The Durutti Column
Encyclopedia
The Durutti Column are an English post-punk
band formed in 1978 in Manchester
, England. The band is an ongoing project of guitarist (and occasional pianist) Vini Reilly
who is often accompanied by drummer Bruce Mitchell
. Other current members are Keir Stewart (on bass, keyboards and harmonica) and Reilly's girlfriend Poppy Morgan (on piano). Chris Ott summed up Vini Reilly in 2003: "Friend to Ian Curtis
and New Order
, a borderline New Age celebrity within European muso circles and the creative force behind much of Morrissey
's Viva Hate, Vini Reilly has unleashed untold volumes of music over the last twenty-five years. Delving into modern classical composition with 1984's Without Mercy, his low-key reputation as an independent auteur was cemented with 1988's Vini Reilly, a masterpiece recorded in just twenty days' time after finishing Viva Hate with Morrissey and Stephen Street."
and Alan Erasmus
, later partners in Factory Records
, assembled a band around the remnants of local punk rock
band Fast Breeder: drummer Chris Joyce
and guitarist Dave Rowbotham
. They called the then incomplete group The Durutti Column, derived from a misspelling of the name Buenaventura Durruti
, who led a column of anarchists during the Spanish Civil War
. On 25 January, Vini Reilly
, former guitarist for local punk rock
band Ed Banger and The Nosebleeds, joined, followed some weeks later by co-member vocalist Phil Rainford
and, by the end of February, bassist Tony Bowers
arrived from Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias
. The line-up was short-lived as Rainford was sacked in July, and replaced by vocalist Colin Sharp
, who also became one of the songwriters. Rainford went on to produce for Nico
and Suns of Arqa
.
The Durutti Column played at the Factory club (organised by their managers), and cut 2 numbers for the first Factory Records release A Factory Sample
, a double 7" compilation also featuring Joy Division
, John Dowie
and Cabaret Voltaire
. On the eve of recording a debut album, the band broke up after a dispute about Wilson and Erasmus's choice of producer, Martin Hannett
. Rowbotham, Bowers and Joyce went on to form The Mothmen
(the latter two becoming members of Simply Red
some years later), Sharp went on to form The Roaring 80s, SF Jive, and Glow, and also dedicated himself to acting; only Reilly remained.
With everyone's departure, The Durutti Column defaulted to Reilly's solo project. Other musicians contributed to recordings and live performances as occasioned. Former Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias drummer Bruce Mitchell doubled as co-manager with Wilson throughout their career on Factory and for many years afterwards.
. Reilly: "...he more or less got sounds for me that no one else could understand that I wanted. And he understood that I wanted to play the electric guitar but I didn't want this horrible distorted, usual electric guitar sound and he managed to get that." The record featured a sandpaper sleeve (like the title of the record, inspired by a Situationist joke, a book – Guy Debord
's Mémoires
– with a sandpaper cover to destroy other books on the shelf). "I didn't even know it was going to be an album. It was just the case of jumping at the chance of being in the studio. I actually didn't get up in time, Martin had to physically get me out of bed to get me to the studio – that's how little I believed it would happen. I was still doing late night petrol station shifts. I was even more amazed when Tony presented me with a white label. I was completely baffled. 'What, this is really going to be an album? You must be insane! No-one's going to buy this!' And then Tony got the idea from the Situationists about the sandpaper book, and decided to do some with a sandpaper sleeve. It was Joy Division
that stuck the sandpaper onto the card. I was mortified."
The music was unlike anything else performed by post-punk acts at the time. Reilly rooting himself in "new wave
" with "...an attempt at experimental things"; the record contained nine gentle guitar instrumentals (later releases occasionally feature Reilly's soft and hesitant vocals) including elements from jazz
, folk
, classical music and rock. Reilly: "...I had a lot of classical training when I was young, guitar and formal training, the scales I write with and the techniques I use are classical techniques and scales – a lot of minor melodic and minor harmonic scales, which generally aren't used in pop music. Usually it's pentatonic". Hannett's production included adding electronic rhythm and other effects, including birdsong on "Sketch for Summer". The album was accompanied by a flexidisc with two tracks by Hannett alone.
