The PKRP Favourite Cerysmatic Factory Playlist is available now via Spotify and Apple Music for your musical factorial edification and here are the Playlist Sleevenotes:

Wim Mertens - No Plans No Projects

A prolific minimalism composer from small-town Belgium doesn't sound like a typical place to start a Factory Records playlist. But then No Plans No Projects isn't a typical Wim Mertens piece either. Built around a simple keyboard refrain, this superb track from the Educes Me album bursts into life around halfway through with LOUD synths and portentous piano. Mertens's other contribution to Factory was the soundtrack to Peter Greenaway's arthouse movie The Belly Of An Architect (Fact 195), while Educes Me holds the accolade of having one of the most sought after (and expensive) formats - the boxed cassette in the yellow case has been known to fetch up to a £200!

OMD - Almost (Hannett Mix)

The Wirral duo's sprightly iconic debut single Electricity has always been a favourite of mine, but this lo-fi Hannett mix of its attendant b-side has stayed with me since its release. Electricity has just been reissued in a new sleeve with a Vince Clarke remix of Almost on the b-side - it should have been the main attraction, not relegated to a flip. I've always liked the strange hissing sound and off-beat drum machine, the plaintive sorrowful lyric and vocal, Saville's braille sleeve and of course the fact Tony Wilson released the single for his then wife Lindsay. It really should have been a double a-side. Either track could have been a hit with a spread of radio play.

Joy Division - These Days

All those amazing and iconic album-tracks and I go and pick an often-overlooked b-side - is this bloke for real? Thing is, Love Will Tear Us Apart will always be one of the most important singles ever and needs no introduction. You'd need a heart of estuary mud to hate it. But tucked away on side two of both formats is what I consider to be one of three very important Joy Division tracks and the link to where the band were heading at the time. Isolation, Decades and These Days demonstrate the band's increased interest in electronics at the time, before Ian's sad demise. Almost 40 years on and still nothing on Movement comes close to any track on the second JD album Closer, with the possible exception of the synth-layered Doubts Even Here, but head to New Order's sophomore set Power Corruption and Lies and preceding single Everything's Gone Green and the link becomes a little more obvious. I love how this song bustles along - great drumming and driving bass from Morris and Hook.

Fadela - N'Sel Fik

Back in the '80s, when global sounds permeated the curious music-lover's conscience via John Peel's interest, Peter Gabriel's Real World and related WOMAD festivals, the public remained a bit nonplussed with the emotional synth-pomp of North African Rai. Wonderfully off-kilter and at odds with typical 4/4 beats being peddled across the pond, N'Sel Fik became a frequently dropped track at the more eclectic parties in Manchester and London. It's tenuous link to rave-culture is derived from the opening line of Fadela's lovely song being lifted and dropped onto "We Are E", a huge breakbeat tune issued in 1991. I suspect the originator was less than pleased with being associated with 'being on one' but it's a decent enough and sought after hardcore banger. Fac 197 itself remains a regular go-to when I'm playing out.

The Durutti Column - What Is It To Me (Woman)

In truth, I could have picked dozens of DC tracks to pop on this playlist but What Is It To Me (Woman) has always captivated me. It demonstrates everything great about the interplay between guitarist Vini Reilly, drummer Bruce Mitchell and attendant guests, including harmonica maestro Rob Gray. Taken from the Stephen Street-produced The Guitar and Other Machines (Fact 204) released in 1987, this track has aged very well and benefits from not being quite so drum-heavy as other tracks on the otherwise pin-sharp GOTM. It's more future jazz than art-rock (or whatever The Durutti Column were being tagged in those days) and is as contemporary as anything in Reilly's enviable and essential canon.

Marcel King - Reach For Love (NY Remix)

For a short spell in Factory's existence, the label acted as a springboard for soulful club tracks with a house twist. Soon-to-be M People luminary Mike Pickering made a decent fist of it with his Quando Quango project (Genius is just that, Love Tempo and Atom Rock were also rightfully regarded), while Section 25, New Order and A Certain Ratio embraced new technology to create the likes of Looking From a Hilltop, The Perfect Kiss and Life's A Scream. Straight out of the blocks came this bruising rework of former Sweet Sensation, er, sensation Marcel King's glorious Reach For Love. Velveteen vocals and a big-stringed 'n' synthed-up arrangement were given an overhaul by revered producer Mark Kamins, who coincidentally had mixed two of the aforementioned Quando singles. Its flip-side Keep On Dancin' was a favourite of mine for a while but this song translates better when pumped through a decent sound-system. Great record.

X-O-Dus - See Them A Come

When it came to sound-system mixes, reggae dub-lord Dennis Bovell certainly fitted the bill. The great man's deft touch can be found on one of the most collectable 12" on Factory, X-O-Dus's epic English Black Boys (Fac 11). It's such a shame that an album never materialised after such a fine landmark debut record, although LTM Records did curate a rather fetching round-up of studio material some years back. My personal preference, as with many Factory singles, is its speaker-scaring b-side See Them a Come. This is some serious heavyweight material and when piped through a capable mixing desk, is eight straight minutes of pure rib-cage rattling reggae euphoria.

Kalima - Take It Easy

I've got a soft spot for the unsung Kalima, a soul-jazz collective born out of the remains of the rather more avant-garde Swamp Children. Along the way, Kalima issued a handful of unjustly ignored singles like The Smiling Hour, Whispered Words and Weird Feelings, as well as a string of albums that had one foot in the golden age of crooners and one in the latter day Acid Jazz age. The band's final Factory album Feeling Fine (Fact 249) is perhaps their most consistent, least 'trad' set and includes some remarkable musicianship and decent songs, including this cracker. Languid, woozy and slinky, Take It Easy surpasses the album's curious single choice Shine and, in fact, most of the band's mostly likeable catalogue.

Section 25 - Inspiration

One of the first Factory albums recommended to me by one Nick Clarke who ran Rhythm Records in Plymouth during the early to mid '80s was Section 25's crystalline From The Hip. Fact 90 remains one of my all-time favourite LPs and still sounds timeless to this day. When most synth acts from the decade pummelled the hell out of our earholes with leaden drums, the Blackpool outfit wove featherlight beats with hopeful and er, inspirational songs that took the band to another level. many cite the single Looking From a Hilltop as the key track on this album but I'm positive that this epic closer made far better use of the available New Order-donated technology.

