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I've got my hands on most of the early factory catalogue and have to say it's mostly fantastic.
The Durutti Column and A Certain Ratio - 'To Each...' are superb - so are Swamp Children. Criminally underrated, overshadowed by NO/JD I guess.
Anyone recommend any other Factory material? From what I gather the quality of releases became more crap-ish as time went on...
I would agree Durutti Column is the real jewel in the Factory Catalogue (apart from JD/NO). "The Return Of the Durutti Column" is stunning and the thing is - Vini has carried on producing classic work right up to the present day. In fact I sometimes think that Durutti's back catalogue has aged better than New Order's (heresy I know!). Joy Division and The Durutti Column always had that special timeless quality.
Of the rest of the catalogue I particularly like Section 25's "From the Hip" - produced by Barney (check out the track "Inspiration").
Also Cath Carroll's "England made me" has recently found it's way into my CD player on a regular basis (having not listened to it for years previously).
Vini Reilly - most underrated guitarist of all time?
I like Section 25's 'Always Now' better then 'From the Hip' (though it's good too) - simply because of Martin Hannett's awesome drum sounds.
I'm a massive ACR fan,was actually a follower before I became a JD/NO fan,as far back as '82,when I heard a Peel session version of Flight.My first visit to the Hac' was to see ACR in Jan '84.So I would highly recommend all of ACR's Factory output,but beware,it does change.As for Section 25,absolutely,especially Always Now,which is fookin' awesome & a personal all-time favourite.From The Hip too,definate quality.The Durutti Columns' first two albums for me,after that it becomes a tad samey tho' Without Mercy is good.Quando Quangos' Pigs & Battleships is a slightly lesser highlight,good,but not something I can listen to day in day out.The Happy Mondays' first 3 albums are an absolute must too.If I've forgotten anything,I'm sure someone else will post! 
If you like Movement era NO, then Harmony by The Wake is a good album to get. It was reissued by LTM with loads of peel sessions & singles on it.
Northside is great.
As well, James has always been a favorite band of mine although their "hits" didn't really happen until after Factory (I believe they only recorded two EP's for Factory before switching to Sire)...
Hymn from a Village was their big "Factory" song...
Kerry Harris wrote: Northside is great.
As well, James has always been a favorite band of mine although their "hits" didn't really happen until after Factory (I believe they only recorded two EP's for Factory before switching to Sire)...
Hymn from a Village was their big "Factory" song...
Definately agree about the first two James E.P's,they did a Janice Long session around '85 before they signed to Sire which is worth seeking out,altho' it was never released.
As for Northside? 
Went to school with Dermo' & Macca the Manager,good lads,but they were never even into music then,came as a big surprise to know they'd formed a band,let alone signed to Factory.How the fook did that happen? Funki Munki's ok 
:\ohwell:
gazman wrote: "Reunion Wilderness" - The Railway Children
I knew this would happen,knew I'd forget something!!!!
Absolutely
As is the first side of The Graveyard & The Ballroom - they never bettered those 7 songs imo...
Snorri xxx
Snorrimon wrote: As is the first side of The Graveyard & The Ballroom - they never bettered those 7 songs imo...
Snorri xxx
That reminds me ....was given this on CASSETTE but have NEVER played it.Must dig it out.
SHED wrote:
Snorrimon wrote: As is the first side of The Graveyard & The Ballroom - they never bettered those 7 songs imo...
Snorri xxx
That reminds me ....was given this on CASSETTE but have NEVER played it.Must dig it out.
I have it in one of those nice boxed reissues, sadly though played a lot... I do have the boxed cassette of Force and DC's Without Mercy in still-sealed minty-mint condition though... Need a bit of a dust, mind you...
Snorri xxx
Snorrimon wrote:
SHED wrote:
Snorrimon wrote: As is the first side of The Graveyard & The Ballroom - they never bettered those 7 songs imo...
Snorri xxx
That reminds me ....was given this on CASSETTE but have NEVER played it.Must dig it out.
I have it in one of those nice boxed reissues, sadly though played a lot... I do have the boxed cassette of Force Snorri xxx
Great album,ive also got the boxed cassette somewhere
I'm just now getting into buying some of the other factory bands, and researching which ones I like.
So far, I've really found that I like The Wake, especially Here Comes Everybody + Singles. What's that bass player up to these days, he could fill in ( not replace ) Hooky. And I just got All At Once, the singles collection from Stockholm Monsters.
I used to have the Palatine box set many years ago, and from what I remember of it I'm going to check out Section 25, and ACR, and Northside. The only song I remember from those cd's that doesn't seem to be anywhere else is "Time Goes By So Slow" by The Distractions, I wish they would have released a full cd with that on it....
I used to get as many Factory releases as I could from our local record shop in Corby (Discovery), which wasn't always easy.
Favourites outside of the JD/NO domination (they were whole dimensions away from anyone else!) were Stockholm Monsters first album (saw them support NO in 1984 and was completely puzzled by their stuff but much better on Vinyl).
I also played the first Wake album to death. Couldn't get too far with Always Now by Section 25. I had a listen to it recently and it made me feel ill.
Cabaret Voltaire's yashar is amazing- sort of pre figures the whole Coldcut cut-up stuff. 52nd Street (going to get slated for that probably). Oh, and Pigs and Battleships by Quando Quango- Dire! Although their peel session and 12" of Love Tempo and Go Exciting are class...
And one paticular favourite is Act on Instinct by Streetlife- Just brilliant.
I recently got a copy (from eBay) of five early factory videos. They all feature NO but only in passing and were intended to showcase factory's other output. Worth getting hold of for live stuff and early videos of, among others, NO- very strange early video for Blue Monday, the wake, ACR, Stockholm Monsters, james, 52nd St, QQ, railway Children, Swamp Children etc. I think that the guy who copied it sells it quite often- it's only about 8 quid and really well done. Worth it, I'd say (and no it isn't me)
And How can anyone forget "Temple of the 13th Tribe" by Royal Family and the Poor? "Restrained in a moment" is, dare I say it, absolutely beautiful and "Radio Egypt" is a really scary song. Produced by one Peter Hook, who also features in the backing duo The Soul Sisters. I'm pretty sure that you can buy re-issues of Royal family stuff on CD and someone earlier referred to the label they're on. Hope this helps:)