LC ("Lotta Continua
", Italian for "continuous struggle"), released in 1981, was recorded without Hannett, and introduced percussionist Bruce Mitchell, Reilly's most frequent musical partner and occasional manager. It was recorded on a four-track cassette deck at home (while it was slightly padded in the studio, the tape hiss is intact); among the first crisp, professionally released recordings made cheaply at home. The EP Deux Triangles, released in 1982, contained three instrumentals, with piano emphasised over guitar. Another Setting (1983) was again Reilly and Mitchell; in 1984 the band was expanded to include Richard Henry (trombone
), Maunagh Fleming (cor anglais
and oboe
), Blaine Reininger (of Tuxedomoon
; violin and viola
), Mervyn Fletcher (saxophone), Caroline Lavelle
(cello), and Tim Kellett
(trumpet). The album Without Mercy, arranged by John Metcalfe, was intended as an instrumental evocation of the poem La Belle Dame sans Merci
by John Keats
.
Say What You Mean was a departure from roots with the addition of deep electronic percussion. Kellett and Metcalfe remained (Metcalfe playing viola); they also appear alongside Reilly and Mitchell on Circuses and Bread (Factory Benelux in 1985) and Domo Arigato. The latter is a live album recorded in Tokyo and the first pop album released in the UK solely on the relatively new compact disc format (and also available on VHS and LaserDisc.)
Kellett left to join Simply Red
, but guested on The Guitar and Other Machines (1987), the first new UK album to be released on the unsuccessful Digital Audio Tape
format (as well as the usual media of LP, audio cassette and CD). The Guitar and Other Machines has a far more direct sound than earlier records, with guest vocals from Stanton Miranda
and Reilly's then partner, Pol, and the use of a sequencer
and drum machine
in addition to Mitchell's drumming. The album was produced by Stephen Street
, who also produced Morrissey
's solo album, Viva Hate
(1988), on which Reilly played guitar.
Vini Reilly (1989), also produced by Reilly and Street, features extensive use of sampling
, with looped samples of vocalists (including Otis Redding
, Tracy Chapman
, Annie Lennox
and Joan Sutherland
) used as the basis for several tracks. Initial copies came with a 7" or CD single, "I Know Very Well How I Got My Note Wrong", credited to "Vincent Gerard and Steven Patrick", in which a take of the Morrissey B-side "I Know Very Well How I Got My Name" dissolves into laughter after Reilly hits a wrong note.
On Obey the Time (1990) Mitchell played on only one track, the album being otherwise a solo recording by Reilly, heavily influenced by contemporary dance music. An accompanying single, "The Together Mix", featured two reworkings of album tracks by Together
, Jonathon Donaghy and Suddi Raval (Donaghy was killed in a car crash in Ibiza
before the single was released). This was to be the last Durutti Column record released by Factory, in early 1991.
Former member Dave Rowbotham
was killed by an axe murderer in 1991. He was later memorialised by the Happy Mondays
in the song "Cowboy Dave."
In 1993 Tony Wilson attempted to revive Factory Records, and Sex and Death was the first release on Factory Too (a subdivision of London Records
). The album was once again produced by Stephen Street, with Mitchell and Metcalfe, and it included, on the track "The Next Time", Peter Hook
of New Order
. Time Was Gigantic ... When We Were Kids, which followed in 1998, was produced by Keir Stewart, who also played on the album and has frequently worked with Reilly since. Fidelity was released between these albums in 1996 by Les Disques du Crépuscule
and was produced by Laurie Laptop.