Stockholm Monsters - Partyline

The original scallies and Perry guys and gals weren't afraid to get all controversial and political on our asses with songs like How Corrupt Is Rough Trade?, Your Uniform and this stunning electro post-romantic belter. Issued as a 12" only, one can't help thinking that a radio 7" might, MIGHT, just have landed the Stockies with a minor cult hit back in the day. Somewhat unlike their usual edgy alternative jangle-pop, Partyline is the sort of tune that Pet Shop Boys or New Order might have made if they'd upped the speedball dosage at a Top of the Pops rehearsal. I love this record. Its flipside, Militia, is also essential, making this one of those archetypal Factory singles that works on both sides.

The Railway Children - Brighter

And here's another landmark single. Wigan's oft-forgotten songsmiths The Railway Children knocked out several sprightly singles and a pair of decent albums for both Factory and latterly Virgin Records. Brighter sported great b-sides in History Burns and Careful and sounded like a Top 10 hit all summer long. Great sleeve from Johnson Panas too. How, HOW, did this not strike a chord with the then radio DJs? It still sounds like a burst of summer some thirty years later.

The Wake - Torn Calendar

Melancholy is something that Factory Records was very good at. In Scotland's The Wake, they had it in litres. The band's debut album was Harmony, a solemn post-punk postscript that inadvertently invented twee-pop without actually being 'pop', while celebrated single Talk About The Past earned plaudits aplenty from media to fanbase. But it was the peerless much-delayed Here Comes Everybody LP that really put The Wake amongst the indie pigeons. The entire album is nothing short of a sad-face masterpiece, with the slightly trippy pretty Torn Calendar leading the field of many many centrepieces and would-be singles.

The Names - I Wish I Could Speak Your Language

My first non-JD/NO Factory single purchase was Fac 29, the exemplary Nightshift by Brussels-based rock 'n darkwavers The Names. Along with its powerful boundary-crossing flip I Wish I Could Speak Your Language, here was a 7" single that delivered some of Martin Hannett's most brutal production, without compromising the band's delicate and austere lyricism. Everything about this song demonstrates everything about those involved - the huge smash-snare drums typified by Hannett's dextrous hands, urbane almost paranoid lyrics and subtle uses of synth and guitar hooks. The Names' track record might not have spawned 'hits', but their concise canon contains few misses.

New Order - Everything's Gone Green

This is the record that kickstarted indie dance-music, no arguments. The likes of Franz Ferdinand, LCD Soundsystem, Friendly Fires and The Rapture probably wouldn't have had their 15 seconds / minutes / hours / years of exposure without this truly majestic record. It doesn't say or do much but it does everything. Never mind Blue Monday or Temptation, Everything's Gone Green remains New Order's first active foray into disco hi-hats and club mixes. Extended for a Factory Benelux 12" with new b-sides, EGG is not only one of New Order's most important records, it remains a masterclass by Martin Hannett who was ultimately swiftly spurned by band and label soon after they'd figured out how he operated his studio toys. Its attendant double 'A' Procession is also prime New Order material from the Movement sessions.

John Dowie - Idiot

Often dismissed as too surreal but revered by the likes of Stewart Lee (and myself), Birmingham's rather edgy humourist looked a bit like Jasper Carrott but couldn't have been more different. His attachment to Factory was all too brief with just three odd grin-worthy vignettes on the label's very first release, the double-7" A Factory Sample, and a lone headline single, the somewhat pub-singalong It's Hard To Be An Egg coupled with its 'visual' flip Mime Sketch. All five Factory tracks formed part of his then live poetry shows and were finally gathered together with his half-dozen Virgin label EP tracks and a slew of hilarious live tracks on the album An Arc of Hives. "I'm the kind of idiot who always ends a sentence with question. Don't I?" - we've all met someone like it and there are even more of Dowie's Idiots around nowadays.

Happy Mondays - Weekends

My first encounters with the Mondays were the Factory 'Supertent' gathering in Finsbury Park in 1987 when the band performed a somewhat chaotic set wearing huge parka jackets and puffing on suspect smoking material and the passable single Delightful, aka the Forty-Five E.P. I've always been of the opinion that Ryder's charges were more talented than people gave them credit (or abuse) for. But Delightful didn't help their cause. The two b-sides however certainly did, especially the song Oasis which eventually ended up in re-recorded form on their debut album Squirrel and G-Man 24 Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out). Recorded with a certain John Cale, 24 Hr (etc, etc) is an unexpected funky treasure in Factory's late canon. Perhaps a little more grown-up than the more familiar Madchester material, the gritty street funk of Kuff Dam (Mad Fuck backwards) and Tart Tart became a regular go-to for me at parties, as did Weekends (or Weekend S as it appears on some copies). Its odd galloping rhythm and barbed lyrics is short, sweet and might have made a hit-single in a parallel universe.

Minny Pops - Dolphin's Spurt

Dutch semi-industrialists with a near 7ft tall singer might not sound very Factory, but Minny Pops's brief honeymoon in Manchester spawned two pin-sharp electro-dance singles and an album for sister-label Factory Benelux. With the man Hannett at the helm for this single, both sides of the Dolphin's Spurt 7" are on point to this day, danceable and timeless, littered with its producer's trademark effects and atmospherics and lyrically insistent, nagging and a little confrontational. It's almost impossible to make out the words spat out by singer Wally van Middendorp but who cares? He's bigger than all of us.

Royal Family and the Poor - Visions

Liverpool's Mike Keane was the north-west's resident anarchic occultist, renouncing conventional mass-media and musical practice in favour of creating early demos and live shows of ritualistic chants, highly charged howling and the odd song here and there. After a few personal struggles, Keane's Factory output remains something of a treasure chest. Debut single Art on 45 was a sort of funky My Favourite Things and has since been given the nod by Maximo Park's Paul Smith and first album Temple of the 13th Tribe had a helping hand from Peter Hook and Stockholm Monsters' Lita Hira. For me though, sophomore set We Love The Moon - the Project Phase 2 continues to be Keane's masterpiece. Recorded with Pink Industry's Ambrose Reynolds, WLTM includes the superb Pagan Way (which still isn't on Spotify after all this time) and the 'hit' Visions, a glorious example of Keane's occasional foray into sensitive pop songs.

