FACTORY RECORDS

Releases Late Winter / Spring / Early Summer

EARLY MARCH

FAC 97 "ACT ON INSTINCT" STREETLIFE
12" single from Belgian Band led by Wally Van Middendorp

FAC 96 "TELSTAR" - AD INFINITUM
7" Reworking of classic antique. The lyrics are implicit and vocoded. Only available with special holographic sleeve

MARCH 29TH

FAC 88 "TALK ABOUT THE PAST" - THE WAKE
12" + 7" Single by Glasgow's hottest young things. Produced by Oz at Revolution Manchester. Extra Piano by Vini Reilly

APRIL

FACT 90 "FROM THE HIP" - SECTION 25
New Album from the seaside, a change of pace - a change of style. A Be Music production.

FAC 103 "THIEVES LIKE US" - NEW ORDER
12" Single De Chirico Reconstruction Sleeve. Engineered by Michael Johnson. B/W "Are you lonesome tonight". Instrumental Mix available B/W "Murder" from Factory Benelux.

FAC 92 "KEEP ON DANCING / REACH UP FOR LOVE" MARCEL KING
Double A 12" Single Sweet sensation dances out and back on a BeMusic - Dojo production.

--

Handwritten Factory Records release schedule for Late Winter / Spring / Early Summer 1984 featuring Streetlife (not sure about the Belgian description), Ad Infinitum, The Wake, Section 25, New Order and Marcel King. From the AHW collection.

Labels: Ad_Infinitum, back_in_the_cellar, DoJo, Marcel_King, New_Order, Section_25, Streetlife, The_Wake, Vini_Reilly

The Wake formed in Glasgow (Scotland) in April 1981, after singer/guitarist Caesar joined forces with drummer Steven Allen and a bassist, Joe Donnelly. Caesar had previously played with Altered Images and wrote their first single Dead Pop Stars, but elected to leave shortly before the band crashed into the UK charts.

- extract from the LTM biography by James Nice

The interview that follows was conducted via email with Caesar between around 2010 and 2012. Originally planned for Cerysmatic Factory's print fanzine Scream City, it never saw the light of day. This was my fault and down to my dilatory approach. The interview process should take, ideally, about 90 minutes. In this case we're talking 18 months. By which time Scream City's editor had decided it was time for the print project to rest (at least for the moment. Ed.). So, what follows is some talk about the past, from the (5+ years) past.

- Ian McCartney

In a VBS TV "Soft Focus" interview a few years ago, ex-The Wake bassist Bobby Gillespie tells the story of how the band signed to Factory. His version of events seems pretty simple: you basically knock on Rob Gretton's door and hand him a tape, leading to the band recording for Factory. Is this how you remember the events leading up to The Wake's being on the label?

Bobby's version of events is basically right. Some of us went to Manchester. It must've been around January 1982. I'm not sure who was there from the group and who wasn't. Anyway, a Wake delegation went down.

The idea was to visit Richard Boon at the New Hormones office - as well as Rob - to give them a copy of our self-released single On Our Honeymoon. We might have handed in a tape as well as the single - I can't remember - but the main thing was to give both a copy of the record. We were looking to support Buzzcocks or New Order. Also, obviously, we hoped that something might happen label-wise eventually.

Anyway, New Hormones wasn't really operating as a label anymore. Richard Boon had his hands full just managing Buzzcocks of course. But he was very friendly and helpful when we went to see him. I'm not sure how we got Rob's home address. It could be that Richard Boon gave it to us - I can't think how else we would've got it. But Richard Boon was kind enough to advise us a little and he was very encouraging.

However, we managed to find him, Rob was hugely approachable when we turned up at his door. We gave him the single and I got in touch with him shortly after to see if we could do any gigs with New Order. Sure enough something came up immediately; I'm not certain where it was - one internet site mentions Trinity Hall in Bristol 26th Feb 1982 and that sounds about right to me. After playing with them a few times he spoke to us about doing something with Factory. He'd already had a word with Tony about us.

As well as seeing us live, I guess Rob liked the fact we'd done the single independently and had the initiative to take it down to him and so on… The brilliant thing about people like Rob and Richard Boon was that they kept in touch directly with new music. Well, NEW Hormones and NEW Order after all.

Cheekily enough, when Rob asked us to do something - probably having in mind a single or an EP - I said we wanted to do a mini-album even though we were completely unknown. Again, the great thing about Factory then was they just went with an idea and enabled you to do it if they thought there was something behind it. No demos, no proposals, no need to explain what you were trying to achieve. If they believed in you, they backed you.

