Originally released in May 1979 as Fac 6 on Factory Records, Electricity was OMD's debut single and featured production by Martin Hannett [->]. To celebrate the single's 40th anniversary, this new limited edition version will be pressed on ultra-clear vinyl and contains the original Hannett version of Electricity, as well as a brand new remix of Almost by Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure). Both tracks have been remastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road and the sleeve is an adaptation of the original black-on-black Peter Saville design. We hope that there were less problems at the printing works this time round.

The reissue is in addition to the other reproduction of Fac 6 contained in the Use Hearing Protection - Factory Records 1978-1979 box set.

Tracklisting

Electricity (Factory Records Version)
Almost (Vince Clarke Remix)

--

Buy it Now [->]

Labels: Martin_Hannett, OMD, Peter Saville, single, Vince_Clarke

Factory Benelux presents a limited edition vinyl album by Tunnelvision, the youthful Blackpool band who released cult single Fac 39 Watching the Hydroplanes on Factory Records in 1981. Just 500 copies have been pressed on clear vinyl, matching the original Factory release.

Formed in 1980, the sombre post-punk quartet were mentored by Section 25 before impressing Rob Gretton and Tony Wilson at an early New Order gig in Blackpool in September 1980. Two songs from their first demo were mixed by Martin Hannett at Britannia Row and released as a 7-inch single (Fac 39) in June 1981, sleeved by Martyn Atkins in an opulent sleeve referencing dictionaries and leather-bound books. After several more gigs with New Order and other Factory artists Tunnelvision taped a second strong demo, mixed for release by Peter Hook. However, the turbulent teenage band disintegrated before a second single emerged.

Newly remastered from the original analogue reels, Watching the Hydroplanes features includes all 8 tracks from their two Cargo demos, including the Hannett mixes of the title track and Morbid Fear. The set also features Emotionless, recorded live at Bristol Trinity Hall in March 1981.

The outer sleeve is printed using silver PMS with a matt varnish. The printed inner bag features new liner notes and an attractive facsimile flyer for a gig with New Order at the Forum, London, in May 1981.

Tracklisting

A1. Watching the Hydroplanes
A2. Morbid Fear
A3. Old Comrades
A4. Glenn Miller
A5. Emotionless

B1. The Man Who Would Be King
B2. 100 Men
B3. Guessing the Way
B4. Whitened Sepulchre

Labels: album, Factory_Benelux, Martin_Hannett, Martyn_Atkins, New_Order, Peter_Hook, Section_25, Tunnelvision, vinyl

Another day back in the cellar researching the AHW archives at the Museum of Science and Industry on Wednesday 15 November 2017 was very productive. Many thanks to Colin Torr for helping out. During this visit we targeted the legal documents from throughout the label's history plus a few other high value items.

On 19 July 1981, Tony Wilson wrote to Martin Hannett to explain how much money Factory owed the legendary producer who had fallen out with the label. Here is the full transcript of the letter:

----

Dear Martin,

I'm sorry it all had to end like this, but since this is the way you wish it then so be it . As of now Factory Communications Ltd ceases to exist. Efforts are being made even now to collect the totals of money remaining to you; obviously a little difficult with the FACT 40 outlay, but it seems that the approximate sum owed can be paid, probably within the week. It will clearly take some time for the accountants to come up with an exact figure, so to be going on with I have prepared a basic idea of the profits based on all records pressed by Factory between Jan 1st 1979 and July 17th 1981. You will remember that your share of the only record ever pressed before that date was in fact paid to you in the following year. Since many of the records which will fall into this pressing account have not yet been sold, the figure, though approximate, is also optimistic, but then why not be optimistic. Lets get down to figures.

For now we shall have to approximate running costs (bank charges, accountancy, legal fees, phone bills and all non record expenses) at a round figure of £10,000. This leaves from the period to FACT 25:

MATRIX	TOTAL PRESS	TOTAL AFTER BREAK EVEN	FAC PROFIT	TOTAL
FACT 10	77,523	72,000	55p	£39,600
FACT 25	145,091	135,000	55p	£74,250
FACT 14	14,000(?)	9,000	65p	£5,850
FAC 13(7)	38,245	24,000	10p	£2,400
FAC 13(12)	19,814	11,000	25p	£2,750
FAC 23	150,000(app)	142,000	10p	£14,200
FAC 23(12)	25,076	23,000	25p	£5,750
FAC 22	13,000(?)	10,000	27p	£2,700
FACUS 2 UK	70,000(?)	55,000(due to excess stock)	18p	£9,900

