19 Dec 2019
The PKRP Cerysmatic Factory Favourites PlaylistThe 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
25 Oct 2019
Tim Peaks - Songs For A Late-Night Diner
Imagine the Pacific North-West of Twin Peaks country transposed to the North-West of England and a new soundtrack added on top and you'll get the premise for 'Tim Burgess & Bob Stanley Present Tim Peaks - Songs For A Late-Night Diner'. Throw in the bonus of three tracks from your favourite Factory Records artists The Durutti Column, The Royal Family and The Poor and Stockholm Monsters and then you've really got something going. 'Lips That Would Kiss (Form Prayers to Broken Stone), 'I Love You (Restrained In A Moment) and Fairy Tales are alongside others from the likes of Young Marble Giants, Isan and Echo & the Bunnymen.
The album is released via Ace Records [->] on 29 November 2019.
Tracklisting
Choci Loni - Young Marble Giants
House With A Hundred Rooms - The Chills
Lips That Would Kiss (Form Prayers To Broken Stone) - Durutti Column
Yanks - The Gist
Hunros (A Dream) - Gwenno
I Had To Say This - The Clientele
I Love You (Restrained In A Moment) - The Royal Family &The Poor
Betty's Lament - Isan
Slow Motion - Jane Weaver
Fuel - Echo & The Bunnymen
Flowers - Galaxie 500
The Broken Fall - Gnac
Blue Dress - Birdie
Dog - El Perro Del Mar
Fairy Tales - Stockholm Monsters
Different Now - Chastity Belt
A Year With No Head - Blue Orchids
Ten Years - Bracken
Sheila - She Beats In My Heart - The Fates
Sky Burial - Dean McPhee
Labels: album, Bob_Stanley, compilation, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Durutti_Column, The_Royal_Family_And_The_Poor, Tim_Burgess
23 Aug 2019
Stockholm Monsters live at The Library Theatre, 1983
On stage 8.30
The Stockholm Monsters
The Library Theatre
Wednesday 15 June
7.30 - 10.30
--
Original flyer for 1983 gig by Stockholm Monsters from the AHW Collection at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester. See Instagram highlight on main News page for more artefacts from the Collection.
Labels: back_in_the_cellar, gig, Manchester, Stockholm_Monsters
30 Jun 2017
Caesar talks about the past (part two)
Welcome to part two of Ian McCartney's interview with Caesar of The Wake.
Did The Wake socialise with any of the other bands on the label?
We didn't really socialise much with many of the other bands - mainly because we were based in Glasgow and only spent time in Manchester when we were down to record or play live.
Through some of the shows we did get to meet a few of the other musicians. We got to know Stockholm Monsters a bit. One time they were up in Glasgow - supporting The Smiths on tour - and they stayed with us. We had a game of football with them (boys only - our keyboard player Carolyn gave it a miss) - a Scotland against England thing - and they kicked lumps out of us. After The Smiths gig we were in the van waiting to go home and a couple of Japanese girls approached them with these beautifully packaged little gifts for Sir Morrissey. And of course they said oh yeah we'll make sure he gets them and proceeded to rip them to shreds in the van when the Smiths fans had gone. They were good fun in a slightly mad way.
Vini Reilly played on the Talk About The Past single. Tony brought him along to the studio and he just improvised his piano part instantly which was impressive to see and a great help to the end of the song. We played with The Durutti Column maybe a couple of times too. One of our favourite Wake gigs was supporting them at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London. We've done some soundtrack work with Vini in recent years too with our theatre company 12 Stars.
We met Donald Johnson and some members of ACR at different points - especially the Factory All Stars thing when there was an episode of that TV show The Tube from The Hacienda and Factory put together a collective of sarcastically named non-stars to perform. It was only meant to be Carolyn taking part on vocals and keyboards but I got roped in to sing Love Will Tear Us Apart at the sound check. Oh and Simon Topping added brilliant percussion to several Here Comes Everybody tracks - that was a great idea from our producer Oz.
Obviously we played live a lot with New Order but that was never really a social situation.
Did you share concerns about lack of promotion, and so on?
We did hear some discussions about the lack of promotion but other groups seemed more concerned about it than us. We'd always looked on turning away from conventional publicity as a bit of strength at Factory. The lack of promotion was a kind of promotion in itself if that‘s not too romantic a view. The label was known for not resorting to the usual round of desperate publicity - which in truth it couldn't afford anyway. For me, as someone who got into the label through the music and presentation of the music as something I could trust without any hype, it made a sort of sense, I could see how it might work.
In the end, for a label which supposedly didn't have adequate advertising it's still around today, people are still interested, new generations. I don't see many books and movies out there about Sony. Although, unfortunately, we thought that 24 Hour Party People film was really poor. But James Nice's Shadowplayers book redresses the balance to my mind. Admittedly, James is a friend, but I genuinely believe it's a better representation, more in the spirit of the label.