They booked us into Strawberry Studios in Stockport to record - it was a pretty state-of-the-art studio at that time, part owned by 10cc. I suppose Rob liked the fact they'd provided that facility outside of London.

And that's how we came to make Harmony.



A release like The Wake's debut single On Our Honeymoon would, I'm sure, have had the likes of Virgin records knocking on the door. Were labels other than Factory making offers at the time, and were they considered? Also, how many copies of On Our Honeymoon were pressed?

As for the notion that On Our Honeymoon (1,000 copies pressed) might have had the likes of Virgin Records approaching us that certainly wasn't the case...

I had been signed to a major label for a short time as part of the original line-up of Altered Images. I was the guitarist and wrote quite a lot of their early songs - first single Dead Pop Stars for instance - and I was still potentially contracted to CBS/Epic when I left to form The Wake. Even though I could've been tied to them legally they had absolutely no interest in keeping me on fortunately. We didn't contact any majors re The Wake.

It's hard to realise now the impact the new independent labels were having - we think of indie music as a genre, a style of music, whereas back then it was actually an explosion of small labels like Fast, Rough Trade, Factory and Postcard - and they were just the better known ones. It wasn't a guitar based beat group style of music at all - there were all kinds of musical approaches out there - it was more a way of thinking about how to keep creative control.



Unlike previous independents like, say, Stiff Records, labels like Factory weren't just calling cards to try and get a major deal, they were labels that appeared to be saying this is a way ahead - responding to the supposed ideals of punk - a new way of doing things, a new way of releasing music, and we were really attracted to that and thought it was the way forward for The Wake. Personally speaking, I would've seen The Distractions single on Factory, Time Goes By So Slow, that record, the song itself, the way it was presented by Factory, as some sort of ideal, that was what I wanted the group to be doing, that was the template.

Major label interest actually came later around the time of Talk About The Past. Just as that was about to come out on Factory we signed a publishing deal with Blue Mountain Music which was a company connected to Island Records. When we signed that deal, which came off the back of a headlining gig at the Hacienda, the boss of Island at the time - it was Dave Robinson who had started Stiff Records - heard Talk About The Past playing in the Blue Mountain office - and in true corny showbiz style burst into the room saying, ‘That‘s a hit! Who is it? They‘ve got a deal.'

Not too surprisingly, in subsequent meetings, when it came down to the details of signing to the label for real, some conflicts arose. The main problem was our determination to choose which songs could be released as singles. Another big stumbling block was our suggestion that singles might not necessarily appear on albums as was our way of doing things at Factory. Also we wanted final say on - and the option to design - all artwork including any advertising. Basically we were trying to retain the creative controls we had at Factory. This was the ultimate test for us - had this so-called major learned any lessons from smaller labels like Factory? And, of course, they hadn't taken the slightest bit of notice. So the deal never happened.

In any case, Tony really encouraged us to follow up on any major label interest. He was always very open about that. He was pleased when bigger labels took an interest in the Factory groups.

Around the same time, we recorded a session for the David Jensen Show on BBC Radio and the broadcast led to phone calls from - and meetings with - a few other well-known labels but it never came to anything.

We were always trying to move forward on a creative level - that was the main thing - and Factory was the right place to be when working on the Here Comes Everybody album which was coming next.



The Wake's time at Factory was about five or six years. Starting round about sometime in 1981, with the final release Something That No One Else Could Bring being in 1987. Now, I'm not trying to be a cheeky bastard (and please correct me if I've got it wrong) but by my reckoning the sales of the records wouldn't have paid enough to live off. Did you have another way of making money during these years?

...and did you have any discussions about moving elsewhere?

You're so wrong - we were living the dream and owned properties across the world. OK - I'm only kidding.

Record sales weren't enough to live from on a regular basis but we got occasional royalties and made money from gigs. Basically, we went through phases of having enough to get by on and some times of signing on and doing a few part time jobs now and then. The publishing deal made a big difference as it involved an advance.

Certainly now we make more from the LTM reissues than we ever did from the original Factory recordings. Then again, the records wouldn't exist at all without Factory's considerable financial input.