The Distractions - Time Goes By So Slow

Rightly acclaimed as one of Factory's most charming and rewarding singles, Time Goes By Slow was issued just after the band had already signed to Island. Musically and lyrically embedded in both '60s pop charm a la Adam Faith or The Hollies and post-punk favourites Buzzcocks, The Distractions followed up TGBSS with a handful of singles and a long-forgotten album Nobody's Perfect before taking a lengthy hiatus into the 21st century. More recently, the band have been busy writing and recording for Exeter-based indie Occultation, including the rather splendid sophomore album The End Of The Pier. For me, Fac 12 remains one of Factory Records' most important and timeless early singles.

A Certain Ratio - Waterline

A staple of the band's live set to this day, the funky near-instrumental Waterline was and still is a bit of a game-changer. Unmistakably ACR, the exclusively recorded Fac 52 single ushered in their post-Hannett future with an ankle-deep bassline, vocodered vocals, tight handclap drums and some speaker-bothering effects and atmospherics. Alongside the attendant album Sextet, Waterline with its bonged up and dubbed out flip Funaezekea turned the conventional Brit-funk sounds and ideals into the unconventional. And you can't get a much more unconventional ending to a track than the final 45 seconds on this 12".

- sleevenotes by Paul Pledger/Flipside Reviews for Cerysmatic Factory

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Happy_Mondays, John_Dowie, Joy_Division, Kalima, Minny_Pops, New_Order, OMD, Section_25, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Distractions, The_Names, The_Railway_Children, The_Wake, Wim_Mertens, X-O-Dus

Where do you start?

It's big? 15" x 15" x 5" is a little oversized for the average shelf.

It's quite expensive? Yes, but with some justification.

It has limited appeal? Maybe, but those who are invested will love it.

It's breathtaking.

When this box was first announced in August, I had no hesitation in ordering it. Whilst costing more than I would normally spend (I thought the deluxe version of 'Movement' a little on the high side) the contents, the book, the music, the posters, the CD and DVD promised a treasure trove of riches most could only dream of owning, despite being copies.



It's worth noting on this point that where things are facsimiles, they are to the highest degree, for example, FAC-2 is in a proper heat sealed sleeve rather than a card or paper one. FAC 6 is in a replica black-on-black thermographic braille sleeve. Clearly no expense has been spared in the production of this box celebrating greatest of all record labels.

Opening the high quality box very carefully the first thing you see is the 12x12" 60-page paperback book. With new text by the curator, James Nice, and some rare full-size photographs mixed with quotes from various sources, this focuses on the content of the box and reprints an original 1979 article by the future filmmaker and screenwriter Mary Harron. My initial intention was to have a quick skim through the book before moving on to the contents of the box, but found myself being drawn in and studying it in detail for a long time.



Nestled between the book and the first couple of pieces of vinyl are the 3 posters and other paper-based artefacts (FAC 1, FAC 3, FAC 4, FAC 7 and FAC 8).

The posters I've not opened out yet and, to be honest, I'm a little scared of doing so as I don't want to damage them at all as I am contemplating having them framed. The stationery is interesting, especially the copy of the 'History of Factory' double-sided piece of A4 originally typed up by Tony Wilson. When it comes to Linder Sterling's Factory Egg Timer print it's something of a curio. Indeed it's probably something that will get passed over during the first examination by most people, but it's essential as not only is it one of the first 10 items with a Factory catalogue number, it's so off the wall you can't imagine any other record company encouraging the idea of such a thing… which in itself is what makes Factory so special.

Moving on to the vinyl, as mentioned these are facsimiles of the originals. A Factory Sample, All Night Party, Electricity, Unknown Pleasures and the previously unreleased 3-track 12" by Tiller Boys. Other than the Joy Division album (the 2015 master), all of the other tracks have freshly been remastered at Abbey Road this year from the original tapes.

I must confess, that when listening to 'A Factory Sample' I realised what a bad 'fan' I am. Other than the Joy Division and Cabaret Voltaire tracks I'd never actually heard the other tracks on the debut EP, never having owned it before. Whilst I was listening to the first disc I looked at what was in the charts on 24 December 1978 when it was released… Boney M were No 1 with 'Mary's Boy Child' in the singles and the 'Grease Soundtrack Album' was holding off all pretenders in the album chart. Those Martin Hannett-produced tracks sound light years away from what was in the mainstream at the time, as would the Cabs. Curiously the 3 tracks by John Dowie don't sound that dissimilar from something the likes of the Barron Knights may have performed, who had a single in the Top 5 at the time.



I'm not sure how the bonus Tiller Boys 12-inch would have been received if it had been released as originally planned. It's interesting to hear, but to my ears is basically a set of instrumental jams, and not something that would have necessarily been comparable to the opening salvo of ACR, OMD and Joy Division, although again, the fact that this was considered is typical of the label.

Hidden under the seven-inchers are the final treasures in the box, the first of which is the rarely seen and recently remastered 'No City Fun'. Accompanied by 3 Joy Division tracks, the film is almost exclusively filmed on the 42 bus route through Withington to Manchester City Centre. For me this was fascinating as it took me back to my youth, as it was about a journey I vaguely remember making as a 9-year-old complete with orange double-decker buses and Piccadilly Radio 261.

The final item contains 2 CDs worth of an interview / conversation with the aforementioned Mary Harron. This comprises ninety minutes of conversation between Mary, Tony, Rob Gretton and the members of Joy Division whilst eating out in Manchester. I had an idea this would be interesting, but I didn't realise HOW interesting. The conversation covers everything from the birth of punk and the Sex Pistols in Manchester to the formation of Joy Division and Factory. There’s all this and Tony Wilson really pushing a new Mexican restaurant (which probably would have been one of the first) in Manchester City Centre and explaining what a taco is to those listening.

Unlike myself and the Factory Sample, I imagine anyone reading this, or thinking of buying the box will have heard or own the contents of the box. They may also have seen much of the printed material in books or behind glass at exhibitions.