The eight albums recorded for Factory (The Return of the Durutti Column, LC, Another Setting, Without Mercy, Domo Arigato, The Guitar and Other Machines, Vini Reilly and Obey the Time) were re-released with additional material by Factory Too/London, under the banner Factory Once, between 1996 and 1998.
In 1998, Durutti Column contributed "It's Your Life Baby" to the AIDS benefit compilation album Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon
produced by the Red Hot Organization
.
Factory Too effectively ended in 1998, and subsequent Durutti Column albums have been on independent labels Artful Records (Rebellion [2001], Someone Else's Party [2003], Keep Breathing [2006], Idiot Savants [2007]) or Kookydisc (Tempus Fugit [2004], Sunlight to Blue . . . Blue to Blackness [2008]). Kookydisc has also released two further volumes of The Sporadic Recordings (along with a slightly edited re-release of the first volume from 1989), remastered versions of two very scarce LPs from the early 1980s (Live At The Venue [2004] and Amigos Em Portugal [2005]), and two subscription-club discs of rare and unreleased material. A download-only release, Heaven Sent (It Was Called Digital, It Was Heaven Sent), first appeared in 2005 via Wilson's project F4, which was marketed as the fourth version of Factory Records.
On 7 September 2009, Colin Sharp died from a brain haemorrhage.
shows Vini Reilly
playing to an empty Haçienda
(58:30 on the DVD). On the commentary track, however, Tony Wilson
makes it clear that this is a "bit unfair" because Vini had a "real audience": "you can take him to Portugal and you get two thousand people, you can take him to Paris and you get eight hundred people, and in Manchester you get five or six hundred".
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 1978 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. The band is an ongoing project of guitarist (and occasional pianist) Vini Reilly
Vini Reilly
Vincent "Vini" Gerard Reilly is an English musician and leader of the post-punk group The Durutti Column.-Biography:...
who is often accompanied by drummer Bruce Mitchell
Bruce Mitchell (drummer)
Bruce Mitchell is a jazz drummer, who plays regularly with Vini Reilly in the Durutti Column.-Biography:Mitchell was born in the suburb of Didsbury, in the south of Manchester, on 6 June 1940....
. Other current members are Keir Stewart (on bass, keyboards and harmonica) and Reilly's girlfriend Poppy Morgan (on piano). Chris Ott summed up Vini Reilly in 2003: "Friend to Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...
and New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, a borderline New Age celebrity within European muso circles and the creative force behind much of Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
's Viva Hate, Vini Reilly has unleashed untold volumes of music over the last twenty-five years. Delving into modern classical composition with 1984's Without Mercy, his low-key reputation as an independent auteur was cemented with 1988's Vini Reilly, a masterpiece recorded in just twenty days' time after finishing Viva Hate with Morrissey and Stephen Street."
Early line-ups
In 1978 Tony WilsonTony 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....
and Alan Erasmus
Alan Erasmus
Alan Erasmus was the co-founder of Factory Records with Tony Wilson, which signed Joy Division and Happy Mondays.He started off his career as an actor, appearing in Coronation Street and the TV film Hard Labour by Mike Leigh....
, later partners in 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...
, assembled a band around the remnants of local 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...
band Fast Breeder: drummer Chris Joyce
Chris Joyce
Chris Joyce is known for being drummer with different new wave groups and with Simply Red in the 1980s.Coming from Didsbury, Manchester, he adopted the hippie lifestyle...
and guitarist Dave Rowbotham
Dave Rowbotham
Dave Rowbotham was a rock musician who played guitar and bass with different Manchester bands in the 1970s and the 1980s, and as studio musician.-Biography:...
. They called the then incomplete group The Durutti Column, derived from a misspelling of the name Buenaventura Durruti
Buenaventura Durruti
José Buenaventura Durruti Dumange was a central figure of Spanish anarchism during the period leading up to and including the Spanish Civil War.-Early life:...