As mentioned before, we had major label interest around the time of Talk About The Past. The one we took most seriously was when Sounds journalist Dave McCullough, Geoff Travis (Rough Trade) and Mike Alway (Cherry Red) started up Blanco y Negro Records through Warners and there was definite interest from Dave in his new role as head of A & R. In the end we stuck with Factory for as long as we felt a connection. Possibly it was the right place for us to be all that time although it changed later.



--

End of part one.

See also: part two

Labels: interview, New_Order, Rob_Gretton, The_Wake, The_Wake_interview, Vini_Reilly

A new photographic portrait of the late great Tony Wilson is available to buy from Stephen Wright. It was taken by Stephen in the dressing room of FAC 51 The Hacienda in 1985 and comes in a limited edition of 500 12"x8" printed with a white border on 10x14" paper. The price is 125.00 GBP and includes a 25.00 GBP donations to Christies Hospital Manchester.

Also still available is the classic "Paean To Wilson" portrait of Tony with Vini Reilly for which the photo dimensions and pricing are the same.

More details and how to buy at smithsphotos.com [->].

Labels: photography, Stephen_Wright, Tony_Wilson, Vini_Reilly

2014 is shaping up to be a big year for ex-Factory Records hitting the road and we summarise the key runners and riders.

A Certain Ratio play Under The Bridge, London on Friday 21 February (corrected!). Tickets are available priced 20.00 GBP plus booking fee via SeeTickets and AGMP. Ale-fancying FAC fans may wish to join Cerysmatic at the Bricklayer's Arms Yorkshire Beer Festival in Putney from 5pm.

A Factory Night on Record Record Store Day on Saturday 19 April 2014 sees the live return of Crispy Ambulance alongside Section 25 and Minny Pops (and not forgetting DJ FAC Col) at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester. Tickets for this one are available in person at face value via Vinyl Revival on Hilton Street in Manchester and online via TicketLine for 10.00 plus booking fee.

Further Crispy Ambulance gigs are set for Leeds and Bury later in the year as follows:

The Belgrave, Leeds - Saturday 26 April 2014 [Buy tickets]
The Met, Bury - Monday 25 August 2014 (Bank Holiday)
The Lexington, London - Saturday 6 September [Buy Tickets]

The original line-up of Northside has reunited and they have a full UK tour lined up as follows:

April 12 - Brixton Jamm, London [Buy tickets]
April 17 - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds [Buy tickets]
April 18 - The Venue, Derby [Buy tickets]
April 19 - The Cross, Birmingham [Buy tickets]
April 24 - The Classic Grand, Glasgow [Buy tickets]
May 3 - Club Academy, Manchester [Buy tickets]

Finally, Vini Reilly makes a long-awaited return to live action on 21 May as part of the Chorlton Arts Festival in Manchester. He will be interviewed by Dave Haslam and then perform live on stage, his first proper show since April 2011. Tickets are on sale now via WeGotTickets priced 9.00 GBP plus booking fee.

* or the alternative to the spectacle?

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, Crispy_Ambulance, gigs, Minny_Pops, Northside, Section_25, The_Durutti_Column, Vini_Reilly

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tracklisting

Side 1

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

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

Side 3

1. The First Aspect of the Same Thing

Side 4

1. The Second Aspect of the Same Thing

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

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

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

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

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

Joy Division



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

New Order



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

Durutti Column



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

Section 25



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

A Certain Ratio



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

Happy Mondays



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

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

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

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

Vini Reilly's handwritten Stupefied playlist for our friends at Stupefaction as part of their ongoing series which quite recently featured ACR's Donald Johnson. There's also a return for the Professor of Factory Records (who he? Ed.)

Watch out for Caesar of The Wake's playlist in coming weeks.

Labels: A_Certain_Ratio, news, playlist, Stupefaction, The_Durutti_Column, The_Wake, Vini_Reilly

A limited edition photographic print is now available via smithsphotos.com of the complete version of the photo used on the cover of A Paean to Wilson by The Durutti Column. The 12" × 8" image is reproduced on 10" × 14" silver halide photographic paper. The photo is printed in one size only and is a limited edition of 500 priced 125.00 GBP each. Stephen Wright will sign and edition each print.

Stephen will also donate 25.00 GBP to Christies Hospital, Manchester, from the proceeds of each print sold.

Labels: news, photography, Stephen_Wright, The_Durutti_Column, Tony_Wilson, Vini_Reilly

Suicide in E Major performed live at Manchester Town Hall on 3 March 2013 (via Soundcloud).