Promotion is a really specialist thing and unless you can do it on a very large scale I'm not sure it makes that much of a difference. When we were with Blue Mountain for publishing they funded some music press adverts for Talk About The Past and it did seem to give it a slight boost - no more. Factory had no objections. So I'm not sure it was such an idealistic issue - more of a practical thing - they just couldn't compete in that arena.
Anyway, for what it's worth, we thought it was a good move to go in the other direction and make it a label you had to become interested in through your own reactivity and awareness.
Was Rob Gretton your main ally at Factory?
Yes, Rob was our main ally. Every time we wanted to do a record it was Rob we approached in the first instance. We stayed at his place quite often. He always dropped by the studios when he had time. He was around for most of Harmony and that made us feel like a real part of the label during those initial sessions.
I mean our relationship with Tony was good as well. Although when we did the Something That No One Else Could Bring EP we had a bit of a dispute with him about the artwork. We'd always done our own covers up to that point and we had an idea of what we wanted but didn't really have anyone to draw it up for us. Tony wanted to use specific designers - can't remember the name but it was some company who did a lot of the ACR stuff at the time. They came back to us with a sleeve that was basically for an ACR dance record and it just wasn't right for us at all - very 80s New York, very clubby - and nothing to do with our starting point. Had any of these people even listened to tracks like Gruesome Castle and Pale Spectre? That was the first time we felt Factory could easily slip into being a bit formulaic. We were expected to say yes to an idea that had nothing to do with our work just because Tony thought some art school guy was the next Peter Saville. We went in the opposite direction and went for something a lot more punk. But Tony didn't like it and the record was given a pretty low key release even by Factory standards to teach us a lesson. Apart from that though, Tony was great to us.
I'd say Rob would've been a lot more supportive over an issue like that but he wasn‘t around so much or accessible to us at the time. Rob actually enjoyed people challenging any preconceived notions of what a Factory record should look or sound like. I'm not saying Tony wasn't like that. I think he was deep down. It was just a period when the label was changing and certain people were becoming more influential and convinced Tony that dance music was the only way forward. We thought our EP was a much more interesting direction for Factory to go in than the dance stuff. We were right in my humble, but correct, opinion. It was never a natural dance music label apart from the ACR side of things.
What are your memories of Palatine Road?
Again being based in Glasgow we didn't get to Palatine Road that much - maybe four or five times - no more than that. Most of our business was done over the telephone - mainly with Rob at his place and later with Tony and Tina who worked at Palatine Road.
All I can remember is it being a lovely big house in Didsbury. There were lots of boxes and office paraphernalia lying around. It had a nice relaxed atmosphere. Some might say too relaxed. And yet it could get quite chaotic suddenly. My impression was it operated on the spur of the moment - there was a lot of spontaneity involved - not much in the way of a strict business plan or anything like that. I suppose there must've been a hell of a lot to deal with in respect of Joy Division and New Order at the time. But if you approached anyone at the Palatine Road office for help they would always try to get something done. It had the feel of a place that had grown organically - defined by the people who worked there and who ran the label on a day-by-day basis. I have good memories of it but as I say we weren't there very much.
What are your memories of Manchester in the mid-80s? (The Hacienda pre-acieeed, the city pre-Madchester, Manchester United pre-mega-global success.)
Memories of Manchester are fairly limited too. After that early period when we were chasing support slots and trying to find a label we weren't down that much and when we worked there we were in studios and hotels mainly or Rob's house in Chorlton (hardly the centre of any burgeoning music scenes). We spent an equal amount of time in Stockport during the Harmony and Of The Matter sessions working at Strawberry.
When we did go out it was to The Hacienda once that was up and running. We were there at the opening and quite a few occasions after that and played there a couple of times. Once supporting Howard Devoto and once on our own. They were good gigs but the sound there wasn't so great as is well known. Before it took off as a club it was a strange one. It was an exciting and impressive space to be in but of course people weren't going in any great numbers at the start. I think the gigs did okay. I always felt something significant was going to happen there eventually - it had so much potential. I'm just not sure that what actually happened was that significant artistically although it undoubtedly left its mark all over the city.
I suppose living in Glasgow we were closer to what was happening here. This was a very active and creative place at the time too. We spent more time around the groups here and had more awareness of what was happening with the Postcard label really.
As for Manchester United - well, for me football begins and ends with the SPL in spite of all the Sky billions.
--
See also: part one, parts one and two
Many thanks to Ian and Caesar.
Did The Wake socialise with any of the other bands on the label?
We didn't really socialise much with many of the other bands - mainly because we were based in Glasgow and only spent time in Manchester when we were down to record or play live.