The box is a gorgeous artefact, lovingly curated and a truly a sum of its parts. For me personally, it's an audio/visual time capsule of a period which I missed out on by around 10 years and it offered me an opportunity to immerse myself in the late 1970s Manchester. Incidentally I am currently reading Gareth Ashton's brilliant 'Manchester: It Never Rains’ book which covers this period via eye witness accounts and adds additional context from outside of the Factory bubble.

Yes, this is expensive, but I'd say worth it as it's a quality item, which has been made to the highest possible specifications and overseen by those that have been keeping the Factory legacy alive.

Saying it's the perfect tribute for the 40th Anniversary of Factory, and to the memory of Messrs Curtis, Hannett, Gretton and Wilson, or a celebration of Saville and those who remain doesn't seem enough, but that's exactly what it is.

- Iain Key for Cerysmatic Factory

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Cabaret_Voltaire, Factory_Records, graphic_design, history, Iain_Key, James_Nice, John_Dowie, Joy_Division, Linder, OMD, Peter Saville, review, The_Durutti_Column, Use_Hearing_Protection

Scream City 2 was published in June 2006 a mere 4 months after the first issue. This production cycle proved to be unsustainable though as it was 2007 before the third one appeared.

There was a loose theme around Fac 151 The Festival of the Tenth Summer plus interviews with Andy McCluskey of OMD, Cath Carroll of Gay Animals and Miaow, Larry Cassidy of Section 25 and Tony & Chris from 4M (whose track 'The PSV' was a covermount CD which is now available to listen to via Soundcloud).

moist wrote an article about the long-lost original 'Haçienda Classics' compilation album that was scuppered due to Factory in-fighting and other shenanigans. Meanwhile the non-original 'Haçienda Classics' was hitting the shelves...

Andrew James contributed the seminal music vs style guide with his 'Giving Alvar Aalto to the Kids' and he charged a very reasonable fee.

The cover evolved from my fondness next of Observer books and the Photoshop/Illustrator mastery of Steven Hankinson. The design evolution will be covered in a future article.

With only a very small amount of editing to protect you from my editor error in the first place and malware on obsolete websites in the second, I present to you - Scream City 2.

Labels: 4M, Alvar_Aalto, Cath_Carroll, FAC51_The_Hacienda, Hacienda_Classics, OMD, Peter Saville, Scream_City, Section_25, Tenth_Summer

The latest Bigmouth podcast (#171) is an OMD special which includes Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys recalling their memories of being on Factory Records, supporting Joy Division and the Fac 15 Zoo Meets Factory Half Way gig in Leigh.

Thanks to JG for spotting.

Labels: Joy_Division, OMD, podcast

ZOO MEETS FACTORY HALF-WAY
LEIGH POP FESTIVAL  OPEN AIR
BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY
AUGUST 27th  ALL DAY FIRST BAND 1.00 pm
£2

FACTORY ZOO RECORDS and ZOO FACTORY RECORDS BRING YOU
THE FLESH THAT BROUGHT YOU THE VINYL

LORI AND THE CHAMELEONS  JOY DIVISION  ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN  THE DISTRACTIONS
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK
THE TEARDROP EXPLODES  ELTI-FITS  X-O-DUS
CRAWLING CHAOS  A CERTAIN RATIO

USE YOUR WITS OR USE THE BUS  NO 26 from Manchester Victoria : NO 39 from Liverpool

Festival site - Plank Lane, Leigh, Lancs

--

Handwritten rough (presumably by AHW) for the eventual Fac 15 poster for the Zoo Meets Factory Half-Way event (aka The Leigh Pop Festival). Tony Wilson designed this poster "after Peter Saville".

This translated into the eventual white-on-black poster / black-on-white draft flyer (which in this version contains a repeat of the "bring you the flesh..." line:



The reverse of the handwritten layout features the outline running order for the event:

1.00 Elti Fits
2.00 Crawling Chaos
3.00 Exodus
4.00 A Certain Ratio
5.00 Echo + Bunnymen
6.00 Distractions
7.00 OMITD
8.00 Teardrop
9.00 Joy Division

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Crawling_Chaos, events, graphic_design, Joy_Division, Leigh, OMD, poster, The_Distractions, X-O-Dus, Zoo

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

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark present a very special 40th anniversary career-spanning box set and comprehensive singles collections.

'Souvenir – The Singles 1979-2019' will be released on 4 October 2019 in 2CD and 3LP formats featuring all the singles from Electricity (originally released as Fac 6) to What Have We Done plus the brand new 'Don't Go'.

A limited edition 5CD / 2DVD career-spanning box set will also be released:

CD1/CD2 - The Singles Collection as per the regular release

CD3 - 22 unheard / unreleased tracks from the OMD archive, newly mixed by Paul Humphreys. Some of these are unfinished ideas, others are full unreleased songs.
CD4 - live recording from the Mermaid Theatre in London, February 2011 recorded for BBC Radio 2 in support of the 'History of Modern' album.

CD5 - newly-discovered full live recording from the Hammersmith Odeon in May 1983 in support of the Dazzle Ships album.

DVD1 - DVD featuring 23 OMD performances on the BBC

DVD2 - DVD featuring i) a live recording from the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in December 1981 in support of the Architecture & Morality album.; ii) a live recording from Sheffield City Hall, June 1985 in support of the Crush album; and iii) the DVD debut of Crush – The Movie.

The box set contains a book with unseen photos, single sleeve artwork, an introduction by Paul Morley and sleeve notes to accompany the archive material by Andy McCluskey and artwork prints.

'Souvenir - The Singles 1979-2019' is available to pre-order now but please note the box set already shows as sold out on the OMD website.

Tracklisting

CD1 – The Singles 1979 – 1987

Electricity
Red Frame/White Light
Messages
Enola Gay
Souvenir
Joan of Arc
Maid of Orleans
Genetic Engineering
Telegraph
Locomotion
Talking Loud and Clear
Tesla Girls
Never Turn Away
So in Love
Secret
La Femme Accident
If You Leave
(Forever) Live and Die
We Love You
Shame

CD2 – The Singles 1988 – 2019

Dreaming
Sailing on the Seven Seas
Pandora's Box (It's a Long, Long Way)
Then You Turn Away
Call My Name
Stand Above Me
Dream of Me
Everyday
Walking on the Milky Way
Universal
If You Want It
Sister Marie Says
History of Modern (part 1)
Metroland
Dresden
Night Café
Isotype
The Punishment Of Luxury
What Have We Done
Don't Go

CD3 – Unreleased Archive Vol I.