£160,600 of which your 20% is 32,120. I remind you that this is an approximate figure and may bear no relation to the final sum. In fact in my final calculations I don't think I have taken into account Factory's special J.D. deal, anyway it gives you a fair not to say generous idea. For the period after 25 there is only the ACR album which has sold around 15, 000 over the profit line making £9,750 and FAC 33 twelve inch. The stop (dead stop) in sales at 70,000 of the 7” after the chart rush made us press 150,000 has left no profit on the 7”, but then single profits are irrelevant anyway to the big album sales. For the 12” which has sold 25,000 we are looking at approx £5,000. 23.75% of £14,750 is £3,503.12. This would make your total earnings in your time as Factory director and partner as 35,623 which after subtracting the £6,000 already taken out leaves you with £29,623. This is significantly higher than I had got in my original workings, which is nice, cause I've earned the same amount as you so I feel pretty good, but I think it is a rather hesitant figure and I would not like you to feel it is sacrosanct. Until the accountant does the full monte on the accounts we would like to give you £25,000 with the remnant payable within four weeks if the accountant can manage it. I worked out what you would have made on a producers rate for the 261,000 albums 260,000 singles and 60,000 12”s and it comes to £23,970 which would leave you owed £18,000. In case you were interested.

As for any future sales of work done by you, either of back catalogue of of 40, 45, 50 in so much as certain parts were produced by you, in similar proportion you will be paid 2% of RRP less VAT as is usual, or if the mean average of your last three non-Factory contracts have a higher points base then we will honour that figure. As to your 23.75% of the company, the company of course ceases to exist and from tomorrow morning will become entirely worthless. According to the "Ian Adams" SPECIAL contract signed with Joy Division in 1980 and ACR AND DCOL later that same year, those three bands (the only ones whose tapes are worth anything,) have withdrawn all their work from Factory Records (AH Wilson trading as) and also FCL. Clearly as stated above you will be paid on a simple producers work rate for those records future sales. Seems pretty straightforward. Bye.

AHW

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, back_in_the_cellar, Joy_Division, Martin_Hannett, New_Order, Tony_Wilson

Factory Benelux presents The Invisible Girls (FBN 65 CD), a collection of rare and unreleased recordings by legendary new wave production duo Martin Hannett and Steve Hopkins (aka The Invisible Girls), most of them never before heard. It's out 2 February 2015 on CD and digital download.

Martin 'Zero' Hannett is the legendary Manchester producer famous for his work with Joy Division, Buzzcocks, New Order, Magazine and Happy Mondays. Steve Hopkins was his musical partner in The Invisible Girls, the floating studio collective that shaped epochal records by John Cooper Clarke, Pauline Murray, Nico and several others.

The first five tracks on the album are a selection of previously unreleased 'Moods' recorded at the famous Strawberry Studios between 1980 and 1987. "These were the beginnings of Martin’s Invisible Girls world domination plan," Hopkins explains. "The idea was to assemble a roster of key instrumental players, produce tracks to be fronted by different singers/stars - and get some hits!"

Other tracks include rare solo tracks by Hannett, collaborations with Section 25, Pauline Murray, Nico and Crispy Ambulance, as well as the complete soundtrack to All Sorts of Heroes, a short animated film from 1976 scored by Hannett and Hopkins.

The 74 minute album features detailed liner notes by Steve Hopkins and others, plus archive TIG images.

Tracklisting

1. Scandinavian Wastes
2. Huddersfield Wastes
3. Toy of a Toy
4. Time Is Slipping
5. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
6. Procession
7. Concorde Drone
8. Collective Project
9. First Aspect of the Same Thing
10. The Music Room
11. Second Aspect of the Same Thing
12. Space Music
13. Three Short Pieces for Trio
14. All Sorts of Heroes

More info and how to buy at factorybenelux.com.

Labels: Factory_Benelux, Martin_Hannett, The_Invisible_Girls

On 6 October 2014, Les Disques du Crépuscule presents a deluxe remastered edition of Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls, the debut album by post/punk icon Pauline Murray, produced by revered sonic architect Martin 'Zero' Hannett.

Recorded at the famous Strawberry Studios in July 1980, the album offered epic electronic pop written by Pauline and partner Robert Blamire and marked a radical departure from their shared past in pioneering punk band Penetration. "This is sophistication," enthused Paul Morley in NME. "Lovely songs of anxiety, malaise and self-doubt." According to Melody Maker the album was "unquestionably a musical highpoint of this year or any other."

As well producer/arrangers Martin Hannett and Steve Hopkins (aka the Invisible Girls), the album features a stellar cast of guest musicians including John Maher (Buzzcocks) and Vini Reilly (The Durutti Column). Indeed Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls presents almost a Factory record, exquisitely sleeved by Peter Saville and Trevor Key. Stand-out tracks include the popular singles Dream Sequence and Mr X, with the newly remastered Hannett tracks now augmented by a wealth of bonus material including non-album singles, b-sides and a John Peel session (1980).

The liner note is by Jon Savage. The double vinyl edition also includes a bonus CD featuring instrumental versions of all the album tracks (a must for students of Hannett's unique production sound), along with alternate takes of key singles.

"It's a bit of a missing link album," says Pauline today. "Written and recorded after punk, but before Martin Rushent and the Human League made airy pop respectable again. We chose the other Martin in 1980 because we wanted the incredible sounds he achieved for Joy Division and Magazine. Thundertunes, basically."