Through some of the shows we did get to meet a few of the other musicians. We got to know Stockholm Monsters a bit. One time they were up in Glasgow - supporting The Smiths on tour - and they stayed with us. We had a game of football with them (boys only - our keyboard player Carolyn gave it a miss) - a Scotland against England thing - and they kicked lumps out of us. After The Smiths gig we were in the van waiting to go home and a couple of Japanese girls approached them with these beautifully packaged little gifts for Sir Morrissey. And of course they said oh yeah we'll make sure he gets them and proceeded to rip them to shreds in the van when the Smiths fans had gone. They were good fun in a slightly mad way.
Vini Reilly played on the Talk About The Past single. Tony brought him along to the studio and he just improvised his piano part instantly which was impressive to see and a great help to the end of the song. We played with The Durutti Column maybe a couple of times too. One of our favourite Wake gigs was supporting them at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London. We've done some soundtrack work with Vini in recent years too with our theatre company 12 Stars.
We met Donald Johnson and some members of ACR at different points - especially the Factory All Stars thing when there was an episode of that TV show The Tube from The Hacienda and Factory put together a collective of sarcastically named non-stars to perform. It was only meant to be Carolyn taking part on vocals and keyboards but I got roped in to sing Love Will Tear Us Apart at the sound check. Oh and Simon Topping added brilliant percussion to several Here Comes Everybody tracks - that was a great idea from our producer Oz.
Obviously we played live a lot with New Order but that was never really a social situation.
Did you share concerns about lack of promotion, and so on?
We did hear some discussions about the lack of promotion but other groups seemed more concerned about it than us. We'd always looked on turning away from conventional publicity as a bit of strength at Factory. The lack of promotion was a kind of promotion in itself if that‘s not too romantic a view. The label was known for not resorting to the usual round of desperate publicity - which in truth it couldn't afford anyway. For me, as someone who got into the label through the music and presentation of the music as something I could trust without any hype, it made a sort of sense, I could see how it might work.
In the end, for a label which supposedly didn't have adequate advertising it's still around today, people are still interested, new generations. I don't see many books and movies out there about Sony. Although, unfortunately, we thought that 24 Hour Party People film was really poor. But James Nice's Shadowplayers book redresses the balance to my mind. Admittedly, James is a friend, but I genuinely believe it's a better representation, more in the spirit of the label.
Promotion is a really specialist thing and unless you can do it on a very large scale I'm not sure it makes that much of a difference. When we were with Blue Mountain for publishing they funded some music press adverts for Talk About The Past and it did seem to give it a slight boost - no more. Factory had no objections. So I'm not sure it was such an idealistic issue - more of a practical thing - they just couldn't compete in that arena.
Anyway, for what it's worth, we thought it was a good move to go in the other direction and make it a label you had to become interested in through your own reactivity and awareness.
Was Rob Gretton your main ally at Factory?
Yes, Rob was our main ally. Every time we wanted to do a record it was Rob we approached in the first instance. We stayed at his place quite often. He always dropped by the studios when he had time. He was around for most of Harmony and that made us feel like a real part of the label during those initial sessions.
I mean our relationship with Tony was good as well. Although when we did the Something That No One Else Could Bring EP we had a bit of a dispute with him about the artwork. We'd always done our own covers up to that point and we had an idea of what we wanted but didn't really have anyone to draw it up for us. Tony wanted to use specific designers - can't remember the name but it was some company who did a lot of the ACR stuff at the time. They came back to us with a sleeve that was basically for an ACR dance record and it just wasn't right for us at all - very 80s New York, very clubby - and nothing to do with our starting point. Had any of these people even listened to tracks like Gruesome Castle and Pale Spectre? That was the first time we felt Factory could easily slip into being a bit formulaic. We were expected to say yes to an idea that had nothing to do with our work just because Tony thought some art school guy was the next Peter Saville. We went in the opposite direction and went for something a lot more punk. But Tony didn't like it and the record was given a pretty low key release even by Factory standards to teach us a lesson. Apart from that though, Tony was great to us.
I'd say Rob would've been a lot more supportive over an issue like that but he wasn‘t around so much or accessible to us at the time. Rob actually enjoyed people challenging any preconceived notions of what a Factory record should look or sound like. I'm not saying Tony wasn't like that. I think he was deep down. It was just a period when the label was changing and certain people were becoming more influential and convinced Tony that dance music was the only way forward. We thought our EP was a much more interesting direction for Factory to go in than the dance stuff. We were right in my humble, but correct, opinion. It was never a natural dance music label apart from the ACR side of things.
What are your memories of Palatine Road?
Again being based in Glasgow we didn't get to Palatine Road that much - maybe four or five times - no more than that. Most of our business was done over the telephone - mainly with Rob at his place and later with Tony and Tina who worked at Palatine Road.