Labels: events, gigs, The_Durutti_Column, Vini_Reilly

Kooky Records has confirmed details of its Record Store Day release for 2013 - A Paean To Wilson by The Durutti Column.

Over to Phil Kooky for the full description:

"It is pressed on 2 x 180gram vinyl discs, remastered and gently coaxed since the CD release in 2009.
The main alteration is the omission of the 'hidden track wind noise' at the end of the album; to bring timings in within the limits of four sides!

Artwork has been restructured by Trevor Johnson and the album also contains the following:

a) A free download code with every copy.
b) A copy of the original folded poster programme from the MIF show.
c) A postcard - using the cover image of Tony Wilson and Vini sat at the piano, with information on the flip side.

Both these physical artefacts ( b) and c) ) will be packed in a black envelope foil block stamped and inserted in the album before shrink wrapping.

Pressing :- There are exactly 497 copies one run only
Availability :- Released 20th April 2013 for Record Store Day*

* Please note - This means that it will only be sold through record shops primarily to support our independent retailers.

It will retail at £26.00.

However... Should there be any remaining stock, it will be sold here at Kooky and I will be putting the relevant details here (i.e. via kookydisc.co.uk)."

Labels: Kooky_Records, Record_Store_Day, release, The_Durutti_Column, Tony_Wilson, Vini_Reilly

Dave Haslam has confirmed that in addition to him interviewing Vini Reilly of The Durutti Column onstage at Manchester Town Hall on Sunday 3 March, Vini will be playing at least one song. Another confirmed addition to the bill is John Bramwell of I Am Kloot who will perform a special set of unplugged songs.

Tickets are still available priced GBP 7.00 from Quay Tickets.

Facebook event

Labels: Dave_Haslam, events, gigs, I_Am_Kloot, interview, John_Bramwell, The_Durutti_Column, Vini_Reilly

Following an inaccurate story on the BBC website about the recent fundraising initiative, Matt Reilly has issued a statement which includes a direct quote from Vini Reilly on The Durutti Column's official website.

Labels: The_Durutti_Column, Vini_Reilly

Fans of The Durutti Column have raised over £3,000 to help Vini Reilly pay off a backlog of rent thanks to a fundraising initiative orchestrated by Vini's nephew Matt Reilly. The campaign, which started on The Durutti Column's official Facebook group, was backed by thedurutticolumn.com and later picked up and publicised by BBC News and The Guardian as well as by people such as Steve Mason and Dan Le Sac on Twitter. Enough money has been raised so as to ensure that Vini will be able to pay off all his rent.

Matt Reilly posted the following message on Facebook yesterday, expressing Vini heartfelt thanks and explaining that donations are no longer required:

"Firstly, a huge thank you once again to all of those who sent kind messages, ideas, and donations for Vini.

"I've just spoken to Vini and told him how much has been donated by fans and music lovers worldwide – he's ecstatic. He's said that enough has now been donated to ensure that he can pay off all of the backlog of rent that he owed, and he's asked me to pass on his huge gratitude to you all and let you know that no further donations are needed.

"He's explained that going forward he should be able to afford to pay his rent, but the debt relates to the period after he had his three strokes but before he was assessed for disability allowance.

"It has been a stressful time for Vini, with the constant worry of knowing that he couldn't afford to pay his debts and that could mean being evicted from the place he rents. But he says he now feels like you've lifted the weight of the world off his shoulders.

"He has asked me to send his love to all of you... You've given him the best start to his new year that anyone could have asked for. And he's determined to fight his way back to fitness and rebuild the power in his hands so he can play guitar again.

"It's going to be a hard road ahead for him, but you've all made his life a lot brighter. Thank you all so much for helping my uncle. All the best to you all for 2013.

Matt Reilly"

We would like to add our own personal thanks to everyone who helped and wish Vini all the very best.

Labels: The_Durutti_Column, Vini_Reilly

Vini Reilly of The Durutti Column is selling his 1969 Juan Montero flamenco guitar.

"His flamenco guitars not only have the workmanship and beauty one expects in a quality handmade instrument, but also in tone richness, depth and balanced sound." - description of Juan Montero's famous Spanish guitars, less than one thousand of which have ever been made.

Serious offers only to Phil Kooky Cleaver - kookydiscs@btinternet.com

Labels: The_Durutti_Column, Vini_Reilly

There will be a short delay in the delivery of pre-release copies of the new Kooky Records 2CD re-release of Vini Reilly by The Durutti Column.

Read the full announcement at kookydisc.co.uk.