Vinyl album tracklisting (TWI 016)

Disc 1

A1. Screaming In the Darkness
A2. Dream Sequence
A3. European Eyes
A4. Shoot You Down
A5. Sympathy
A6. Time Slipping
B1. Drummer Boy
B2. Thundertunes
B3. When Will We Learn
B4. Mr X
B5. Judgement Day

Disc 2

C1. Searching for Heaven
C2. The Visitor
C3. Animal Crazy
C4. Dream Sequence II
C5. Two Shots
D1. Dream Sequence (Peel 3/1980)
D2. Shoot You Down (Peel 3/1980)
D3. Sympathy (Peel 3/1980)
D4. When Will We Learn (Peel 3/1980)

Disc 3 (bonus CD)

1. Two Shots (instrumental)
2. Mr X (instrumental)
3. Judgement Day (instrumental)
4. Thundertunes (instrumental)
5. When Will We Learn (instrumental)
6. Time Slipping (instrumental)
7. Sympathy (instrumental)
8. Shoot You Down (instrumental)
9. Drummer Boy (instrumental)
10. European Eyes (instrumental)
11. Screaming In the Darkness (instrumental)
12. Dream Sequence (instrumental)
13. Animal Crazy (long version)
14. Searching for Heaven (demo version)
15. Mr X (7" edit)
16. Dream Sequence (Amazon version)

Also available on double CD (TWI 016 CD) and digital download

Labels: Les_Disques_du_Crepuscule, Martin_Hannett, Pauline_Murray, Peter Saville, Trevor_Key

The Liverpool Radical Documentary Film Festival presents an evening dedicated to ground-breaking record producer and sound explorer Martin Hannett - 'The Man The Music The Machines' on Sunday 22 June 2014 at 7.30pm at Leaf, Bold Street, Liverpool.

The evening includes a screening of 'He wasn't just the 5th member of Joy Division', a film about Martin Hannett, an exhibition of Martin Hannett studio equipment and instruments and a Q&A session with film-maker Chris Hewitt.

Tickets are £5 on the door. After costs are covered, all money goes to the Hillsborough Justice Campaign.

Meanwhile, read the Flipside Review of the Martin Hannett DVD.

Labels: events, film, film_festival, Joy_Division, Martin_Hannett

In the wake of his surprise appearance at the recent Martin Hannett event in Manchester, we catch up with Kevin Hewick's upcoming live and recorded activity.

Brittle Heaven have released a new 4CD box set of The Sound featuring their three classic albums for Warner Brothers and their BBC sessions plus my songs recorded with them for the 1984 'Reality/Unreal' 12-inch EP on Cherry Red, including 'Plenty', the 1981 original of which was turned down by Tony Wilson because he said he wouldn't have "any Southern bands on Factory".

Kevin is one of many artists and associates interviewed on the new Martin Hannett documentary DVD by Chris and Tom Hewitt. Kev also had the honour of being the opening act on the Martin Hannett - The Redemption night at Manchester Gorilla on 10 April 2014.

Two Headed Snake Productions have made a video for 'A Young Man's Dream Of Revolution' from the 'The Heat Of Molten Diamonds' album. It was filmed on location in Leicester in Clarendon Park, on London Road and at The Exchange shopping precinct in Eyres Monsell days before it's partial demolition. Noam Chomsky makes a special guest appearance.

Upcoming live itinerary

19 April - Carnival Records, Great Malvern - from 2-3pm as part of Record Store Day.
7 June - Leicester Riverside Festival, acoustic tent at 5pm
21 June - Foxton Locks Festival on at 4pm
21 July - The Criterion, Leicester - the now infamous as-long-as-they-let-me-play set from 3.00pm to 5/6/7pm + depending
25 August - The Metropolitan, Bury with with Crispy Ambulance and Section 25

Labels: Cherry_Red, Kevin_Hewick, Martin_Hannett, Record_Store_Day, video

'Martin Hannett - Pleasures of the Unknown', a new book by Chris Hewitt will be published on 10 April 2014 by Ozit Morpheus Records. The companion piece to the soon-to-be-released Martin Hannett dvd, the book will present an illustrated anthology of Martin's life.

The book is available to pre-order now via ozitmorpheus.com.

Labels: book, Martin_Hannett

We have been privy to a sneak preview of the previously-announced Martin Hannett featuring contributions from Tony Wilson, Vini Reilly, Bruce Mitchell, Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Tosh Ryan, Steve Hopkins (Invisible Girls), Mark Radcliffe, Dave Formula, Reni and Andy Couzens (Stone Roses) plus many others.

This is no flash expensive BBC documentary, it's a gritty warts 'n' all tale of experimentation, laid bare with the minimum of trickery and a host of wide-eyed observers, interviewed from the '90s onwards - it's rather like witnessing a chat down the pub in some cases (this is no bad thing). There is a soundtrack of sorts, mainly confined to studio tape offcuts and a few videos of Hannett rubbing Wilson up the wrong way or, rather upsettingly, being wheeled around in a shopping trolley for a music video like an overfed turkey. Death was slowly coming by the time that infamous New FADS video hit the channels.