All I can remember is it being a lovely big house in Didsbury. There were lots of boxes and office paraphernalia lying around. It had a nice relaxed atmosphere. Some might say too relaxed. And yet it could get quite chaotic suddenly. My impression was it operated on the spur of the moment - there was a lot of spontaneity involved - not much in the way of a strict business plan or anything like that. I suppose there must've been a hell of a lot to deal with in respect of Joy Division and New Order at the time. But if you approached anyone at the Palatine Road office for help they would always try to get something done. It had the feel of a place that had grown organically - defined by the people who worked there and who ran the label on a day-by-day basis. I have good memories of it but as I say we weren't there very much.
What are your memories of Manchester in the mid-80s? (The Hacienda pre-acieeed, the city pre-Madchester, Manchester United pre-mega-global success.)
Memories of Manchester are fairly limited too. After that early period when we were chasing support slots and trying to find a label we weren't down that much and when we worked there we were in studios and hotels mainly or Rob's house in Chorlton (hardly the centre of any burgeoning music scenes). We spent an equal amount of time in Stockport during the Harmony and Of The Matter sessions working at Strawberry.
When we did go out it was to The Hacienda once that was up and running. We were there at the opening and quite a few occasions after that and played there a couple of times. Once supporting Howard Devoto and once on our own. They were good gigs but the sound there wasn't so great as is well known. Before it took off as a club it was a strange one. It was an exciting and impressive space to be in but of course people weren't going in any great numbers at the start. I think the gigs did okay. I always felt something significant was going to happen there eventually - it had so much potential. I'm just not sure that what actually happened was that significant artistically although it undoubtedly left its mark all over the city.
I suppose living in Glasgow we were closer to what was happening here. This was a very active and creative place at the time too. We spent more time around the groups here and had more awareness of what was happening with the Postcard label really.
As for Manchester United - well, for me football begins and ends with the SPL in spite of all the Sky billions.
--
See also: part one, parts one and two
Many thanks to Ian and Caesar.
Labels: 24_Hour_Party_People, Caesar, interview, New_Order, Shadowplayers, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Durutti_Column, The_Wake_interview
21 Nov 2014
Stockholm Monsters 'All At Once' out now
It's been slowly coming for for what seems like an eternal age but the Stockholm Monsters compilation set 'All At Once' is out now on double 12" vinyl LP with a bonus 7" single priced 35.00 USD via Captured Tracks [CT-201].
Tracklisting
1. Terror
2. Where I Belong
3. Decalogue
4. Winter
5. Five O’Clock
6. All At Once
7. Life’s Two Faces
8. Your Uniform
9. E.W.
10. To Look At Her
11. Something’s Got To Give
12. National Pastime
13. Happy Ever After
14. Soft Babies
15. Miss Moonlight
16. The Longing
17. Lafayette
18. Militia
19. Partyline
20. How Corrupt Is RT?
21. Kan Kill!
22. Dumbstruck
7" single
Fairy Tales
Death Is Slowly Coming
Labels: album, Captured_Tracks, Stockholm_Monsters
25 May 2014
Captured Tracks vs Stockholm Monsters!
The Stockholm Monsters Captured Tracks reissue which was rumoured back in December is confirmed with a plush package set for release on 15 July 2014. It's a double vinyl LP of classic Monsters material and it comes with a 7" vinyl single.
Tracklisting (Captured Tracks 201)
2LP
Terror
Where I Belong
Decalogue
Winter
Five O'Clock
All At Once
Life's Two Faces
Your Uniform
EW
To Look At Her
Something's Got To Give
National Pastime
Happy Ever After
Soft Babies
Miss Moonlight
The Longing
Lafayette
Militia
How Corrupt is RT?
Kan Kill
Dumbstruck
7" A-side
Fairy Tales
7" B-side
Death Is Slowly Coming
Labels: Captured_Tracks, Stockholm_Monsters
21 Dec 2013
Captured Tracks vs Stockholm Monsters?
A message on Captured Tracks' Facebook page rather suggests that they will re-release material by Stockholm Monsters in 2014.
You may remember that Captured Tracks did several re-releases by The Wake for Record Store Day 2011 and, hey, one of their bands is Thieves Like Us.
You may remember that Captured Tracks did several re-releases by The Wake for Record Store Day 2011 and, hey, one of their bands is Thieves Like Us.
Labels: Captured_Tracks, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Wake
3 Oct 2013
Facs In The Attic Part 3
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!
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
26 Sept 2013
Facs In The Attic Part 2
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.
