A Certain Ratio
Encyclopedia
A Certain Ratio are a Post-punk
band formed in 1977 in Manchester
, England
. While originally part of the punk rock
movement, they soon added funk
and dance
elements to their sound. They are sometimes referred to as "post punk funk". The band's name is taken from the lyrics of Brian Eno
's song "The True Wheel" from the album Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
.
and later joined T-Coy), plus guitarist Peter Terrell, who left in 1982. Keyboardist Andy Connell
, who joined in 1982, left to form Swing Out Sister
in 1985.
A Certain Ratio's first recording contract was with Factory Records
in 1979. They released The Graveyard and The Ballroom only on cassette
in 1980. This led them to put out another experimental album; To Each..., released in 1981, was the band's official debut album. With growing popularity and success, the band signed with A&M Records
in 1987, and Good Together was released in 1989. The album failed to produce a hit, leading to the band's departure from the label. In the early 1990s, they signed with Rob's Records, owned by New Order
manager Rob Gretton.
In 1990 Creation Records reissued the albums on CD and in 2002 Soul Jazz Records reissued the albums with bonus tracks (but using the same masters as the Creation editions.) Further re-issues and a live recording from 1980 have also been made available on the LTM
label.
Although the band does not play full time, they continue writing, recording, and performing. A Certain Ratio performed in the U.S. for the first time since 1985 on November 16, 2008, headlining the Part Time Punks Festival at The Echo in Los Angeles, California.
They were managed by Tony Wilson
. They are featured in the film 24 Hour Party People
where Tony Wilson (played by Steve Coogan
) describes them as "having all the energy of Joy Division
but better clothes." Martin Moscrop was Musical Supervisor of 24 Hour Party People.
, following a one-off live performance commemorating Factory Records in Dublin, in March 2009.
They performed at the Plan K, Molenbeek in West Brussels
on 12 December 2009 as part of the event, 'A Factory Night (And Then Again)'. This event also featured Section 25
, The Wake
, The Names
and Biting Tongues
.
Towards the end of 2009, the band announced a live appearance at a fund-raising event at Brighton
's Concorde 2 venue on March 7, 2010. Their 2008 album, "Mind Made Up" was re-issued via LTM Recordings during 2010, along with a redux version of the 1986 set, 'Force'.
In May 2011, they performed on The Satellite Stage at Friends Of Mine Festival at Capesthorne Hall
near Macclesfield
, and were introduced by their friend Terry Christian
.
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band formed in 1977 in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. While originally part of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
movement, they soon added funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
elements to their sound. They are sometimes referred to as "post punk funk". The band's name is taken from the lyrics of Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
's song "The True Wheel" from the album Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
Taking Tiger Mountain is the second solo album by Brian Eno. Produced by Eno, it was originally released by Island Records in November 1974 in a gatefold sleeve. Unlike his previous album Here Come the Warm Jets, Eno used a core band of five instrumentalists and used fewer guest musicians...
.
History
The group's longest serving original members are Martin Moscrop (born 24 September 1960) (guitar, trumpet) and Jez Kerr (bass, vocals). Another current member, Donald Johnson (drums, vocals), joined after the first drummerless single. Two of their original members have left the band: Simon Topping (left in 1983 for Quando QuangoQuando Quango
Quando Quango was a British, Manchester based new wave and dance project, formed by The Haçienda DJ and Factory Records A&R man Mike Pickering, Hillegonda Rietveld and Reinier Rietveld. Their unique sound influenced the underground dance music scenes in New York and Chicago in the 1980s...
and later joined T-Coy), plus guitarist Peter Terrell, who left in 1982. Keyboardist Andy Connell
Andy Connell
Andrew John "Andy" Connell is an English musician and composer. Along with Corinne Drewery, he is part of the duo that makes up Swing Out Sister....
, who joined in 1982, left to form Swing Out Sister
Swing Out Sister
Swing Out Sister are a British "sophisti-pop" group best known worldwide for their 1986 song "Breakout". Other hits include "Surrender", "Twilight World", "Waiting Game" and a remake of "Am I the Same Girl?" Though album sales in the U.S. and Europe have levelled off since the early 1990s, the...
in 1985.
A Certain Ratio's first recording contract was with Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
in 1979. They released The Graveyard and The Ballroom only on cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
in 1980. This led them to put out another experimental album; To Each..., released in 1981, was the band's official debut album. With growing popularity and success, the band signed with A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
in 1987, and Good Together was released in 1989. The album failed to produce a hit, leading to the band's departure from the label. In the early 1990s, they signed with Rob's Records, owned by New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
manager Rob Gretton.