When all is said and done, Martin Hannett really wasn't just the fifth member of Joy Division, or the fourth in The Names or the third in Durutti Column - he was a pioneer in the mould of Joe Meek and Phil Spector, a one-off, a maverick and the like of whom we're unlikely to see, or hear, again. So, until someone at the Beeb gets off their arse and makes a high-end film about the man called Zero, this no-frills DVD will suffice.

Read the full 4* review by Cerysmatic's Paul Pledger via his Flipside Reviews.

Martin Hannett: He Wasn't Just The Fifth Member of Joy Division launches on 10 April from 7pm at Gorilla in Manchester.

For more details on pre-ordering please email ozitrecords@which.net.

Labels: Bruce_Mitchell, documentary, film, Joy_Division, Martin_Hannett, Peter_Hook, review, The_Durutti_Column, Tony_Wilson

... or the third member of The Durutti Column.

Martin Hannett was Factory Records' genius in-house producer, musician and sonic experimenter. A new 4-hour reportage-style documentary filmed over many years and to be released next year will explore his life in interviews with an extensive cast including Tony Wilson, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Bruce Mitchell, CP Lee, Tosh Ryan, Lindsay Reade, George Borowski, Kevin Hewick, Mick Middles, Victor Brox, Bob Dickinson, Julia Adamson, Reni, Andy Spearpoint (New FADS), Wendy Hannett, Vini Reilly, Tina Simmons, Bono (audio only) and Mark Radcliffe.

The project was conceived by Anthony Ryan Carter and initiated in the 90s with interviews carried out by Jon Ronson and Tosh Ryan. It was then shelved until being resurrected by Chris Hewitt and Tom Hewitt with new interviews carried out from 2009 to 2013 and is set for release on dvd in the spring.

Labels: documentary, film, Martin_Hannett

The Names, the Belgian new wave group best known for their classic recordings with Factory Records, Factory Benelux and Les Disques du Crépuscule release a new collection of studio material entitled 'In Time' via Factory Benelux on 10 February 2014.

In Time comprises selected tracks from two previous studio albums released in 1997 and 2009. Replete with striking cover art and typography by the master himself, Benoît Hennebert, the music is conceptually split into into contrasting 'day' and 'night' 'sides' with both dynamic modern rock songs and longer, more contemplative tracks.

Highlights include Halloween In June featuring Isabelle Antena on guest vocals and Zeroes which is the band's tribute to their late, original producer Martin Hannett.

In Time will available to buy via Factory Benelux mailorder.

Tracklist

Flesh Wounds
Halloween In June
I Am the Rain
This Teflon Skin
The Tether Ends Here
Wild World
Swimming
Zeroes
Friendly Fire
The Fall
In Time

--

Artist: The Names
Title: In Time
Label: Factory Benelux
Catalogue number: FBN112CD
Released: 10 February 2014
Format: CD

Labels: Factory_Benelux, Isabelle_Antena, Les_Disques_du_Crepuscule, Martin_Hannett, release, The_Names

Factory Benelux has finally announced full details and pricing of its new re-edition of the classic debut album by The Durutti Column, the enigmatically-titled 'The Return of The Durutti Column' originally released in the infamous sandpaper sleeve in 1980.

This new edition imagineers the narrative of the original FACT 14 edition on Factory Records. So, rather than some old LP sleeves with some 12" square sheets of sandpaper glued on on either side, there's an 11-inch square sheet of coarse glasspaper seated in a recessed deboss. And then there's the back cover which features period photographs Daniel Meadows.

The original Hannett 'Test Card' flexi-disc has been converted to a regular non-flexi-disc black vinyl 7" single and this brings commensurately better sound quality.

There are two bonus tracks on the main album itself, 'Madeleine' and 'Lips That Would Kiss' which previously came out on an FBN single in 1980.

Wrap that all up with liner notes with quotes from Vini Reilly, Martin Hannett, Tony Wilson, Peter Saville, Daniel Meadows, John Brierley, Bruce Mitchell and members of Joy Division and you have a very nice package thank you very much. It's all finished off in a plastic bag which will protect the other records in your collection.

The album will be available direct from Factory Benelux mailorder from the beginning of December, priced at 25.00 GBP including UK postage. EU please add 4.00 GBP for airmail post. Rest of the World add 6.00 GBP for airmail post. The album will be dispatched in strong cruciform mailer. All enquiries about the album release, postage, etc direct to Factory Benelux please!