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
26 Apr 2011
Those Beaux Labels FAC tracks in full
The tracklisting for the previously-announced Les Inrockutiples / Fnac Beaux Labels Volume 1 compilation 5CD box set featuring Factory Records (and Warp, Domino, Bella Union and Sub Pop) is now confirmed as follows:
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
Section 25 - Looking From A Hilltop (Megamix)
Stockholm Monsters - Happy Ever After
The Durutti Column - All That Love And Maths Can Do
The Wake - Talk About The Past
Crispy Ambulance - Deaf
The Names - Calcutta
New Order - Blue Monday
Quando Quango - Love Tempo (Remix)
Happy Mondays - Hallelujah
Full detailed tracklisting including credits and timings at Discogs.com.
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
Section 25 - Looking From A Hilltop (Megamix)
Stockholm Monsters - Happy Ever After
The Durutti Column - All That Love And Maths Can Do
The Wake - Talk About The Past
Crispy Ambulance - Deaf
The Names - Calcutta
New Order - Blue Monday
Quando Quango - Love Tempo (Remix)
Happy Mondays - Hallelujah
Full detailed tracklisting including credits and timings at Discogs.com.
Labels: Crispy_Ambulance, Factory_Records, Happy_Mondays, Joy_Division, New_Order, Quando_Quango, Section_25, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Durutti_Column, The_Names, The_Wake
20 Apr 2011
Les Beaux Labels Vol 1 feat Factory Records
French magazine Les inRocKuptibles and retailer Fnac have teamed up to produce a 50-track 5-CD box set celebrating five great independent record labels including Factory Records.
The featured Factory artists are Joy Division, Section 25, The Stockholm Monsters, The Durutti Column, The Wake, Crispy Ambulance, The Names, New Order, Quando Quango and Happy Mondays.
The other four labels in the collection (and selected highlights) are Sub Pop (Nirvana, Mudhoney), Warp (Aphex Twin, LFO, Autechre, Brian Eno), Domino (Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, The Kills) and Bella Union (Midlake, Fleet Foxes).
Cheers to Metzgi for spotting.
The featured Factory artists are Joy Division, Section 25, The Stockholm Monsters, The Durutti Column, The Wake, Crispy Ambulance, The Names, New Order, Quando Quango and Happy Mondays.
The other four labels in the collection (and selected highlights) are Sub Pop (Nirvana, Mudhoney), Warp (Aphex Twin, LFO, Autechre, Brian Eno), Domino (Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, The Kills) and Bella Union (Midlake, Fleet Foxes).
Cheers to Metzgi for spotting.
Labels: Crispy_Ambulance, Factory_Records, Happy_Mondays, Joy_Division, Quando_Quango, Section_25, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Durutti_Column, The_Names, The_Wake
6 May 2009
Auteur Labels: Factory Records 1984
On 1 June, LTM releases a new volume in the ongoing compilation series Auteur Labels, featuring releases on Factory Records in 1984.
"Founded in late 1978, early Factory releases were guided by the five original directors: Tony Wilson, Alan Erasmus, Peter Saville, Martin Hannett and Rob Gretton. By 1984 Hannett had departed, and many Factory singles were produced by all four members of New Order under the generic name Be Music. These reflected the influence of New York dance and electro music, though the label's Haçienda nightclub was not yet a conspicuous success. Meanwhile the artier side of Factory remained evident in records by The Durutti Column and Kalima, and pop/rock in The Wake, Stockholm Monsters - and New Order themselves."
The 77 minute remastered CD features several rare edits and tracks, detailed liner notes by James Nice, and archive images.
Tracklisting
1. New Order Lonesome Tonight (7" Edit)
2. Stockholm Monsters Terror
3. The Wake Talk About The Past (7" Edit)
4. Section 25 Reflection
5. Marcel King Reach For Love (New York Remix)
6. 52nd Street Can't Afford (Unorganised Mix)
7. Quando Quango Atom Rock
8. Shark Vegas Pretenders Of Love
9. Abecedarians Smiling Monarchs
10. Red Turns To Deep Sleep
11. The Durutti Column Duet (Without Mercy)
12. Kalima The Smiling Hour
13. Simon Topping Chicas Del Mundo
14. Streetlife On Instinct
15. Lavolta Lakota Prayer
--
Title: Auteur Labels: Factory Records 1984
Label: LTM
Cat No: LTMCD 2534
Released: 1 June 2009
"Founded in late 1978, early Factory releases were guided by the five original directors: Tony Wilson, Alan Erasmus, Peter Saville, Martin Hannett and Rob Gretton. By 1984 Hannett had departed, and many Factory singles were produced by all four members of New Order under the generic name Be Music. These reflected the influence of New York dance and electro music, though the label's Haçienda nightclub was not yet a conspicuous success. Meanwhile the artier side of Factory remained evident in records by The Durutti Column and Kalima, and pop/rock in The Wake, Stockholm Monsters - and New Order themselves."
The 77 minute remastered CD features several rare edits and tracks, detailed liner notes by James Nice, and archive images.