Brand New Science (06.1981)
Dumbomb (01.1986)
Violin Piece (09.1982)
Untitled 2 (06.1981)
Cut Me Down (03.1986)
Radio Swiss International (09.1982)
Untitled 3 (09.1982)
Weekend (04.1985)
Organ Ditty (05.1980)
Unreleased Idea (06.1981)
Cajun Moon (05.1986)
Guitar Thrash (09.1982)
SMPTE (12.1982)
American Venus (04.1990)
Liberator (02.1985)
Ambient 1 (04.1980)
Unused 1 (12.1980)
Flamenco (04.1990)
Andy's Song (04.1985)
Dynamo Children (01.1985)
Flutey (03.1984)
Nice Ending (06.1981)

CD4 – Live at the Mermaid Theatre, London (03/02/2011)

Messages
Tesla Girls
New Babies New Toys
History of Modern (Part 1)
(Forever) Live and Die
Souvenir
Joan of Arc
Maid of Orleans
New Holy Ground
Green
Walking on the Milky Way
Sister Marie Says
Locomotion
Sailing on the Seven Seas
Enola Gay
Electricity

CD5 – Live at the Hammersmith Odeon (10/05/1983)

Dazzle Ships – Parts II,III & VII
ABC Auto Industry
Messages
She's Leaving
Georgia
Almost
Julia's Song
Joan of Arc
Maid of Orleans
Statues
The Romance of the Telescope
Souvenir
Telegraph
Radio Waves
Bunker Soldiers
Enola Gay
Silent Running
Electricity
Pretending to See the Future
Stanlow

DVD1 – BBC TV Performances

Messages (The Old Grey Whistle Test 15/04/1980)
Messages (Top Of The Pops 08/05/1980)
Messages (Top Of The Pops 29/05/1980)
Enola Gay (Top Of The Pops 09/10/1980)
Souvenir (Top Of The Pops 03/09/1981)
Joan of Arc (Top Of The Pops 29/10/1981)
Maid Of Orleans (Top Of The Pops 14/01/1982)
Genetic Engineering (Top Of The Pops 03/03/1983)
Locomotion (Top Of The Pops 19/04/1984)
Locomotion (Top Of The Pops 03/05/1984)
Talking Loud and Clear (Top Of The Pops 05/07/1984)
Tesla Girls (Top Of The Pops 13/09/1984)
So in Love (Top Of The Pops 30/05/1985)
La Femme Accident (The Old Grey Whistle Test 22/10/1985)
(Forever) Live and Die (Top Of The Pops 18/09/1986)
Dreaming (Wogan 27/06/1988)
Sailing on the Seven Seas (Top Of The Pops 02/05/1991)
Pandora's Box (It's a Long, Long Way) (Top Of The Pops 11/07/1991)
Pandora's Box (It's a Long, Long Way) (Top Of The Pops 25/07/1991)
Call My Name (Pebble Mill 11/12/1991)
Stand Above Me (Top Of The Pops 13/05/1993)
Walking on the Milky Way (Top Of The Pops 16/08/1996)
Enola Gay (Later With Jools Holland 31/05/2013)

DVD2 – Live at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (04/12/1981), Live at Sheffield City Hall (14/06/1985) and Crush – The Movie

Live at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (04/12/1981)

Almost
Mystereality
Joan Of Arc
Motion and Heart
Maid Of Orleans
Statues
Souvenir
New Stone Age
Enola Gay
Bunker Soldiers
Electricity
She's Leaving
Julia's Song
Stanlow

Live at Sheffield City Hall (14/06/1985)

The Romance Of The Telescope (intro)
Crush
Messages
Secret
Tesla Girls
White Trash
Talking Loud and Clear
Maid Of Orleans
Telegraph
Enola Gay
Electricity
The Romance Of The Telescope

Crush – The Movie

Bloc Bloc Bloc
The Native Daughters Of The Golden West
So In Love
88 Seconds In Greensboro
Hold You
Women III
Crush
La Femme Accident
Secret
The Lights Are Going Out

Labels: OMD

Use Hearing Protection: Factory Records 1978-1979 contains facsimile editions of the first 10 numbered Factory items: 4 vinyl records, 3 posters, a short film, Factory stationery and an egg-timer design. The early history of the label is traced in a 60-page book with text by James Nice, photos by Kevin Cummins and archival interviews with Tony Wilson, Rob Gretton, Joy Division and more. Oli and Isobel Wilson (Tony's children) are executive producers.

Contents:

Fac 1 poster
Fac 2 A Factory Sample - 2 x 7" single
Fac 3 poster
Fac 4 poster
Fac 5 All Night Party - A Certain Ratio
Fac 6 Electricity - OMD
Fac 7 1st Generation Stationery
Fac 8 Factory Egg-Timer conceptual design by Linder
Fac 9 The Factory Flick including No City Fun
Fact 10 Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division

Bonus items:

A white label 12" single by The Tiller Boys (originally intended as Fac 3 but ultimately not released)
A lengthy audio interview with Joy Division, Tony Wilson and Rob Gretton, conducted in August 1979 by journalist Mary Harron, never before heard and now restored across two CDs
A newly restored, and seldom seen since 1979, evocative 8mm short No City Fun (Fac 9), featuring music by Joy Division.

The Use Hearing Protection box is strictly limited to 4000 units worldwide, is priced at 180.00 GBP and will be released on 11 October 2019.

See rhino.co.uk [->] for information on how to order.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Cabaret_Voltaire, Factory40, John_Dowie, Joy_Division, Linder, Malcolm_Whitehead, OMD, Peter Saville, The_Durutti_Column

To commemorate the early works and ongoing influence of Factory Records there will be an exhibition: Use Hearing Protection FAC 1-50 / 40 [->], taking place at Chelsea Space in London, SW1.