In 1990 Creation Records reissued the albums on CD and in 2002 Soul Jazz Records reissued the albums with bonus tracks (but using the same masters as the Creation editions.) Further re-issues and a live recording from 1980 have also been made available on the LTM
LTM
LTM Recordings is an independent record label founded in Britain in 1983, and best known for high quality, well-packaged reissues of artists and music from 1978 to the present day, as well as modern classical and avant garde composition...
label.
Although the band does not play full time, they continue writing, recording, and performing. A Certain Ratio performed in the U.S. for the first time since 1985 on November 16, 2008, headlining the Part Time Punks Festival at The Echo in Los Angeles, California.
They were managed by Tony Wilson
Tony Wilson
Anthony Howard Wilson, commonly known as Tony Wilson , was an English record label owner, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC....
. They are featured in the film 24 Hour Party People
24 Hour Party People
24 Hour Party People is a 2002 British film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom...
where Tony Wilson (played by Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...
) describes them as "having all the energy of Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
but better clothes." Martin Moscrop was Musical Supervisor of 24 Hour Party People.
Live return and resurgence
The band announced their live return with a headline performance at London's Offset Festival, in September 2009, playing alongside fellow post-punk artists The SlitsThe Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
, following a one-off live performance commemorating Factory Records in Dublin, in March 2009.
They performed at the Plan K, Molenbeek in West Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on 12 December 2009 as part of the event, 'A Factory Night (And Then Again)'. This event also featured Section 25
Section 25
Section 25 is an English post-punk band, best known for its single "Looking from a Hilltop" and its association with the Manchester record-label, Factory Records.-Early recordings 1977 - 1982 :...
, The Wake
The Wake
The Wake may refer to:* The Wake , a British post-punk band* The Wake , an American goth band from Columbus, Ohio* The Sandman: The Wake, a graphic novel in the Sandman series* The Wake , 1985...
, The Names
The Names (band)
The Names are a post-punk band from Brussels , formed in 1978 around bassist and songwriter Michel Smordynia. After local gigs as The Passengers, they changed their name in time for their debut single, Spectators of Life, released by WEA in 1979 to test the market for home-grown new wave music.The...
and Biting Tongues
Biting Tongues
Biting Tongues were a post-punk band formed in Manchester, England in 1979, whose members went on to join Simply Red, Yargo, and 808 State.-History:...
.
Towards the end of 2009, the band announced a live appearance at a fund-raising event at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
's Concorde 2 venue on March 7, 2010. Their 2008 album, "Mind Made Up" was re-issued via LTM Recordings during 2010, along with a redux version of the 1986 set, 'Force'.
In May 2011, they performed on The Satellite Stage at Friends Of Mine Festival at Capesthorne Hall
Capesthorne Hall
Capesthorne Hall is a country house in Cheshire, England. The house and its surrounding wall have been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building....
near Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
, and were introduced by their friend Terry Christian
Terry Christian
Terry Christian is a British television and radio presenter whose credits include Channel 4's late night Youth Entertainment show The Word and ITV1 moral issues talk show It's My Life...
.
Albums
- The Graveyard and the Ballroom (December 1979) - FACT 16 [Cassette] - Reissued via Creation and then Soul Jazz
- To Each... (1981) - FACT 35 - Reissued via Creation and then Soul Jazz
- Sextet (1982) - FACT 55 - Reissued via Creation and then Soul Jazz - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#53 - I'd Like To See You Again (1982) - FACT 65 - Reissued via Creation and then LTM
- Force (1986) - FACT 166 - Reissued via Creation and then LTM (2010)
- Good Together (1989) - A&M ACR 550
- acr:mcr (1990) - A&M 397 057-2
- Up In Downsville (1992) - ROB20 - Reissued via LTM (2010)
- Change The Station (1997) - ROB50
- Mind Made Up (2008) - Reissued via LTM (2010)
Singles
- "Shack Up" / "And Then Again (live)" 7" - FBN 1
- "All Night Party" / "The Thin Boys" 7" - FAC 5
- "Flight" / "Blown Away" / "And Then Again" 12" - FAC 22
- "Do The Du (Casse)" / "The Fox" / "Shack Up" / "Son And Heir" 12" - FACUS 4
- "The Double 12" " (12" 2 x 12", 7 tracks) - FACT 42 - Italian Import inc FAC 22 and FACUS 4
- "Waterline" / "Funaezekea" 12" - FAC 52
- "Knife Slits Water" / "Tumba Rumba" 7" - FAC 62-7
- "Knife Slits Water" / "Kether Hot Knives" 12" - FAC 62-12
- "Guess Who?" (Parts 1 and 2) 12" - FBN 17
- "I Need Someone Tonight" / "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" 12" - FAC 72-12 (Also promo 7" FAC 72/7)
- "Life's A Scream" / "There's Only This" 12" - FAC 112
- "Life's A Scream (Edit)" / "There's Only This (Edit)" 7" - FAC 112P
- "Brazilia" / "Dub" 12" - FBN 32
- "Wild Party" / "Sounds Like Something Dirty" 12" - FAC 128
- "Mickey Way (The Candy Bar)" / "Inside" / "Si Firmi O Grido" 12" - FAC 168
- "Greetings Four" EP - "The Runner" / "Inside" / "Bootsy" / "Fever 103" (all session versions) 12" - MASO 70004
- "Bootsy" / "Inside" 7" (Australian only) - FAC 1667
- "Bootsy (Remix)" / "Mickey Way" 12" (Australian only) - FAC 16612
- "The Big E" - A&M
- "Backs To The Wall" / "Backs To The Wall (Dub)" / "Be What You Wanna Be" (ACR version) 12" - ACRY 517
- "Your Blue Eyes" / "Thin Grey Line" / "Coldest Days" 12" (also on 7") - ACRY 534
- "Won't Stop Loving You (Bernard SumnerBernard SumnerBernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....