Tracklisting
1. New Order Lonesome Tonight (7" Edit)
2. Stockholm Monsters Terror
3. The Wake Talk About The Past (7" Edit)
4. Section 25 Reflection
5. Marcel King Reach For Love (New York Remix)
6. 52nd Street Can't Afford (Unorganised Mix)
7. Quando Quango Atom Rock
8. Shark Vegas Pretenders Of Love
9. Abecedarians Smiling Monarchs
10. Red Turns To Deep Sleep
11. The Durutti Column Duet (Without Mercy)
12. Kalima The Smiling Hour
13. Simon Topping Chicas Del Mundo
14. Streetlife On Instinct
15. Lavolta Lakota Prayer
--
Title: Auteur Labels: Factory Records 1984
Label: LTM
Cat No: LTMCD 2534
Released: 1 June 2009
Labels: 52nd_Street, Abecedarians, Auteur_Labels, Factory_Records, Kalima, Marcel_King, New_Order, Quando_Quango, Red_Turns_To, Section_25, Shark_Vegas, Stockholm_Monsters, Streetlife, The_Durutti_Column, The_Wake, Tony_Wilson
23 Oct 2007
Missing Link
Factory Records to Rammstein in three steps:
1. Lavolta Lakota
Lavolta Lakota release 7" single on Factory Benelux. Produced (studio and live) by Be Music (Peter Hook). Following a brief stint by (ex-Stockholm Monsters) Shan Hira, Mike Simkins becomes the second Lav Lak drummer.
2. Boys From Greece
'Mike Simmi' joins goth band BFG. With two albums and various other recordings released on the Attica label, BFG "help define the goth/industrial sound", before splitting in 1991.
3. Rammstein
"18 months ago Attica had an email asking if BFG had any new material as were looking for a support on their World tour".
BFG are recording a new album, 'Pulling Wings From Butterflies', and their eighties single 'Higher Than Heaven' is due to appear in the Record Collector "Top Twenty All Time Goth Hits" chart.
For John and Amy.
1. Lavolta Lakota
Lavolta Lakota release 7" single on Factory Benelux. Produced (studio and live) by Be Music (Peter Hook). Following a brief stint by (ex-Stockholm Monsters) Shan Hira, Mike Simkins becomes the second Lav Lak drummer.
2. Boys From Greece
'Mike Simmi' joins goth band BFG. With two albums and various other recordings released on the Attica label, BFG "help define the goth/industrial sound", before splitting in 1991.
3. Rammstein
"18 months ago Attica had an email asking if BFG had any new material as were looking for a support on their World tour".
BFG are recording a new album, 'Pulling Wings From Butterflies', and their eighties single 'Higher Than Heaven' is due to appear in the Record Collector "Top Twenty All Time Goth Hits" chart.
For John and Amy.
Labels: Factory_Benelux, Factory_Records, labels, Peter_Hook, Stockholm_Monsters
18 Oct 2007
Offshoot
Forced Laugh is a new blog "devoted to the art & music of Manchester label Factory records & Factory Benelux". Early postings cover Stockholm Monsters, New Order, Section 25, The Names and much more.
Labels: Factory_Benelux, Factory_Records, labels, New_Order, Section_25, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Names
11 Jun 2006
North By North West: Liverpool & Manchester
The Paul Morley-compiled North By North West: Liverpool & Manchester from Punk to Post-Punk & Beyond 1976-1983 3CD Limited Edition (5000 copies) set is released on Monday 19 June on Korova and features a host of Factory bands including Joy Division, New Order, Section 25, James and OMD. There is also a regular 2CD set with a Manchester disc and a Liverpool disc. The 3rd disc is cunningly titled, erm, Liverchest.