The exhibition will tell the story of its formative years from 1978 to 1982 through the first 50 numbered Factory artefacts, including works by Peter Saville, Joy Division, John Dowie, Cabaret Voltaire, New Order, A Certain Ratio, OMD, Linder Sterling, The Distractions, The Durutti Column, Section 25, The Names, Minny Pops, Kevin Hewick and many more.

Of course, this is not the first time the First 50 concept has arisen in Factory folklore. FAC 301 was assigned to Tim Chambers's First 50 [->] project. A while ago, Tim told Cerysmatic that Tony Wilson wrote him a cheque for £75 to do a Filofax-type Fac historical document but it never happened and FAC 301 became the Think About The Future [->] international congress.

Use Hearing Protection FAC 1-50 / 40 is supported by rare and unseen materials from personal archives, as well as non-Factory period items of influence. These combine to describe a period from which Factory Records was proposed and realised, underpinning its revolutionary cultural impact on the music, art, design and ideas of our times.

Curated by Jon Savage and Mat Bancroft, the exhibition is featured in this year's London Design Festival (although it continues for longer than the Festival) and will be free entry, running from 13 September until Friday 25 October.

As if a whole exhibition devoted to the early history of Factory Records was not enough, an expanded exhibition, with the Use Hearing Protection, FAC 1-50 objects at its core is being developed by the Science and Industry Museum [->] in Manchester. This exhibition will build on the Chelsea Space display and is due to open July 2020, telling the story of Joy Division and the founding of Factory Records in the city. More on that as we have it...

p.s. if you own the Fact 10+4 posters [->] (mega-rare Saville-designed promo posters for Unknown Pleasures plus 4 other then upcoming Factory releases) and are willing to loan them for this exhibition please do get in touch.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, exhibition, Factory_Records, Factory40, graphic_design, Joy_Division, Linder, London, Minny_Pops, New_Order, OMD, Peter Saville, Section_25, The_Distractions, The_Durutti_Column, The_Names

FACTORY RECORDS ACTIVITY IN THE MONTH OF MAY

VINYL

May 17th A CERTAIN RATIO FAC 5 7" 45rpm single. 'Thin Boys' and 'The all-night party'. Colour sleeve.

May 30th ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK FAC 6 7" 45 rpm single. 'Electricity' and 'Almost'. All-black thermographed sleeve.

Both singles are 5,000 releases distributed through 'all the usual suspects'. Other work is continuing in the studio and cutting.... i.e.

May 12th EXODUS FAC 11 Recording single in Cargo Studios, Rochdale. Working title, 'English black boys'. Producer: Denis Bovelle.

May 1-7 JOY DIVISION FAC T 10 Final mixes of ten tracks for album 'Unknown Pleasures'. Release in June. Produced by Martin Zero at Strawberry, Stockport.

Finally, recording plans for June.

ELTI-FITS 7" 45 rpm: Manchester band

SLEEPERS 7" 45 rpm; Los Angeles (crossed out, "oops, Bay Area" in handwriting) reissue, presses here.

DURUTTI COLUMN L.P. Small issue (4,000) Pure guitar, nowt else.

TILLER BOYS LP Small issue (1000)

That's the vinyl output, for the flesh approach please turn the page......

----

Early Factory Records info sheet on official stationery. Mentions the band Sleepers (more info needed).

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, back_in_the_cellar, Elti_Fits, history, Joy_Division, OMD, The_Durutti_Column, Tiller_Boys, X-O-Dus

Here we have a transcript of the story of Peter Saville (with asides on Martyn Atkins and Stephen Horsfall) as written by Tony Wilson around 1981. Constructivism - check; Praxis - check; hip bourgeois hedonism - check. We'll assume the reference to a FAC 48 coffee table was a gentle jape.

---

SAVILLE: The Partner's Story

The first time I met Saville was February or March '78 . It was the Apollo Theatre, Manchester, a Patti Smith gig - after she'd gone off - artistically. He said he was at the Poly and was interested in doing graphics work that tied in to music. I took his phone number. Nice suit, nice girlifriend. Bit smooth - sharp eyes tho! The Factory club started in May '78. we needed a poster. His track record at that point; one smart brochure for AMEK¹ the Salford PA people, and a nice piece of Neon for the Smirks. AMEK had just brought out a new desk. He had failed to complete the second brochure. Perhaps it was because he was doing our poster (FAC 1; yellow and black industrial constructivist/mid-fifties Jan Tschichold). Perhaps not, perhaps it was the difficult birth. That comes later.



After the club: (there were two more posters FAC 3 and 4 (white seriffed type on black - same tune as John Foxx). For some strange reason these posters were always late and usually went up after the gig. Lateness/brute inefficiency became our house style. It's a process called praxis; do something and then find out why you did it. The inefficiency/dedication dialectic was like that and Peter played his part.



We then needed to put a record out, Autumn '78. No-one else would. Praxis. It was FAC 2, a company concept (hand made imitation of Thailand double plastic backed tissue paper for double 7" EP. Saville used silver and black definitive Hi-tech. (c.f. Record Mirror quote on video Chapter 7). Why the lovely sleeves - then and now. Well if you're putting out the best music, it seemed sort of obvious to put out the best sleeves - not just in Indieland. Anywhere. As one of those praxis things it's not clear whether it was for our fun or THEIR (that presence in record shops) value for money. It can in fact be seen, Saville artwork in particular, as a kind of hip bourgeois hedonism. Often is in the comics. Tough. The coffee table is black and red (FAC 48) and will be on mail order (approx £75.00 by Autumn).



For Factory Mr Saville then did his black on black OMITD sleeve (FAC 6). He offered his thermographic conceit to A Certain Ratio first in the coffee bar of the Royal Exchange, March 1979 but the brats turned him down settling for their dead Lenny Bruce and my four Anthony Perkins in a Saville-Warhol piss-take.



A rags to riches story; or rather a mid-Cheshire Bowie to an echt Anthony Price. There followed the odd hand-made sleeve (FAC 18 - five months for the right tracing paper) X-O-Dus (FAC 11) took Denis Bovell seven months to mix, and Peter Saville nine months to design. You have to feel a slight twinge of pity for the poor musicians in all this but they are now warned at the outset.