Labels: Kooky_Records, The_Durutti_Column, Vini_Reilly

News in from thedurutticolumn.com and Kooky Records:

Kooky Records will be re-releasing the seminal Durutti Column album Vini Reilly in Spring 2011.

It will consist of two discs: the original album re-mastered by Keir Stewart and a nine-track bonus disc of unheard studio out-takes from a session TDK tape which has been in the possession of Vini and not played for many years!

The album will, however, be available on a strictly limited pre-sale basis direct from Kooky via thedurutticolumn.com and kookydisc.co.uk for only £13.00 (Paypal only) including postage and packing to anywhere in the world.

Please note there will only be a limited amount sold via this method and it is being sold on a strictly first come first served basis. We can therefore not reserve any copies.

Tracklisting

Kookydisc 30/1

1. Love no more
2. Pol in G
3. Opera I
4. People's Pleasure Park
5. Red Square
6. Finding The Sea
7. Otis
8. William B
9. They Work Every Day
10. Opera II
11. Homage to Catalonea
12. Requiem Again

Kookydisc 30/2

1. Opera Two Demo
2. Finding The Sea - One
3. PPP Demo
4. Juan Montero Sketch One
5. Sample Tune
6. Finding The Sea - Two
7. Juan Montero Sketch Two
8. William B Demo
9. Sketches on Stratocaster

Visit thedurutticolumn.com Shop for more details.

Labels: Kooky_Records, The_Durutti_Column, Vini_Reilly

Vini Reilly is reluctantly selling a few items, some of which are quite unique with provenance, to finance his new audio-visual autobiographical album which will come out in spring/summer 2011, reports Phil Cleaver on kookydisc.co.uk.

The items for sale are as follows:-

1. ROLEX - OYSTER PERPETUAL 3/4-SIZE STAINLESS STEEL WATCH

This has been owned from new by Vini and is in fine working order. Also it has recently been serviced by a Rolex dealer.

He bought it over fifteen years ago having being inspired to do so after meeting Tim Page who is an English photojournalist who made his name during the Vietnam War. Having being blown up several times the first thing he bought with his royalties was a Rolex Perpetual. Vini followed suit.

It originally cost over £2000.00 and serious offers only will be considered.

PLEASE NOTE IT IS A 3/4 SIZE.


2. BOSS BR8 DIGITAL RECORDING STUDIO

Vini has used this on several albums since he purchased it in 1999. At the time it was one of the best home recording portastudios on the market. It has been used to produce not only several demos but also finished album tracks.

More technical specifications are readily available on the internet but I shall try and answer specific questions too.

Vini has a couple of unreleased tracks on the recorder and he is happy to record a couple more unique pieces for those who are interested.


3. GRADO STATEMENT SERIES GS1000 – AUDIOPHILE HEADPHONES

"The 'Rolls Royce' of headphones."

John Grado makes the most sublime headphones and these are rated 5/5 everywhere.

'beautiful, comfortable, crystal clear, wider soundstage with tight bass'

'These cans offer uncompromising fidelity. It's surprising how much more there is on most recordings'

Such quality commands them to be just under £1000.00 new. They are less than three months old, in 'like new' condition. All packaging etc is present.

There are also a couple of microphones which will be sold with the BR8 – an SM57 and a Sony ECM99 Digital Mic.

--

If you are genuinely interested in any of the above items please contact Phil Cleaver at:

kookydiscs@btinternet.com [please put the words 'Vini Items' in the email subject]

Labels: The_Durutti_Column, Vini_Reilly

Vini Reilly played and talked with Paul Morley at a special spoken word event at the Purcell Room in London last Wednesday. The event was part of Morley's ongoing preparations for a forthcoming book about Tony Wilson. The other guests were poet Mike Garry and Richard Boon (ex-Buzzcocks manager).

The interviews were interspersed with previously unseen footage shot by Paul's sister Carol of Tony Wilson (c. 2005) in preparation for a film about a Joy Division tribute band from China. Undoubted star of the show was William the dog (recently the winning answer of a Cerysmatic competition) who shows great enthusiasm for barking and less for getting back into the car!

Check out the full review at thedurutticolumn.com.

Labels: books, Paul_Morley, review, Tony_Wilson, Vini_Reilly

A cutting-edge and innovative art exhibition will complement The Museum of Science and Industry's new Communications Gallery when it opens in the autumn. Vini Reilly provides a specially written soundtrack to Andrea Zapp's installation.