, who led a column of anarchists during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. On 25 January, Vini Reilly
Vini Reilly
Vincent "Vini" Gerard Reilly is an English musician and leader of the post-punk group The Durutti Column.-Biography:...
, former guitarist for local 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...
band Ed Banger and The Nosebleeds, joined, followed some weeks later by co-member vocalist Phil Rainford
Phil Rainford
Phil Rainford is a former singer and music producer, who formed part of the Manchester music scene, in late 1970s and early 1980s, although he did few things...
and, by the end of February, bassist Tony Bowers
Tony Bowers
Tony Bowers is a musician based in Italy who has worked with many bands, including Simply Red in the 1980s.He debuted with a blues band called Blind Eye, as second guitarist, although isn't considered as former member...
arrived from Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias
Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias
Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias were a comedy rock band, formed in Manchester, England in 1973. Their story is told in the book When We Were Thin...
. The line-up was short-lived as Rainford was sacked in July, and replaced by vocalist Colin Sharp
Colin Sharp
Colin Ainsley Sharp was a musician and writer from England, who was part of the Manchester music scene of the late 1970s and dedicated to arts in Newcastle....
, who also became one of the songwriters. Rainford went on to produce for Nico
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
and Suns of Arqa
Suns of Arqa
Suns of Arqa are a World Music collective founded in 1979 by Michael Wadada. Since the group's formation, over 200 people from around the world have played and recorded with them, and in many cases these were like-minded musicians Wadada met as he travelled the world...
.
The Durutti Column played at the Factory club (organised by their managers), and cut 2 numbers for the first Factory Records release A Factory Sample
A Factory Sample
A Factory Sample is a 7-inch double sampler EP released on 24 December 1978 by Factory Records of Manchester, England. It was the first vinyl recording to be released by the label...
, a double 7" compilation also featuring 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...
, John Dowie
John Dowie (humourist)
John Dowie is a British comedian, musician, and writer. He began performing stand-up comedy in 1969.-Career:Dowie was among the inaugural acts on Tony Wilson's Factory Records label. In 1978 he contributed three comedic songs to the first Factory music release, A Factory Sample, along with Joy...
and Cabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire (band)
Cabaret Voltaire were a British music group from Sheffield, England.Initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk and Chris Watson, the group was named after the Cabaret Voltaire, a nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland that was a centre for the early Dada movement.Their earliest performances...
. On the eve of recording a debut album, the band broke up after a dispute about Wilson and Erasmus's choice of producer, Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett
Martin Hannett , sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was a record producer and an original partner in Factory Records with Tony Wilson...
. Rowbotham, Bowers and Joyce went on to form The Mothmen
The Mothmen
The Mothmen were a short-lived post-punk band from England, formed around 1979 by Dave Rowbotham, Chris Joyce and Tony Bowers, shortly after they left The Durutti Column, including ex-Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias singer Bob Harding.-History:...
(the latter two becoming members of Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
some years later), Sharp went on to form The Roaring 80s, SF Jive, and Glow, and also dedicated himself to acting; only Reilly remained.
With everyone's departure, The Durutti Column defaulted to Reilly's solo project. Other musicians contributed to recordings and live performances as occasioned. Former Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias drummer Bruce Mitchell doubled as co-manager with Wilson throughout their career on Factory and for many years afterwards.
1979–1990: Factory Records
The first album, 1980's The Return of the Durutti Column (title inspired by a 1967 Situationist International poster that includes that phrase), was produced by Martin HannettMartin Hannett
Martin Hannett , sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was a record producer and an original partner in Factory Records with Tony Wilson...
. Reilly: "...he more or less got sounds for me that no one else could understand that I wanted. And he understood that I wanted to play the electric guitar but I didn't want this horrible distorted, usual electric guitar sound and he managed to get that." The record featured a sandpaper sleeve (like the title of the record, inspired by a Situationist joke, a book – Guy Debord
Guy Debord
Guy Ernest Debord was a French Marxist theorist, writer, filmmaker, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situationist International . He was also briefly a member of Socialisme ou Barbarie.-Early Life:Guy Debord was born in Paris in 1931...