The Joy Division stuff was usually pretty prompt. Mostly because the one of Saville's partners who managed Joy Division had a bigger stick than the others. Though Transmission 12" - FAC 13 - took 14 months. By this time our hero has gone to Din Disc; apparently it's nearer to the Zanzibar than Factory. Now Factory and Dindins and even, in the extremest of bad taste (not the sleeve, the music) Roxy Music, and lots more late artwork. House style. There was the OMITD first album in the perforated metal outer, the only one we didn't like to see going to a nasty Major - or Minor Major. Incidentally, the first mono set was Barney's idea.



A small mention for Factory's other designers. Mr Atkins whose upcoming Tunnelvision single sleeve (FAC 39) is very fine but who now seems to have deserted to the Liverpool camp which is if anything even more depressing than E.G. retreads. And back in Manchester Steven Horsfall newly elected to the RCA and bitter at the way Saville neutralised his label for the ESG single (FAC 34). He's done FACT 14/Durutti Column/FAC 17 embossed & FACT 24 the Factory Quartet². Sadly this sleeve was lambasted in January's Peter Saville backlash in the comics. Peter ducks as well as he weaves. The sleeve for ACR's "To Each" was designed by the group with the help of T.G. Sleazy³; it was an anti-arti-Peter effort. "Typically arty farty Factory/Saville sleeve" said the comics. And he thought it was revolting (FACT 35).



And to close I won't indulge in aesthetic adulation of a friend. Sickly. Just like to say, I do think he's the best typographer in town, any town, Factory's company address will not be changing on the new notepaper as Palatine looks too good in the new 30's Italian typeface to change it - apparently. The birth... well when this show⁴ opened in Liverpool a month ago, I happened to be in Liverpool working for the people I work for so I went along; thought I might be able to find out if he'd done the rough for the Section 25 album. Great opening; cheap wine, expensive accents, and our lad's display. A blank wall. Dada; no just late - not there. No sleeves - no Peter. When the exhibition closed, on a blank Factory wall, and still no Peter, I noticed that Peter's mum, standing in the doorway ready to leave was taking it very stoically. Though it seemed that she like me had been here before. Waiting for Peter. I asked her if his peculiar habit ever troubled her or drove her to physical violence. She smiled and said no, and said she was just glad he was alive. This seemed a bit over the top but she explained that he had been a Caesarian and had his blood changed twice. I'm a caesarian too, but I didn't get any of that. If I had I would have written this next week. "Likely to do well - but often late for school", it should also be pointed out that Peter is a catholic. There is a mafia but it's not the one you think it is.

But is it art?

---

Notes:

¹ - More on AMEK at langley-design.com

² - there is no other known evidence of Stephen Horsfall having worked on FAC 17 or FACT 24 but I would be interested to know if this did indeed happen.

³ - cover painting by Ann Quigley

⁴ - the Cover Versions exhibition at the Bluecoat, Liverpool in 1981, see thebluecoat.org.uk

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, back_in_the_cellar, Factory_Records, graphic_design, history, Martyn_Atkins, OMD, Peter Saville, Section_25, Stephen_Horsfall, The_Durutti_Column, Tunnelvision, X-O-Dus

The full catalogue of Factory Records FAC numbers is loved by everyone for its patterns and idiosyncrasies. In 1979, the nascent label was planning the first real wave of releases following on from the FAC 2 sampler and various events at The Factory. This flyer, entitled "Stepping Out" provides more detail and whilst some is familiar there's a few curveballs indicating what might've been.

Notably it seems that "instrumental album" by The Durutti Column was once scheduled to be FAC 12 and The Distractions' first single was slated as FAC 14. These would eventually swap and get different titles ("Pillow Talk" was actually "Pillow Fight", the eventual FAC 12 b-side).

FAC 13 was also going to be a badge before turning into "Transmission", the first single by Joy Division. I assume that this was the same badge that came out as FAC 21.

Finally, FAC 15 was originally going to be a single by Elti-Fits but turned into the Leigh Festival/Zoo Meet Factory Halfway event held in Leigh.

Transcription

FAC 5 A CERTAIN RATIO "All Night Party" 7" 45rpm Out now
FAC 6 ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES "Electricity" 7" 45rpm Out now
FAC 9 FACTORY FLICK "No City Fun" 8' 16mm July
FAC 10 JOY DIVISION "Unknown Pleasures" 12" 33 1/3 rpm July
FAC 11 X-O-DUS "English Black Boys" 7" 45rpm To be mixed
FAC 12 THE DURUTTI COLUMN Instrumental album 12" 33 1/3 rpm August
FAC 13 BADGE Fac thirteen with pin July
FAC 14 THE DISTRACTIONS "Pillow Talk" 7" 45rpm August
FAC 15 ELTI-FITS "Thirty Miles" 7" 45rpm August

NEW COMMODITIES
EXCLUSIVELY FACTIONED FOR YOU
THEY ARE ALL YOU NEED;
THEY ARE IN THE SHOPS

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, back_in_the_cellar, badges, Elti_Fits, Factory_Records, history, OMD, The_Distractions, The_Durutti_Column, X-O-Dus

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark come back to recorded and live action in 2017 with the Punishment of Luxury album and tour. The album is due in September with a full UK tour in late October and through November. The album is currently available on PledgeMusic in a variety of formats.

October

Sun 29 - Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool
Mon 30 - Colston Hall, Bristol

November

Wed 1 - Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-On-Sea
Thu 2 - Ipswich Regent Theatre, Ipswich
Fri 3 - The Cambridge Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Sun 5 - De Montfort Hall, Leicester
Mon 6 - Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham
Tue 7 - Sheffield City Hall, Sheffield
Thu 9 - The Hexagon, Reading
Fri 10 - O2 Guildhall Southampton, Southampton
Sat 11 - G Live, Guildford
Mon 13 - The Roundhouse, London
Wed 15 - De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea
Fri 17 - Manchester Academy 1, Manchester
Sat 18 - York Barbican, York
Sun 19 - Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow
Tue 21 - Birmingham Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Wed 22 - Sage Gateshead, Gateshead

Ticket go on sale Friday 19 May at 09:00 BST via axs.com and other outlets.