Tracklisting

Side 1

1. Sketch for Summer
2. Requiem for a Father
3. Katharine
4. Conduct

Side 2
1. Beginning
2. Jazz
3. Sketch for Winter
4. Collette
5. In ‘D’
6. Lips That Would Kiss
7. Madeleine

Side 3

1. The First Aspect of the Same Thing

Side 4

1. The Second Aspect of the Same Thing

Labels: Factory_Benelux, Joy_Division, Martin_Hannett, Peter_Saville, release, The_Durutti_Column, Tony_Wilson, Vini_Reilly

After exploring the vaults of Factory Records in both Part 1 and Part 2, the third chapter in our Facs In The Attic series deals with the first overseas releases. We'll have a peek at Factory Benelux issues, old and new, plus round up a few interesting related items released on Belgian cousin Les Disques du Crepuscule.

Factory Benelux

Recently revived as part of the LTM empire (though run as a separate entity), Factory Benelux was a comparatively short-lived project that ran initially for eight years from 1980 to 1988. It could be argued that some of the label's earlier exclusive releases were superior to those issued by the same acts on Factory. Regardless, the value of most of the Benelux catalogue is encouraging - clearly the availability of many of the original FBN releases proved to be scarce in the UK at best, impossible at worst, making the label a hit with collectors.



The earliest singles by A Certain Ratio (Shack Up 7" - FBN 1-004), The Durutti Column (Lips The Would Kiss/Madeleine 7"/12" - FBN 2-005) and Section 25 (Charnel Ground / Haunted 7") all fetch around £15-£20 depending on seller, while further later exclusives by Crispy Ambulance (Live On a Hot August Night 12" - FACBN 4), Section 25 (Je Veux Ton Amour 7" - FACBN 5) and Crawling Chaos (Gas Chair LP - FACBN 6) weigh in from anything between £20 and £50 (for the latter) - these need to be in mint condition to achieve those prices.

Other highlights from the catalogue (now with a shorter FBN prefix) include The Names' sprightly Calcutta 7"/12" at around £15-£20, two further Section 25 releases, Key Of Dreams LP (FBN 14 - £35) and Crazy Wisdom 12" (FBN 45 - £25), two Minny Pops records, Time 7" (FBN 11 - £30) and Sparks In a Dark Room (FBN 15 - up to £50!), two Stockholm Monsters 12" singles Miss Moonlight (FBN 19 - £15) and How Corrupt Is Rough Trade? (FBN 46 - £15) and the original pressing of Durutti Column's wistful Deux Triangles 12" EP (FBN 10 - £30), all of which were only pressed in the Low Countries.

Remaining releases from the initial tenure can be found priced upwards of £10, even those that seemingly match Factory UK singles and albums. However, such as in the case of Swamp Children's So Hot LP (FBN 21 - £20) and Quando Quango's Love Tempo (FBN 23 - £20-£30), a different sleeve can increase collectibility somewhat.

The new, all-sparkly, Factory Benelux label, revived in 2013, has already notched up one rarity - the limited 1000 copies edition of Durutti Column's Short Stories For Pauline (FBN 36) has already prompted a few chancers on Discogs to charge upwards of £30 for a copy.

Les Disques du Crepuscule

Cousin Les Disques du Crepuscule (originally based in Brussels) didn't release a lot of music by Factory artists but occasionally licensed material by a few of the acts and vice versa.



Wim Mertens

You may remember one Wim Mertens from Part 2 of our Facs In The Attic series - £200 for a cassette version of Educes Me should jog your memory. His Belgium catalogue is extensive to say the least but his early Crepuscule releases are also worth a small bankroll (most have admittedly been re-issued on EMI, but original vinyls still command decent prices). For vinyl issued under the collective name Soft Verdict, you can expect to cough up a small mortgage for The Power Of Theatrical Madness 12" (TWI 283 - £50), Maximizing The Audience on 12" (12 TWI 580 - £25), its attendant double-album of the same name (TWI 480 - £20 upwards) and the debut-album For Amusement Only (TWI 049 - £50 upwards). Albums under the Wim Mertens moniker aren't a lot cheaper with perhaps the scariest value being attributed to his (count 'em) 6 CD set Play For Me (TWI 831-2 - £100 average) and the 13 CD set Moment (TWI 1980 - £400).

Anna Domino

Rather more modest is Anna's fine catalogue of dark earthy and intelligent pop. Original vinyl versions of the albums East Meet West (TWI 187) and This Time (TWI 777) can fetch £10 upwards, while her 7" single Trust In Love (TWI 177) hits £15 regularly online, sometimes more.

Cabaret Voltaire

Providers of FAC 82 (Yashar), Cabaret Voltaire issued rather more records for their Belgian friends, including the landmark Three Crepuscule Tracks 12" EP, which includes Sluggin' Fer Jesus (TWI 007 - £10), Fools Game/Gut Level (TWI 120 - £10), the bleeptastic What Is Real on CD single (TWI 948-2 - £12) and the not dissimilar mini-album Percussion Force on CD (TWI 951-2 - £20).

Devine & Statton

OK, not strictly a Factory artist but the Ludus/Young Marble Giants-related pair have a connection - their acoustic cover of New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle, issued as a 12" EP in 1989. TWI 908 was pressed in seemingly short supply and promptly deleted, just as it started to pick up airplay on Radio 1 evening shows. It's worth around £15 in mint condition.