version) / "Repercussions" (ACR remix) / "Love Is The Way" (Instrumental) 12" - ACRY 540 - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#55 - "Won't Stop Loving You (Bernard SumnerBernard SumnerBernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....
version) / "Won't Stop Loving You (Norman Cook remix) / "Won't Stop Loving You (Cook Instrumental) - ACRY 540 - This was essentially a hurried re-press by A&M in an attempt to push the single up the singles chart (it failed). - "Good Together" - EP - A&M 12"
- "Shack Up (Machine)" / "Shack Up (Man)" / "Shack Up" (Norman Cook remix) / "Party Up" 12" - ACRYDJ 590 - Promo only
- "The Planet" / "Loosen Up Your Mind" 12" - 12 ROB 2
- "27 Forever (Bubble Bath Mix)" / "27 Forever (Fix Mix)" (both remixed by Jon DasilvaJon DaSilvaJon Dasilva is a producer and DJ. He has had releases on labels such as Soma and Deconstruction. He is also well known for his time as a resident DJ at The Haçienda. While there, he mentored Sasha in the early 1990s.-External links:*Official Website**...
) 12" - 12 ROB 5R - "Mello" / "Dub" / "27 Forever" (Jon DasilvaJon DaSilvaJon Dasilva is a producer and DJ. He has had releases on labels such as Soma and Deconstruction. He is also well known for his time as a resident DJ at The Haçienda. While there, he mentored Sasha in the early 1990s.-External links:*Official Website**...
remix) / "Moist Dub" 12" - 12 ROB 6R - "Tekno" / "Tekno" (Way Out WestWay Out WestWay Out West may refer to:* Way Out West , a world music influenced jazz group from Melbourne* Way Out West , a progressive house duo from the United Kingdom* Way Out West , starring Laurel and Hardy...
remix) 12" - 12 ROBS 18 - "Soundstation Volume 2" EP - "Samba 123" (Fila Brazilia remix) / "Yeah Boy" (Sons Of Samarkand remix) / "Yeah Boy" (DJ DieDJ DieDJ Die , is a British music producer and DJ. He was a founder of drum and bass label Full Cycle Recordings and a member of acts Reprazent and Breakbeat Era....
) 12" - 12 ROBS 22 - "Shack Up" / Human League - "Being Boiled" 12" - SJR 57-12 (Soul Jazz RecordsSoul Jazz RecordsSoul Jazz Records is a British-based record label. The label started in the 1990s, releasing compilation albums of predominantly black music, including reggae, soul, ska, Dub and jazz...
)
Compilations and live albums
- A Certain Ratio Live in America (Live Album, 1985) - DOJO 47 (Castle CommunicationsCastle CommunicationsCastle Communications was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Terry Shand, Cliff Dane and Jon Beecher. The company was acquired by the American music distributor Alliance Entertainment in 1994 and in 2000 it was absorbed into Sanctuary Records Group...
) - The Old and the New (Singles Compilation, 1986) - FACT 135
- Looking for a Certain Ratio (Remixes, 1994) - CRE159B
- Early (2002) - SJR60 (Soul Jazz RecordsSoul Jazz RecordsSoul Jazz Records is a British-based record label. The label started in the 1990s, releasing compilation albums of predominantly black music, including reggae, soul, ska, Dub and jazz...
) - Live In Groningen (2005) - LTM 2443