CD1
1. Boredom - Buzzcocks
2. Repetition - The Fall
3. I Don't Want To Be Nice - John Cooper Clarke
4. Shot By Both Sides - Magazine
5. What Do I Get - Buzzcocks
6. Sketch For Summer - The Durutti Column
7. Transmission - Joy Division
8. Fear - Passage
9. Work - Blue Orchids
10. Time Goes By So Slow - The Distractions
11. Shack Up - A Certain Ratio
12. My Cherry Is In Sherry - Ludus
13. Ceremony - New Order
14. How Soon Is Now - The Smiths
CD2
1. British Refugee - Spitfire Boys
2. Suffice To Say - Yachts
3. Fuzztronic - Will Sergeant
4. Electronic - OMD
5. Pictures On The Wall - Echo and The Bunnymen
6. Better Scream - Wah Heat
7. Touch - Lori and The Chameleons
8. Reward - Teardrop Explodes
9. Rescue - Echo and The Bunnymen
10. Flaming Sword - Care
11. There's Always Something On My Mind - Pale Fountains
12. Holiday In Disneyland - Dalek I Love You
13. First Picture Of You - Lotus Eaters
14. Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
CD3
1. No Love Lost - Warsaw
2. Cranked Up Really High - Slaughter & The Dogs
3. My Boyfriend's Back - Bright, Bette & The Illuminations
4. Iggy Pop's Jacket - Those Naughty Lumps
5. Big In Japan - Big In Japan
6. Happy Ever After - Stockholm Monsters
7. Folklore - James
8. African And White - China Crisis
9. Sweet Tooth - Spherical Objects
10. Don't Let Go - Pink Industry
11. Deaf - Crispy Ambulance
12. Knew Noise - Section 25
13. Call Me Honey - Swamp Children
14. Valley Of The Lost Women - John Cooper Clarke
15. Dream - The Royal Family and The Poor
Release date: 19 June 2006
Label: Korova
Catalogue number: KODE1001L
Available from Amazon.co.uk
CD1
1. Boredom - Buzzcocks
2. Repetition - The Fall
3. I Don't Want To Be Nice - John Cooper Clarke
4. Shot By Both Sides - Magazine
5. What Do I Get - Buzzcocks
6. Sketch For Summer - The Durutti Column
7. Transmission - Joy Division
8. Fear - Passage
9. Work - Blue Orchids
10. Time Goes By So Slow - The Distractions
11. Shack Up - A Certain Ratio
12. My Cherry Is In Sherry - Ludus
13. Ceremony - New Order
14. How Soon Is Now - The Smiths
CD2
1. British Refugee - Spitfire Boys
2. Suffice To Say - Yachts
3. Fuzztronic - Will Sergeant
4. Electronic - OMD
5. Pictures On The Wall - Echo and The Bunnymen
6. Better Scream - Wah Heat
7. Touch - Lori and The Chameleons
8. Reward - Teardrop Explodes
9. Rescue - Echo and The Bunnymen
10. Flaming Sword - Care
11. There's Always Something On My Mind - Pale Fountains
12. Holiday In Disneyland - Dalek I Love You
13. First Picture Of You - Lotus Eaters
14. Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
CD3
1. No Love Lost - Warsaw
2. Cranked Up Really High - Slaughter & The Dogs
3. My Boyfriend's Back - Bright, Bette & The Illuminations
4. Iggy Pop's Jacket - Those Naughty Lumps
5. Big In Japan - Big In Japan
6. Happy Ever After - Stockholm Monsters
7. Folklore - James
8. African And White - China Crisis
9. Sweet Tooth - Spherical Objects
10. Don't Let Go - Pink Industry
11. Deaf - Crispy Ambulance
12. Knew Noise - Section 25
13. Call Me Honey - Swamp Children
14. Valley Of The Lost Women - John Cooper Clarke
15. Dream - The Royal Family and The Poor
Release date: 19 June 2006
Label: Korova
Catalogue number: KODE1001L
Available from Amazon.co.uk
Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Crispy_Ambulance, FAC251_The_Factory, Joy_Division, New_Order, Section_25, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Distractions, The_Durutti_Column, The_Royal_Family_And_The_Poor
16 Aug 2005
Summer Season - 7 obscure Fac Facts
1. Brian Eno's 'Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)' was recorded at Island studios in 1974. This studio was bought by Trevor Horn and became uber-studio Sarm West in the Eighties. Most of A Certain Ratio's 'Good Together' album was recorded in the basement studio of Sarm West - the old Island studio live room. So the Good Together album was recorded in the same room in which Eno recorded the track that inspired their name!
2. John Rhodes, who replaced Lita Hira in Stockholm Monsters, was originally in a band called Delhi Polo Club.
3. The late Ritchie Close wrote the theme music for the seminal Seventies music show 'So It Goes' which was presented by Tony Wilson. Close also played piano for Mike Pickering and Simon Topping's T-Coy.
4. 50 Newton Street, the current home of the highly recommended Hatters Hostel in Manchester, was once the home of 'City Fun' fanzine and the Buzzcocks' 'New Hormones' record label.
5. Alec Sidebottom, one of the drummers in The Distractions, used to be in Sixties band The Purple Gang.
6. Rumour has it that most of the individually signed, 6 foot long, guitar cut-outs designed by Peter Saville and randomly left around town have been, erm, destroyed by over-zealous bin men!
7. In 1992, The Adventure Babies played on France's Inter-Radio on a show called The Black Sessions. Little did they know that the radio station released a CD of the live performance. This included the previously unrecorded tracks 'Sunday Girl' (yes, a Blondie cover!) and 'Time'.
2. John Rhodes, who replaced Lita Hira in Stockholm Monsters, was originally in a band called Delhi Polo Club.
3. The late Ritchie Close wrote the theme music for the seminal Seventies music show 'So It Goes' which was presented by Tony Wilson. Close also played piano for Mike Pickering and Simon Topping's T-Coy.