The Durutti Column

Vini Reilly's music probably appeared on more Crepuscule compilations than actual headlining releases but DC did issue a couple. Both on CD, Fidelity (TWI 976-2) and a re-jigged Circuses and Bread (previously issued on Factory Benelux FBN 36 and Factory FACD 154, now called Bread and Circuses) (TWI 988-2) can raise you about £10-£15.

The Names

Responsible for one of Factory's most-revered 7" (Nightshift), The Brussels-based outfit not surprisingly booked themselves a place on their home-label with two releases. The Names' Martin Hannett-produced Swimming LP (TWI 065) can earn you £20-£25 for a top copy while the 12" The Astronaut (TWI 111) came in two colours, black and green vinyl. The former is worth about £10, the green about double.

Thick Pigeon

The quirky outfit's Two Crazy Cowboys album on Factory isn't their only money-spinner worth seeking out - two of their 7" singles are too. Subway (TWI 023) is one of the label's defining moments and is worthy of a £20 note while Dog/Tracy and Pansy (TWI 108) is worth around £10.

Various Artists

There isn't enough space to mention the Crepuscule compilations blessed with the presence of a Factory artist but we'll mention just one that is seriously worth having. From Brussels With Love (TWI 007 and TWI 008, depending on version) sports tracks by The Durutti Column, Martin Hannett (solo track), The Names, A Certain Ratio and a collaboration between Kevin Hewick and New Order. Early copies cost £25 on average (it's a double album) or as little as a tenner for a re-press (or the LTM CD reissue). The original cassette in PVC pouch with booklet is upwards of £25.

Prices quoted are from Discogs, eBay, sightings in shops and other online sources.

You can find new releases and further information on forthcoming projects on Factory Benelux here and Les Disques du Crepuscule here

The final part of Facs In The Attic will deal with other international releases and non-audio Facollectables!

Labels: Anna_Domino, Cabaret_Voltaire, Crispy_Ambulance, Factory_Benelux, Les_Disques_du_Crepuscule, Martin_Hannett, Minny_Pops, Section_25, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Durutti_Column, The_Names, Thick_Pigeon, Wim_Mertens

Interest in antiques and collectables is currently experiencing something of a renaissance - blame the TV all you want but the Bargain Hunts, Flog Its and Antiques Roadshows of this world have all inspired many of us to reassess our prized possessions with a little more confidence, as opposed to slinging our 'tat' out with the week's rubbish.

Yet to appear on any of these shows are Factory Records collectables, although the nearest related item recently presented for valuation was on the ubiquitous Antiques Roadshow - a copy of Sex Pistols' God Save The Queen included in a 'guess the value' spot that garnered a nervous cough from Fiona Bruce when it was revealed that the rare 7" was worth over £10,000.

Sadly (or perhaps, happily), nothing on Factory commands such sums but there are a few treasures to be found. Here's our guide to the most valuable items to be found christened with a FAC or FACT number. We haven't included any posters, videos, egg-timers, bits of the Hacienda floor, Peter Hook's plectrums or anything else non-audio. Most of the items mentioned are worth more than £10 in mint or near-mint condition (that's minus fingerprints and without half the sleeve being used for illicit drug use), according to Record Collector and the Discogs* website.

Factory Benelux and Les Disques du Crepuscule rarities by Factory artists will be looked at a later date. So, without further ado and in no particular order...

Joy Division



Arguably the label's most revered band, JD may have sold thousands of records over the years but many are worth a decent amount. The big hitters include the first vinyl pressings of Unknown Pleasures (FACT 10) with its textured inner and outer sleeves (£50), the original hessian double-vinyl edition of Still (FACT 40) at £70 and all three of the band's albums in those lovely purple cassette boxes, valued at approximately £35 a pop. Not surprisingly, Love Will Tear Us Apart doesn't represent a rare item since it's sold shed-loads in numerous formats since its 1980 release. However, there's a respectable £8-£10 price tag on the original 12" (FAC23-12).

New Order



As with Joy Division, New Order's catalogue has been immensely popular over the years and isn't as rare as you may think. But dig deep and you'll unearth a few pricey gems. CD video collectors will be aware of the band's foray into this maligned format, namely Blue Monday '88 (FACDV 73R) and True Faith (FACDV 183), both of which command £50 or £30 respectively, the metallic CD edition of the Brotherhood album (FACD150SP) comes in at £25 and the rare 7" version of Thieves Like Us (in a turquoise generic bag - FAC 103) warrants a spend of £15. Vinyl editions of all of their Factory albums pitch in at around the £15 - £25 with Substance (FACT 200) worth around £30. The aforementioned boxed-cassette albums are also worth in excess of £15. Our image above depicts the hard-to-find Christmas flexi-disc (FAC51b) - provided you haven't sat on it or played it more than once, you'll be hard-pressed to find one for less than £20 these days. Blue Monday on vinyl is a priceless record that will fetch you a tenner if you've a copy in mint condition with the die-cut sleeve and silver inner, otherwise it's a fiver at most.

