Durutti Column 'Otis'

Factory Records was the greatest record label there was. You can chuck in Stax, Motown, Creation, Rough Trade and any others you like depending on taste, but none of them had what Factory had, and so much of Factory's greatness was accidental, the right people in the same place at the same time- Anthony H Wilson, Martin Hannett, Rob Gretton and Joy Division, Peter Saville. It all ended it tears, financial collapse and heartbreak but then what did they expect? No contracts, 50-50 split, the artists own everything, a bottomless money-pit called The Hacienda. Art for art's sake. On the label right from the start was Vini Reilly, making beautiful records. Initial copies of their first album, The Return Of The Durutti Column, came in sandpaper sleeve, designed so it would gradually destroy the rest of your record collection. Apparently Joy Division were paid to glue the sandpaper to the cardboard, Ian Curtis glueing and the other three sitting watching an adult video. Despite the sandpaper there was nothing wilfully destructive about the music. This track is from the later Vini Reilly album, and features the sampled vocals of Otis Redding (years before Moby had the same idea). Tony Wilson said, 'with apologies to Steve Cropper, neither man has ever sounded better'. Durutti Column play the Lowry tonight, performing their Paean To Wilson. I wish I was going, but instead still have this to listen to.

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