.

The Wake



Before jumping the sinking Factory ferry and high-tailing it to the Sarah label, Glasgow's The Wake released some of the most beautiful songs to ever grace the label. Vinyl copies of debut-album Harmony (FACT 60) and gorgeous (and delayed) follow-up Here Comes Everybody (FACT 130) command around £20 - £25 each, although the former has just been exquisitely reissued as a double-vinyl version on Factory Benelux which may or may not have an effect on prices. The band's singles aren't too hard to come by although the 7" of Talk About The Past (FAC 88) is trickier to track down (£8).

Stockholm Monsters



This under-rated outfit feature in this article due to their two earlier singles, Fairy Tales (FAC 41) and Happy Ever After (FAC 58), both capable of reaching £15 in top condition. There are two different-coloured sleeves for Fairy Tales, a burgundy and a green one, both as easy (or as hard) to find as each other. The band's only album, Alma Mater (FACT 80) is worth £10 of anyone's money, while their superb Partyline 12" (FAC 146) might scrape a few quid less (a travesty) with 7" test pressings doubling the price.

The best of the rest







In no particular order are just some of the other least likely (and most probable) rarities worth seeking out.
The braille sleeved Electricity (FAC 6) by OMD - £60
The only Distractions single on Factory (FAC 12) - £15
The first (and only) reggae 12" by X-O-Dus (FAC 11) - £15
That infamous Sex Pistols cassette (with gold tape, pouch and card) (FACT 30) - £20 - £50
The one and only ESG 7" (FAC 34) - £30
The majestic Nightshift by The Names (FAC 29) - £15
The white vinyl John Dowie 7" with feather (!) (FAC 19) - £15
The two Dutch masters by Minnypops, Secret Story (FAC 57) and Dolphin's Spurt (FAC 31) - £12
The cassette version of Pigs and Battleships by Quando Quango (FAC 110c) - £18
The rare as hen's teeth CD promo and invite of The Other Two's Loved It (FACD 251) - £25 to £40
The first James single Jimone (FAC 78) - £12
The stand-alone Thick Pigeon album (FACT 85) - £40
The sleazy Crawling Chaos 7" Sex Machine (FAC 17) - £20
and the under-rated Chicken Rhythms by Northside on vinyl (FACT 310) - £12

Thanks to Record Collector and Discogs for prices.

Part 3 will feature rarities recorded by Factory artists and issued on Factory Benelux and Les Disques du Crepuscule.

Labels: Crawling_Chaos, ESG, Fadela, James, John_Dowie, Meat_Mouth, Minny_Pops, OMD, Pleasure_Crew, Quando_Quango, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Distractions, The_Hood, The_Names, The_Wake, Thick_Pigeon, Wim_Mertens, X-O-Dus

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.

Labels: Adventure_Babies, Biting_Tongues, Fadela, Happy_Mondays, Joy_Division, Karl_Denver, New_Order, Record_Peddler, Revenge, video

News just in from LTM of a new instalment in the Auteur Labels series and the second in the Factory Records year. Auteur Labels - Factory Records 1987 includes choice cuts from New Order, ACR, Happy Mondays, The Durutti Column, The Wake, Section 25 and many more. It is released on 12 July 2010 via LTM.

Tracklisting

New Order - True Faith
A Certain Ratio – Bootsy (Racic Remix)
Happy Mondays – 24 Hour Party People
Quando Quango – Bad Blood
Biting Tongues – Compressor
The Durutti Column – Catos Con Guantes
Fadela – N'Sel Fik
Arthur Baker – Come On
The Hood – Salvation! (Nitro Dub)
Pleasure Crew – So Good
Meat Mouth – Meat Mouth Is Murder
Miaow – When It All Comes Down
The Wake – Furious Sea
Section 25 – Bad News Week (The Cough Mix)

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Title: Auteur Labels - Factory Records 1987
Label: LTM
Catalogue number: LTMCD 2555
Format: CD
Release date: 12 July 2010

Also available: Auteur Labels - Factory Records 1984.

Available from LTM Mail Order.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Auteur_Labels, Biting_Tongues, Fadela, Happy_Mondays, LTM, Meat_Mouth, Miaow, Pleasure_Crew, Quando_Quango, Section_25, The_Durutti_Column, The_Hood, The_Wake

If you're an avid or casual follower of the Cerysmatic Factory Message Board, the discovery of a cache of original Factory Records master tapes by artists such as The Wendys, Northside, Section 25, X-O-Dus and Cath Carroll by Oli Wilson whilst clearing his dad's Loft won't have escaped your attention.

A number of the artists in question (the full list also includes Hopper, Fadela, The Railway Children and Thick Pigeon) have already posted on the thread or been in contact with Cerysmatic and/or Oli regarding the find.

In his message, Oli describes what's happened "When clearing my dads loft out I found lots of original master tapes from Factory Records releases over the years. I intend to return these to their rightful owners (the artist) or preferably I would like to put them into an archive in Manchester (whether this is Museum of Science and Industry or somewhere else I dont know yet)."

"I would rather store them as so far they have been kept in great condition by my old man and it would be great to keep them that way... have a feeling that if they aren't kept like that they would just gather dust and rot away in a studio!!!"

That the tapes have been lovingly looked after for all these years is not a surprise given their custodian. Of course, under Factory's infamous "no contract" policy, all the artists owned their own music and Factory "owned nothing".

It would be difficult to begrudge the reunion of the tapes with their rightful owners (particularly if rare and unreleased, or even un-re-released) material exists. However, the donation of such historically significant material to an institution such as MoSI has a nice ring to it. Perhaps there is scope for both to happen.

Now... where's Fadela!?

Labels: Factory_Records, Factory_Too, Fadela, labels, Northside, Oliver_Wilson, Section_25, The_Railway_Children, The_Wendys, Thick_Pigeon, X-O-Dus

In November 1987, Factory Records released FAC 197 N'Sel Fik by Fadela. Gayr at The Quarter Tone Zone explains the full story behind the release (including how Fadela's name is misspelt on the front cover in Arabic). N'Sel Fik is also apparently still available on the 1988 compilation Rai Rebels.

Labels: Factory_Records, Fadela

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