
Factory record were on of the most iconic label during the ‘80s, releasing classic records from Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ration, Happy Mondays, and countless others. One of the releases that has gained notoriety of the years is The Return of The Durutti Column, the debut album The Durutti Column.
A great deal of that notoriety comes from the sleeve, which is made of coarse sandpaper. The idea was taken from Memoirs, a book by Guy Debord, which had a sandpaper sleeve that was designed to destroy the other books on your shelf. Wanting to make their make on the industry, The Durutti Column used this technique and 3600 copies of their debut album were manufactured with the same style sleeve.
According to legend, the sleeves were put together by members of Joy Division, A Certain Ratio, and various other Factory Records alumni. As the story goes, Ian Curtis was gluing them while the rest of the band watched pornography in the same room…
The actual content of The Return of The Durutti Column is fantastic. It was miles ahead of its time, and while the UK was hooked on the hypnotic repetition of post-punk, Durutti Column mastermind was thinking outside the box. The instrumental album is marvel of intricate guitar work, with gentle atmosphere and incandescent hum. Reilly drew from classical guitar, folk, new wave, and even soft rock, eschewing the raw clatter of post-punk at the time. It almost serves as a pre-cursor to dream pop, and you can almost hear the Cocteau Twins taking notes.
It proved a divisive formula for The Durutti Column, and history says that not everyone knew quite what to make of the Martin Hannett produced LP. Even Reilly himself seemed indifferent to the music he made, simply wanting to “just try and be truthful,” as he said in an interview. This was parodied in the movie 24 Hour Party People, where footage was shown of Reilly playing to an empty Hacienda.
Whether it was popular or not, listening back to the album nearly forty years later, its feels so much more important. By taking a chance, and going against the grain of the early ‘80s, The Return Of The Durutti Column has aged incredibly well and has stood the test of time.
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- The Durutti Column - The Return Of The Durutti Column - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £20.00, $25.00, €23.60 (New Item) (arrived 29-Apr-2022 15:43)
THE DURUTTI COLUMN The Return Of The Durutti Column - EX (1979 UK 9-track Factory Records label vinyl LP, black textured picture sleeve. A hidden gem on the Factory label, an all instrumental affair with Vini Reilly's wonderful, understated guitar playing throughout backed only with a drum machine and an eerie ambience conjured up by legendary producer Martin Hannett [Joy Division]. The sleeve has a few signs of minor wear mostly on the edges with a medium smattering of ringwear with the vinyl showing a few light signs of play FACT14)
- The Durutti Column - Short Stories For Pauline - RSD17 - Clear Vinyl - UK - vinyl LP - £49.99, $62.49, €58.99 (New Item) (arrived 06-Apr-2022 15:58)
THE DURUTTI COLUMN Short Stories For Pauline (2017 Belgian pressed UK strictly limited edition 14-track LP re-released exclusively Record Store Day pressed on Clear Vinyl, despite being recorded in 1983 and being given a catalogue number at the time, this album was not released in its originally intended form until 2012. The vinyl is in 'as new' condition and comes housed in the exclusive picture sleeve with the resealable outer bag!FBN36) **Limited to 500 Copies Only**
- The Durutti Column - A Paean To Wilson - Blue Vinyl - Sealed - UK - 2-LP vinyl set - £49.99, $62.49, €58.99 (New Item) (arrived 06-Apr-2022 15:57)
THE DURUTTI COLUMN A Paean To Wilson (2017 UK limited edition 12-track double LP pressed on BLUE VINYL, originally released on CD in 2010 and on vinyl in 2013. Housed in a gatefold picture sleeve with gold embossed title on the reverse - still housed in its original shrinkwrap with gold barcode sticker on the reverse
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