's Mémoires
Mémoires
Mémoires is an artist's book made by the Danish artist Asger Jorn in collaboration with the French artist and theorist Guy Debord...
– with a sandpaper cover to destroy other books on the shelf). "I didn't even know it was going to be an album. It was just the case of jumping at the chance of being in the studio. I actually didn't get up in time, Martin had to physically get me out of bed to get me to the studio – that's how little I believed it would happen. I was still doing late night petrol station shifts. I was even more amazed when Tony presented me with a white label. I was completely baffled. 'What, this is really going to be an album? You must be insane! No-one's going to buy this!' And then Tony got the idea from the Situationists about the sandpaper book, and decided to do some with a sandpaper sleeve. It was 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...
that stuck the sandpaper onto the card. I was mortified."
The music was unlike anything else performed by post-punk acts at the time. Reilly rooting himself in "new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
" with "...an attempt at experimental things"; the record contained nine gentle guitar instrumentals (later releases occasionally feature Reilly's soft and hesitant vocals) including elements from jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, classical music and rock. Reilly: "...I had a lot of classical training when I was young, guitar and formal training, the scales I write with and the techniques I use are classical techniques and scales – a lot of minor melodic and minor harmonic scales, which generally aren't used in pop music. Usually it's pentatonic". Hannett's production included adding electronic rhythm and other effects, including birdsong on "Sketch for Summer". The album was accompanied by a flexidisc with two tracks by Hannett alone.
LC ("Lotta Continua
Lotta Continua
Lotta Continua was a far left extra-parliamentary organization in Italy. It was founded in autumn 1969 by a split in the student-worker movement of Turin, which had started militant activity at the universities and factories such as Fiat...
", Italian for "continuous struggle"), released in 1981, was recorded without Hannett, and introduced percussionist Bruce Mitchell, Reilly's most frequent musical partner and occasional manager. It was recorded on a four-track cassette deck at home (while it was slightly padded in the studio, the tape hiss is intact); among the first crisp, professionally released recordings made cheaply at home. The EP Deux Triangles, released in 1982, contained three instrumentals, with piano emphasised over guitar. Another Setting (1983) was again Reilly and Mitchell; in 1984 the band was expanded to include Richard Henry (trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
), Maunagh Fleming (cor anglais
Cor anglais
The cor anglais , or English horn , is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family....
and oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
), Blaine Reininger (of Tuxedomoon
Tuxedomoon
Tuxedomoon is an experimental post-punk/New Wave group formed in San Francisco, California, consisting of core members Blaine L. Reininger, Steven Brown and Peter Principle....
; violin and viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
), Mervyn Fletcher (saxophone), Caroline Lavelle
Caroline Lavelle
Caroline Lavelle is a British singer-songwriter and cellist who has created three solo albums and contributed vocals, music, and production help to many other artists and bands.-Career:Lavelle studied at the Royal College of Music in London...
(cello), and Tim Kellett
Tim Kellett
Tim Kellett is an English musician, songwriter and record producer.-Biography:Kellett has worked in the British music industry for the past twenty five years...
(trumpet). The album Without Mercy, arranged by John Metcalfe, was intended as an instrumental evocation of the poem La Belle Dame sans Merci
La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad
La Belle Dame sans Merci is a ballad written by the English poet John Keats. It exists in two versions, with minor differences between them. The original was written by Keats in 1819...
by John Keats
John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
.
Say What You Mean was a departure from roots with the addition of deep electronic percussion. Kellett and Metcalfe remained (Metcalfe playing viola); they also appear alongside Reilly and Mitchell on Circuses and Bread (Factory Benelux in 1985) and Domo Arigato. The latter is a live album recorded in Tokyo and the first pop album released in the UK solely on the relatively new compact disc format (and also available on VHS and LaserDisc.)