4. 50 Newton Street, the current home of the highly recommended Hatters Hostel in Manchester, was once the home of 'City Fun' fanzine and the Buzzcocks' 'New Hormones' record label.
5. Alec Sidebottom, one of the drummers in The Distractions, used to be in Sixties band The Purple Gang.
6. Rumour has it that most of the individually signed, 6 foot long, guitar cut-outs designed by Peter Saville and randomly left around town have been, erm, destroyed by over-zealous bin men!
7. In 1992, The Adventure Babies played on France's Inter-Radio on a show called The Black Sessions. Little did they know that the radio station released a CD of the live performance. This included the previously unrecorded tracks 'Sunday Girl' (yes, a Blondie cover!) and 'Time'.
Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Adventure_Babies, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Distractions, Tony_Wilson
11 Jun 2005
LTM's Factory back catalogue on iTunes
This isn't new news but following on from the post about Quando Quango downloads, not only is the entire Quando Quango LTM back catalogue available in the iTunes Store (at least in the US) but also a wide range of (ex-) Fac artists can be found there too including The Wake, The Names, Thick Pigeon, Section 25, Stockholm Monsters, Revenge, Anna Domino, Kalima and Crispy Ambulance. Still waiting on Cath Carroll and recent catalogue additions A Certain Ratio.
LTM Publishing
Thanks to Mike.
LTM Publishing
Thanks to Mike.
Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Crispy_Ambulance, Kalima, Quando_Quango, Stockholm_Monsters, The_Names, The_Wake, Thick_Pigeon
11 Jan 2004
Are you Minny Pops in disguise?
In the long great tradition of artists moonlighting under alter egos the spotlight falls on Streetlife who were the 'Dutch electro pop pioneers' Minny Pops' side project during 1984/85. For your further edification read James Nice's excellent biography of Minny Pops / Streetlife. They thus joined other the ranks of other bands such as Ad Infinitum (Stockholm Monsters having a break), Red Turns To (New Order's Peter Hook) and Indambinigi (Karl Denver and Graeme Park) who rose mysteriously to take their place in the Factory catalogue.
Labels: Ad_Infinitum, Karl_Denver, Minny_Pops, New_Order, Peter_Hook, Red_Turns_To, Stockholm_Monsters, Streetlife
10 Oct 2003
Designed by Central Station and Johnson / Panas
A tremendous amount of Factory's output wasn't designed by the in-house designer Peter Saville. Central Station Design did all of Happy Mondays' sleeves plus great work for To Hell With Burgundy and Northside amongst others.
Johnson / Panas, the moniker of Trevor Johnson and Tony Panas, were responsible for some classic A Certain Ratio and Stockholm Monsters covers plus one-offs like Fac 281 The Area and the Madchester Christmas card.
The Johnson / Panas page is newly endowed with goodies and the Central Station one is mildly enhanced.
Johnson / Panas, the moniker of Trevor Johnson and Tony Panas, were responsible for some classic A Certain Ratio and Stockholm Monsters covers plus one-offs like Fac 281 The Area and the Madchester Christmas card.
The Johnson / Panas page is newly endowed with goodies and the Central Station one is mildly enhanced.
Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Central_Station_Design, Happy_Mondays, Northside, Stockholm_Monsters, To_Hell_With_Burgundy
6 Oct 2003
They came from Palatine Road
I'd like to introduce the start of a new page on the classic Palatine 4CD/4LP/4CASS (what no DAT?) Factory box set retrospective, kicking off with the full page HMV advertisement complete with offer of free video.
Palatine comprised 4 individual albums detailing different aspects of the Factory catalogue. It is named after the long time home of Factory Records, 86 Palatine Road which is in West Didsbury, Manchester.
Fact 314 Tears In Their Eyes chronicles the early days with Joy Division and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark.
Fact 344 Selling Out, the commercial singles days.
And inbetween, 'Fact 324 Life's A Beach' the influential dance acts like Quando Quango and 'Fact 334 The Beat Groups' the pop combos like Stockholm Monsters, Miaow, James.
This page will expand and forms part of the ongoing Factory History.
Palatine comprised 4 individual albums detailing different aspects of the Factory catalogue. It is named after the long time home of Factory Records, 86 Palatine Road which is in West Didsbury, Manchester.
Fact 314 Tears In Their Eyes chronicles the early days with Joy Division and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark.
Fact 344 Selling Out, the commercial singles days.
And inbetween, 'Fact 324 Life's A Beach' the influential dance acts like Quando Quango and 'Fact 334 The Beat Groups' the pop combos like Stockholm Monsters, Miaow, James.
This page will expand and forms part of the ongoing Factory History.
Labels: Factory_Records, Joy_Division, Miaow, Quando_Quango, Stockholm_Monsters
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