In the 1980s Factory Records was the best record label in the world. Based on Palatine Road, a stone's throw from where I grew up, managed as a Marxist art project, bankrolled by New Order and home to a bunch of sullen, wilful experimental artists who famously signed no contracts and owned all their music, it put out record after record, almost none of which were hits. Today's mix is a small selection of the magnificence that came out of Factory in the mid- 80s (deliberately leaving out New Order), a period where the combined talents clustered around the table at 86 Palatine Road produced such life affirming and ground breaking music.
- Cabaret Voltaire: Yashar (John Robie Remix)
- Quando Quango: Genius
- Stockholm Monsters: All At Once
- Section 25: Looking From A Hilltop (Megamix)
- Marcel King: Reach For Love
- A Certain Ratio: Mickey Way (The Candy Bar)
- Durutti Column: For Belgian Friends
Yashar (John Robie Remix) by Cabaret Voltaire is Fac 82. Cabaret Voltaire released just this single 12" for Factory.
Genius by Quando Quango is Fact 137. Quando Quango were formed in Rotterdam by Mike Pickering with Hillegonda Rietveld and Reinier Rietveld with former ACR singer Simon Topping joining on percussion.
All At Once by Stockholm Monsters is Fac 107. Stockholm Monsters are the best band to come out of Burnage.
Looking From A Hilltop (Megamix) by Section 25 is Fac 108, released in 1984, and still sounds like the future. It was produced by Donald Johnson of ACR and Bernard Sumner of New Order as Be Music.
Reach For Love by Marcel King is FBN 43, released in 1985, and should have been number one in every country in the world. Also produced by Bernard Sumner and Donald Johnson.
Mickey Way (The Candy Bar) by A Certain Ratio is Fac 168 from 1986. It was also on the album Force, ACR's last album for Factory (Fact 166).
For Belgian Friends is by Durutti Column and first appeared on A Factory Quartet, Fact 24, in 1980 and then on Valuable Passages, a Durutti Column compilation from 1986 Fac 164. Donald Johnson plays drums. Vini Reilly is one of the true geniuses to be found on Palatine Road during the period. He still lives nearby.
6 comments:
Another great compilation for Sunday. Well done Adam
Nice. Very nice! Cracking mix Adam. Will play that in the car on the way home from a Medway stopover in Rochester watching Billy Childish on home turf. Completely agree about Stockholm Monsters and Burnage by the way...
Will you be following this up with a rhyming '40 Minutes of Rak', one time home of Hot Chocolate, Suzi Quatro, Racey and many more?
I hadn't considered that Ernie but I shall certainly give it some thought.
Can't wait to listen to this. I've never heard of half of the artists included. 🖤⚔️💛
FBN 43,
FBN?
Woah:
"The label was the result of an informal arrangement made in 1980 between Factory Records and Les Disques du Crépuscule, whereby FBN released 'spare' recordings by Factory artists and provided the Manchester label with an exotic entrée into Europe"
Cooooool.
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