StoryRooms will use modern technology including the Internet to create a unique and challenging art experience for visitors to the new gallery. Seven artists from around the world are contributing to the exhibition, each examining a different aspect of human exchange and social interaction. The large-scale, networked installations invite the audience to actively participate in the exhibition.

The exhibit will sit alongside the Museum's new gallery, which tells the story of human communication from signs and gestures right through to modern mass media applications.

StoryRooms Curator and Artist Andrea Zapp said of the new show: "StoryRooms brings to Manchester a group of international media artists that have produced groundbreaking work in this field. Over the last few years, the Internet has drastically changed the format of human communication and StoryRooms will use art to examine the ways in which we now interact with each other and with technology.

In the exhibition, the computer is mostly invisible to the audience, who are asked to play with various kinds of scenarios, objects and visual experiments. It's a vibrant, striking, even surreal installation environment and I'm sure that visitors to the new Communications Gallery will not only enjoy it, but find it thought-provoking."

The Museum's Head of Galleries and New Developments, Seán Gaffaney, added: "We're excited about the new gallery, which will look at developments in communication from early man right up to the present day. The significant contribution that the people of Manchester and the North West of England have made to the story will be celebrated as well.

"StoryRooms will provide an interesting add-on to the gallery which will offer our visitors something a little bit different."

Artists contributing to the StoryRooms exhibition are: Susan Collins (UK), Paul DeMarinis (USA), Ken Goldberg (USA), Paul Sermon (UK), Cornelia Sollfrank (Germany), Tan Teck Weng (Malaysia), and Andrea Zapp (Germany/UK).

The new gallery will be located in the Museum's grade one listed 1830 warehouse and is due to open in October.

Labels: Andrea_Zapp, StoryRooms, Vini_Reilly

It's short notice but Vini Reilly is making a guest appearance on the Mark Radcliffe Show on BBC Radio 2 tonight from 10.30pm BST. Vini will be playing a special set on Spanish guitar. Listen out for a special announcement!

Labels: Vini_Reilly

- - - -

08.03 | 09.03 | 10.03 | 11.03 | 12.03 | 01.04 | 02.04 | 03.04 | 04.04 | 05.04 | 06.04 | 07.04 | 08.04 | 09.04 | 10.04 | 11.04 | 12.04 | 01.05 | 02.05 | 03.05 | 04.05 | 05.05 | 06.05 | 07.05 | 08.05 | 09.05 | 10.05 | 11.05 | 12.05 | 01.06 | 02.06 | 03.06 | 04.06 | 05.06 | 06.06 | 07.06 | 08.06 | 09.06 | 10.06 | 11.06 | 12.06 | 01.07 | 02.07 | 03.07 | 04.07 | 05.07 | 06.07 | 07.07 | 08.07 | 09.07 | 10.07 | 11.07 | 12.07 | 01.08 | 02.08 | 03.08 | 04.08 | 05.08 | 06.08 | 07.08 | 08.08 | 09.08 | 10.08 | 11.08 | 12.08 | 01.09 | 02.09 | 03.09 | 04.09 | 05.09 | 06.09 | 07.09 | 08.09 | 09.09 | 10.09 | 11.09 | 12.09 | 01.10 | 02.10 | 03.10 | 04.10 | 05.10 | 06.10 | 07.10 | 08.10 | 09.10 | 10.10 | 11.10 | 12.10 | 01.11 | 02.11 | 03.11 | 04.11 | 05.11 | 06.11 | 07.11 | 08.11 | 09.11 | 10.11 | 11.11 | 12.11 | 01.12 | 02.12 | 03.12 | 04.12 | 05.12 | 06.12 | 07.12 | 08.12 | 09.12 | 10.12 | 11.12 | 12.12 | 01.13 | 02.13 | 03.13 | 04.13 | 05.13 | 06.13 | 07.13 | 08.13 | 09.13 | 10.13 | 11.13 | 12.13 | 01.14 | 02.14 | 03.14 | 04.14 | 05.14 | 06.14 | 07.14 | 08.14 | 09.14 | 10.14 | 11.14 | 12.14 | 01.15 | 02.15 | 03.15 | 04.15 | 05.17 | 06.17 | 07.17 | 08.17 | 09.17 | 10.17 | 11.17 | 05.18 | 12.18 | 01.19 | 08.19 | 09.19 | 10.19 | 11.19 | 12.19 | 03.20 |

- - - -