Kellett left to join Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
, but guested on The Guitar and Other Machines (1987), the first new UK album to be released on the unsuccessful Digital Audio Tape
Digital Audio Tape
Digital Audio Tape is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987. In appearance it is similar to a compact audio cassette, using 4 mm magnetic tape enclosed in a protective shell, but is roughly half the size at 73 mm × 54 mm × 10.5 mm. As...
format (as well as the usual media of LP, audio cassette and CD). The Guitar and Other Machines has a far more direct sound than earlier records, with guest vocals from Stanton Miranda
Stanton Miranda
Stanton Miranda is a Factory Records artist from New York City from the 1980s. She achieved some notice for her single "Wheels Over Indian Trails" and her later cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division...
and Reilly's then partner, Pol, and the use of a sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
and drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
in addition to Mitchell's drumming. The album was produced by Stephen Street
Stephen Street
Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
, who also produced Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
's solo album, Viva Hate
Viva Hate
Viva Hate is Morrissey's debut solo album, released on 14 March 1988 by HMV Records. The album was considered a very strong foray into Morrissey's solo career, as he utilised his traditional lyrical style and retained the basic sound that The Smiths had developed by the time they broke up. It...
(1988), on which Reilly played guitar.
Vini Reilly (1989), also produced by Reilly and Street, features extensive use of sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, with looped samples of vocalists (including Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
, Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...
and Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
) used as the basis for several tracks. Initial copies came with a 7" or CD single, "I Know Very Well How I Got My Note Wrong", credited to "Vincent Gerard and Steven Patrick", in which a take of the Morrissey B-side "I Know Very Well How I Got My Name" dissolves into laughter after Reilly hits a wrong note.
On Obey the Time (1990) Mitchell played on only one track, the album being otherwise a solo recording by Reilly, heavily influenced by contemporary dance music. An accompanying single, "The Together Mix", featured two reworkings of album tracks by Together
Together (rave band)
Together were a British techno and house band, best known for their hit single "Hardcore Uproar", which made number 12 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1990.-Members:...
, Jonathon Donaghy and Suddi Raval (Donaghy was killed in a car crash in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
before the single was released). This was to be the last Durutti Column record released by Factory, in early 1991.
1990 onwards: after Factory
For the first few years after the demise of Factory, the only Durutti Column album releases were Lips That Would Kiss (a 1991 collection of early singles, compilation contributions and unreleased material on the separate label Factory Benelux), and Dry (1991) and Red Shoes (1992), Italian collections of alternate versions and unreleased outtakes.Former member Dave Rowbotham
Dave Rowbotham
Dave Rowbotham was a rock musician who played guitar and bass with different Manchester bands in the 1970s and the 1980s, and as studio musician.-Biography:...
was killed by an axe murderer in 1991. He was later memorialised by the Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
in the song "Cowboy Dave."
In 1993 Tony Wilson attempted to revive Factory Records, and Sex and Death was the first release on Factory Too (a subdivision of London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
). The album was once again produced by Stephen Street, with Mitchell and Metcalfe, and it included, on the track "The Next Time", Peter Hook
Peter Hook
Peter Hook is an English bass player, musician and author.He was a co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division along with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until...
of New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
. Time Was Gigantic ... When We Were Kids, which followed in 1998, was produced by Keir Stewart, who also played on the album and has frequently worked with Reilly since. Fidelity was released between these albums in 1996 by Les Disques du Crépuscule
Les Disques du Crepuscule
Les Disques Du Crépuscule was a Belgian independent record label.The label was started in 1980 by Michel Duval and Annik Honoré, residents of Brussels who had previously organised and promoted concerts in the city. Initial releases were by Factory Records artists, and were labelled as being...
and was produced by Laurie Laptop.