Durutti Column



Vini Reilly's elegiac history is also worth collecting, especially earlier vinyl releases. The infamous Return of the Durutti Column album (FACT 14) was initially housed in a collection-wrecking sandpaper sleeve and came with a flexi-disc featuring producer Martin Hannett instrumentals. Complete and original pressings can be worth anything from £200 a go, such is their rarity value. A proposed replica re-issue by Factory Benelux in the coming months will do little to bring this price down but it should make availability of an incredible piece of art all the more easier. DC's other money-spinners include all of the boxed-cassette albums at around £35 each and the super Vini Reilly album (FACT 244) with the bonus Steven and Vini 7" (or CD, depending on format), priced at a healthy £45 complete.

Section 25



Blackpool's finest are no strangers to expensive valuations either. Their debut-single Girls Don't Count (FAC 18), produced by Ian Curtis, is a great place to start - the easier-to-find 12" (with three different sleeves) can fetch £15 upwards while the tracing-paper housed 7" edition is worth around £25 in a downwind. But it's the band's albums that strike gold. Always Now (FACT 45, with the poster) and From The Hip (FACT 90, with orange inner sleeve) can raise over £25 each, while both boxed-cassette album versions are a heady £80 - £100! Section 25's last Factory album Love and Hate (FACT 160) is keenly priced from £18 by Record Collector, although the same magazine has omitted the band's landmark 12" Looking From a Hilltop (FAC 108) - I've seen copies on sale from £10 upwards.

A Certain Ratio



The first outfit to release a single on Factory, A Certain Ratio's rarities a little more modest in price than most but there are plenty of them. A sticker bearing the legend 'pressed on poor quality vinyl' is enough to have purchasers running for the hills but ACR's All Night Party 7" (FAC 5) bears the very same wording on its sleeve, making it something of a collectable at £25. The band's next release is also worth a few quid, namely The Graveyard and the Ballroom (FACT 16C). The original came packaged in a PVC style wallet with a card insert and fetches anything from £20 upwards. Rather rarer is the boxed-cassette version that appeared a few years later, along with reissues of The Old and the New (FAC 135c) and Force (FAC 166c), all of which can earn you £25 each. Finally, absent from Record Collector's latest guide, due to them being overseas pressings, are The Double Twelve Inch (FAC 42 - contains Flight and Do The Du 12" together in a gatefold sleeve) and the Australian 12" release of Bootsy (FAC 166-12). Both are currently on sale at around £12.

Happy Mondays



And finally in our first instalment of Facs In The Attic, Happy Mondays. As with New Order and Joy Division, the Mondays shipped a fair few units in their time but were initially an unknown force, hence the decent earners from the first half of their career. Debut single Delightful (FAC 129) is understandably collectable and fairly difficult to find in decent condition (or in any quantity outside of the North West). Expect to fork out £10 upwards for a decent copy (RC keenly aims for a £40 price-tag!). Their first album Squirrel and G-Man (FACT 170) is collectable on both vinyl and cassette formats - the former should come in a PVC outer-sleeve with the album's title printed on it and the Beatles-sampling (and withdrawn) track Desmond included (£25). The boxed-cassette version, with or without Desmond, can command over £30. If you own a UK copy of the Pills Thrills and Bellyaches album (FACT 320) with its withdrawn 'sweets' sleeve, you'll be justified in flogging it for £20.

Next time, in part 2 of Facs In The Attic, we study the acts with smaller catalogues, the one-offs and the unlikeliest of rarities.

(* Discogs is a catalogue listing site with an active marketplace for music formats - prices can be, er, ambitious. Cerysmatic holds no responsibility for anyone paying £500 for an Adventure Babies white label).

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Blue_Monday, Closer, Facs_in_the_Attic, Factory_Benelux, Happy_Mondays, Joy_Division, Les_Disques_du_Crepuscule, Martin_Hannett, New_Order, Section_25, Substance, The_Durutti_Column, Unknown_Pleasures, Vini_Reilly

Check out Paul Pledger's review (via Allgigs) of the latest offering from Ozit Morpheus, a retrospective of the production and musical artist output of the late Martin Hannett including musical and spoken word content from John Cooper Clarke, George Borowski, Bernard Sumner, Pete Farrow, Peter Hook and Hannett himself.

As Paul notes, of particular interest to Factory aficionados are the brief chunks of reworkings of The Durutti Column's Self Portrait (given a powerful syndrum overhaul), Calcutta by The Names and Hannett's own The Music Room, not to mention First and Second Aspect of the Same Thing flexidisc tracks.