Labels: album, gigs, OMD

Finally after 18 years of research, The Deeply Vale Box will be released in the UK in late October 2014 and worldwide a bit later. This beautiful book and box set will be limited to 500 boxes worldwide - the 272 page A4 book is mainly colour and is housed in a box with 6 CDs and a pack of incense. Put on one of the CDs, open the book, light an incense stick to burn and transport yourself back to the mid 70s to early 80s Deeply Vale Festivals, as well as the Rivington Pike Festivals and the Manchester Rock Against Racism Concerts.

Deeply Vale was important as it was the first of the free festivals to open its stage to Punk and New Wave bands and it was also intertwined with the Manchester Rock Against Racism movement. Long before any other festival it crossed the hippy punk divide; its where Planet Gong/Here and Now met The Fall and hippy sound man Grant Showbiz would strike up a 35 year relationship as producer for The Fall. Here and Now would take The Fall, Danny and the Dressmakers (with Graham Massey), Wilful Damage and Alternative TV on their anarchic tours after Deeply Vale. The Ruts were formed in a tent at Deeply Vale in 1977 after two members of London Funk band Hit and Run saw the The Drones perform a punk set on stage. The 1978 Festival not only included Steve Hillage, Here and Now and Nik Turner but also The Fall, The Durutti Column and The Ruts.

The book features interviews with and/or written contributions from Andy Kershaw, Stuart Maconie, Andy McCluskey of OMD, Martin Coogan and Steve Cowen of the Mock Turtles, Mark E Smith of The Fall, Marc Riley, Spizz Energi, Boff Whalley from Chumbawamba, Graham Massey of 808 State, Vini Reilly, Graham Clark of Gong, Grant Showbiz, Steve Hillage, Jimi Goodwin (Doves), Ian Brown, Andy Rourke, Mark Hodkinson, Mick Middles, Luke Bainbridge and more.

The six live music CDs include Steve Hillage, Nik Turner’s Sphynx, The Fall (unreleased tracks live at Deeply Vale), Visitor 2035, Danny and The Dressmakers (full sets from the festival includes Graham Massey 808 State), Aqua, Here and Now, Wilful Damage, The Ruts, SFW, Salford Jets, Victim, Free Ride, Durutti Column, Brenda and The Hot Dicks, Red Eyes, Aspell, Andy T, Blue Midnight feat Grant Showbiz, George Borowski, Tony Crabtree, Accident on The East Lancs, Victor Brox Blues Train, Howard The Duck, Rockslide (forerunner of the Drones), Movement Banned, Elti Fits, The Tunes, Trevor Hyett, Whitefire, Victor Drago, The Trend, Drive by Night, The Out, Fast Cars, Mudanzas, Vibrant Thigh, NotSensibles, Stuffed Badgers, Rivington Spyke, No Change, No Mystery, Murmo Schultz, Bill Pod and The Stocks, Trevor Hyett, Alchemist, The Joint Rolling Contest, & John Keegan.

The Deeply Vale Box Set is available to pre-order now direct with Paypal from Ozit Morpheus for 73.00 GBP plus 11.00 GBP UK postage. Payments and all enquiries to hawkethos@which.net.

Labels: album, Crispy_Ambulance, Deeply_Vale, Graham_Massey, OMD, The_Durutti_Column, The_Fall

OMD has announced a very special one-off show at the Museum of Liverpool on Saturday 1 November which will feature the album Dazzle Ships (plus the hits and more) and the long-awaited return of Winston, their reel-to-reel tape recorder. On the night OMD will consist of Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper.

OMD's iconic and influential fourth album Dazzle Ships was inspired by the painting Dazzle Ships in dry dock at Liverpool by Edward Wadsworth. Now that there is once again a Dazzle Ship in a dry dock in front of the Museum of Liverpool, it is appropriate that the band commemorate the event with a concert. Tickets for the performance will also allow fans to hear the missing Dazzle Ships parts I, IV, V & VI from 1983.

More details and information about tickets will be announced shortly at Liverpool Museums, OMD Official [->] and Facebook.

Labels: gigs, Liverpool, OMD

Julia Kneale's book Moods, Memories and other Manoeuvres which contains plenty about the times when she was Andy McCluskey's girlfriend and a member of The Id (one of the forerunners of OMD) as well as the Merseyside music scene at the advent of post-punk in mid to late Seventies, is out on 24 January 2014.

--

Title: Moods, Memories and other Manoeuvres
Author: Julia Kneale
Paperback: 147 pages
Published by: Acorn Independent Press
Publication date: 24 January 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1909121546

Available via Amazon.co.uk and other booksellers.

Labels: book, OMD

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

[UPDATED] Paul Morley returns to the Purcell Room on London's South Bank this Thursday 16 June for the second of his Tony Wilson Interviews. Morley will continue his exploration of the man Tony Wilson in the eyes of those who knew him.

Special musical guests for the evening are Kevin Hewick (who will be playing part of a 4-song cycle he is developing about his personal view of Factory, the people and the legacy) and OMD who will be playing as a duo (McCluskey/Humphreys).

Mancunian poet Mike Garry will also reprise his poem Saint Anthony which he performed at the first of these events in October 2010.

The event, which is notionally part of Meltdown 2011, is pretty much sold out.

Labels: interview, Kevin_Hewick, OMD, Paul_Morley, Tony_Wilson

Mark Holt (ex-8vo) is selling a few items from his Factory collection including FAC 2 A Factory Sample, FAC 6 Electricity by OMD, FAC 86 Hacienda model kit, FAC 235 Blue Monday flicker book, FAC 245 Madchester postcard set and FAC 251 Factory HQ opening invitation plus cd.

He is also selling a copy of the mega-rare Sordide Sentimental SS 45005 Enigma / Danny by The Durutti Column.

Mark's eBay ID is yellow_mark and you can find a complete listing of all his items here.

Labels: 8vo, artefacts, Christmas, FAC251_The_Factory, Joy_Division, New_Order, OMD, The_Durutti_Column

According to the Official OMD MySpace a new OMD album, provisionally entitled The History of Modern is scheduled for release via 100% Records in late August / early September 2010 with Andy McCluskey and Peter Saville handling sleeve design duties.

Labels: OMD, Peter_Saville

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