The eight albums recorded for Factory (The Return of the Durutti Column, LC, Another Setting, Without Mercy, Domo Arigato, The Guitar and Other Machines, Vini Reilly and Obey the Time) were re-released with additional material by Factory Too/London, under the banner Factory Once, between 1996 and 1998.
In 1998, Durutti Column contributed "It's Your Life Baby" to the AIDS benefit compilation album Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon
Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon
Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon is the eleventh entry in the Red Hot Benefit Series of compilation albums. The album and related television special were both created by the Red Hot Organization , an international organization whose objective in this project is to raise AIDS awareness in the...
produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
.
Factory Too effectively ended in 1998, and subsequent Durutti Column albums have been on independent labels Artful Records (Rebellion [2001], Someone Else's Party [2003], Keep Breathing [2006], Idiot Savants [2007]) or Kookydisc (Tempus Fugit [2004], Sunlight to Blue . . . Blue to Blackness [2008]). Kookydisc has also released two further volumes of The Sporadic Recordings (along with a slightly edited re-release of the first volume from 1989), remastered versions of two very scarce LPs from the early 1980s (Live At The Venue [2004] and Amigos Em Portugal [2005]), and two subscription-club discs of rare and unreleased material. A download-only release, Heaven Sent (It Was Called Digital, It Was Heaven Sent), first appeared in 2005 via Wilson's project F4, which was marketed as the fourth version of Factory Records.
On 7 September 2009, Colin Sharp died from a brain haemorrhage.
Audience
The film 24 Hour Party People24 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...
shows Vini Reilly
Vini Reilly
Vincent "Vini" Gerard Reilly is an English musician and leader of the post-punk group The Durutti Column.-Biography:...
playing to an empty Haçienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
(58:30 on the DVD). On the commentary track, however, 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....
makes it clear that this is a "bit unfair" because Vini had a "real audience": "you can take him to Portugal and you get two thousand people, you can take him to Paris and you get eight hundred people, and in Manchester you get five or six hundred".
Primary recordings
- The Return of the Durutti ColumnThe Return of the Durutti ColumnThe Return of the Durutti Column is the debut album by The Durutti Column. It was originally released in 1980 on Factory Records and the original 2000 LP sleeves were made of sandpaper, assembled by members of Joy Division...
(Factory FACT 14, 1980 – original LP sleeve made of sandpaper – 1996 CD issue has same tracklisting and running order as the original sandpaper sleeve 'B1' and later black sleeve 'B3' vinyl pressings (and is missing the extra track from the black sleeve 'B2' LP release) (#7) - Lips that would kiss EP (FAC BN 2-005, 1980)
- LC (Factory FACT 44, 1981) (#12)
- Deux Triangles EP (Factory Benelux FBN10, 1982)
- Another Setting (Factory FACT 74, 1983 – all CD issues have incorrect track listings) (#4)
- Amigos Em Portugal (Fundação Atlântica, 1983 – reissued on CD by Kooky in 2005) (#11)
- Without Mercy (Factory FACT 84, 1984) (#8)
- Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say EP (Factory FAC 114, 1985 – added to CD issues of Without Mercy) (#5)
- Circuses and Bread (Factory Benelux FACD 154, 1986 – reissued in 1993 with new artwork on Les Disques Du Crepuscule, titled "Bread and Circuses") (Reissued on LTM in 2008 with original artwork and 9 'bonus' tracks LTMCD 2510)(#11)
- The City of Our Lady (Factory Fac 184/A, 1986) with Debi DiamondDebi DiamondDebi Diamond is an American adult actress and nude model.- Biography :She appeared in her first pornographic film in 1983...
(#46) - Greetings Three EP (Materiali Sonori MASO 70003)
- The Guitar and Other Machines (Factory FACT 204, 1987 – also available as the first commercially released pre-recorded DAT) (#13)
- Vini Reilly (Factory FACT 244, 1989) (#5) – reissued in 2011 as a double CD by Kookydisc, featuring an extra 9 track disc of previously unissued demos and sketches.