Tracklisting

Disc One

1. Martin and John Cooper Clarke - quick verbal quip
2. Office in a Bottle - Martin on vocals, synths along with John Hurst and Diane
3. Martin on synths, metronome, etc.
4. Martin on syndrums
5. Martin on synths, etc.
6. Bernard Sumner talks about Martin
7. Martin on Synths, etc.
8. Martin - strange piano mix
9. Martin on Synths, etc.
10. Martin plays bass
11. Chrysler - Belt and Braces
12. Benavila - Belt and Braces
13. Joe Smith - Belt and Braces
14. Derry - Belt and Braces
15. Trouble in A Major - Pete Farrow
16. Hold On - Pete Farrow
17. Sailaway - Pete Farrow
18. Maybe he’ll - Pete Farrow
19. Old Man’s song - Pete Farrow

Disc Two
1. Hooky talks about Martin
2. Manchester Boys - George Borowski
3. Who is Innocent - George Borowski
4. Dangerous City - George Borowski
5. Giant - Belt and Braces
6. Questions - Belt and Braces
7. Grapes - Belt and Braces
8. Money - Belt and Braces
9. Banks of The Dee - Belt and Braces
10. Chains - Belt and Braces

Maverick Producer Genius and Musician - Martin Hannett is available to buy direct from Ozit Morpheus.

Labels: Martin_Hannett, review, The_Durutti_Column, The_Names

The Music Artefact Exhibition featuring Joy Division and John Peel related artefacts is back at Heywood Library foyer for around six weeks. Admission is totally free.

The exhibition covers the links between recording studios in Heywood and Rochdale recording studios, Joy Division and John Peel is back in the foyer of Heywood Library foyer by popular demand. It was originally opened by Peter Hook and Chris Hewitt on 23 September 2009 on the day of the unveiling of two new music blue plaques. The exhibition could only run until early November owing to prior commitments by the library display area.

But now it is back for another six weeks and includes exhibits about the musical heritage of Heywood and Rochdale, links to John Peel and Joy Division (including equipment used by them and Martin Hannett), the history of the Seven Stars as a music venue, other local rock groups, Wigwam Acoustics, the Imaginary record label, Deeply Vale Festivals and much more.

Heywood Library
Church Street
Heywood
OL10 1LL

Labels: artefacts, Chris_Hewitt, Heywood, Joy_Division, Martin_Hannett, Peter_Hook, Rochdale

LTM releases 'Dirty Disco', the first 'best of' collection from Section 25 this March.

It marks 30 years of SXXV and features tracks from all phases, line-ups and albums, as well as an exclusive new 'lounge' version of 'Knew Noise'.

Featured producers include Martin Hannett, Bernard Sumner, Donald Johnson and Ian Curtis.

The booklet includes archive images, an SXXV appreciation by John Robb, 15 tracks and 67 minutes of music.

--

LTMCD 2515 'Dirty Disco (Best Of)
Release date: March 2008

Tracklisting

Knew Noise
Up To You
Dirty Disco
New Horizon
Haunted
Wretch
Sakura
Warhead
Beating Heart
Looking From A Hilltop (Remix)
Reflection
Bad News Week
Power Base
Winterland II
Knew Noise (Lounge Version)

Available direct from LTM and in good record shops priced 10.00 GBP.

Labels: Bernard_Sumner, Donald_Johnson, Ian_Curtis, Martin_Hannett, Section_25

Visionary producer Martin Hannett is remembered by New Order (Stephen Morris and Peter Hook) and AHW in a detailed four-page article in the latest issue of Record Collector by Hardeep Phull. In this extract Hooky looks back on Martin's life and times: "He was a genius in the way he treated things. He showed us a different way of doing things which was ultimately more rewarding. The unfortunate thing about Martin's death was that he had been clean for a few years before hand, but he'd already damaged his heart. He actually died moving house. So there hangs a moral for us all: don't move house."

Record Collector
June 2005
Issue 311
3.50 GBP

Labels: Martin_Hannett, New_Order, Peter_Hook, Record_Collector

The Third Member of The Durutti Column was a video package made to commemorate the re-release of the first batch of Factory Once Durutti Column albums. It also celebrates "the founding role of legendary producer Martin Hannett. It was Martin's idea to take a lone genius guitarist and by providing a unique aural/noise/rhythm background, allow this boy Vini to make great music and express himself on record". The video itself is a film by Tosh Ryan about Hannett's life and work.

The Martin Hannett Biography Project by William and Anna is a great resource for all things Hannett-related.

Labels: Factory_Once, labels, Martin_Hannett, The_Durutti_Column, Tosh_Ryan

Factory has two connections to the "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy: Andy Serkis plays Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, as well as Martin Hannett in Fac 401 24 Hour Party People. Quite a difference in the two roles!

Viggo Mortensen not only plays Aragorn in the Rings trilogy, but also plays Jerome Staple in the film "Salvation!" that Factory artists such as New Order and The Hood did the soundtrack for (Fact 182). Thanks to Mike Stein for help on this one.

Labels: 24_Hour_Party_People, Andy_Serkis, Martin_Hannett, Viggo_Mortensen

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