- Obey the Time (Factory FACT 274, 1990)
- Sex and Death (Factory Too/London, 1994)
- Fidelity (Les Disques Du Crepuscule, 1996)
- Time was Gigantic ... When we Were Kids (Factory Too/London, 1998)
- Rebellion (Artful CD40, 2001)
- Someone Else's Party (Artful CD49, 2003)
- Tempus Fugit (Kooky kookydisc019. 2004)
- Heaven Sent (It was called digital. It was Heaven sent) (F4, 2005 – six tracks, download only)
- Keep Breathing (Artful CD52, 2006)
- Idiot Savants (Artful CD62, 2007)
- Sunlight to Blue ... Blue to Blackness (Kooky kookydisc027, 2008)
- Treatise on the Steppenwolf OST (LTMCD 2518, 2008) (incidental music to theatre performance – mostly reworkings of recent material)
- Love in the Time of Recession (Artful CD64, 2009)
- A Paean To Wilson (Kooky, kookydisc 29/1 & 29/2, 2009 mail order, 2010 retail)
- Chronicle (Kooky, 2011)
Secondary recordings
- Short Stories for Pauline (FBN36) – Despite being given a catalogue number, this album was not released. The tracks are now shared between the 'Lips That Would Kiss' compilation and the LTM reissue of Circuses and Bread. 1983.
- The Sporadic Recordings (TTTTTTTTT CD, 1989 – demos and unreleased material – credited to Vini Reilly, not DC)
- Dry (Materiali Sonori, 1991 – collection of previously unreleased mid and late 80's material)
- Red Shoes (Materiali Sonori, 1992 – collection of previously unreleased mid 80's material and Greetings Three EP)
- Return of the Sporadic Recordings (Kooky, 2002 – double CD – abridged reissue of above 1989 Sporadic title with new disc of rare and previously unreleased material)
- Sporadic Three (Kooky, 2007 – another CD release of rare and previously unreleased material)
Live recordings
- Live At The Venue (VU, 1983 – recorded in the UK, 1983 – original vinyl ltd. to 4000 copies – reissued on CD in 2004)
- Domo Arigato (live) (Factory FACT 144, 1985 – recorded in Japan 4/85 – the first pop compact-disc only release)
- One Night In New York (US ROIR – cassette only release in 1987, CD issued in 1993 – CD reissue in 1999 re-titled "A Night In New York" with bonus track but mistakes in track listing)
- Live in Bruxelles 13 August 1981 (LTM LTMCD 2499, 2008, including radio interview with Vini Reilly)
Compilations
- Valuable Passages (Factory FACT 164 UK/Relativity US, 1986 – double LP, single CD)
- The First Four Albums (Factory, 1988 – 4 CD set of Return Of, LC, Another Setting and Without Mercy/Say What You Mean... – Return Of disc matches the full 10 tracks of the 'B2' black sleeve vinyl pressing, rather than the 9 tracks of the original sandpaper sleeve 'B1' or later black sleeve 'B3' LP pressings)
- Lips That Would Kiss (Factory Benelux CD, 1991 – early 80's single and compilation tracks with previously unreleased material)
- The Best Of The Durutti Column (WEA UK, 2004 – double CD)
- Four Factory Records (Kooky – 6CD box set of first four Factory albums plus two discs of demo & live material – limited edition of 1175 copies, August 2009)
- The Durutti Column 2001–2009 (Fullfill, November 2009 – 5CD box set of the Artful albums)
External links
- Official Site
- Official MySpace page
- Unofficial Site
- The Durutti Column @ Cerysmatic Factory
- Discography
- Gigography
- Discussion Group at Yahoo!
- The Official CP Lee Website, including 1968 Greasy Bear photo of Bruce Mitchell with CP Lee and Ian Wilson
- [ Allmusic.com article on The Durutti Column]