Factory Records (Communications 1978-92) 8LP Box Set

Factory Records (Communications 1978-92) 

Originally released as a limited edition four CD collection in 2009, Factory Communications: 1978-92 is a tribute to the label as well as a dedication to the founder, the late Tony Wilson. Making its debut on vinyl, the project celebrates arguably the most important label in UK pop history, collating rare and obscure tracks from a diverse range of acts. It features 63 tracks including cuts from New Order, Joy Division, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Electronic, A Certain Ratio, Section 25 and many others and includes sleeve notes written by Paul Morley.

Factory records was founded in 1978 when former Granada TV presenter Tony Wilson teamed up with Alan Erasmus, soon to be joined by maverick producer Martin Hannett. The Factory name was first used for a club featuring local bands including The Durutti Column, Cabaret Voltaire and Joy Division. The founding members of the label decided to release an EP of music by the acts who had performed there; “A Factory Sample” - and Factory Records was born.

Factory was however much more than just it’s headline acts. “Factory Communications: 1978-92” celebrates the label from the first release through an extremely diverse roster of acts from the cutting edge post punk of A Certain Ratio, Cabaret Voltaire, The Railway Children, OMD, James and Joy Division to obscurities such as Section 25, Biting Tongues, Crispy Ambulance, Miaow and Swamp Children via early dance culture - ESG and 52nd Street, to the full flowering of the ‘Madchester scene’, ending fittingly with the last Factory release, “Sunshine and Love” by Happy Mondays. Sleeve notes written by Paul Morley.

Tracklist:

Side 1 (1978-79)

1 Joy Division - Digital  

2 Cabaret Voltaire - Baader Meinhof  

3 A Certain Ratio - All Night Party  

4 OMD - Electricity (Factory version)  

5 Joy Division - She’s Lost Control  

6 The Distractions - Time Goes By So Slow  

Side 2 (1979-80)

1 Joy Division - Transmission  

2 The Durutti Column - Sketch For Summer  

3 X-O-Dus - English Black Boys  

4 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart  

5 A Certain Ratio - Shack Up  

Side 3 (1980-81)

1 Section 25 - Girls Don’t Count  

2 Crawling Chaos - Sex Machine  

3 A Certain Ratio - Flight  

4 The Names – Nightshift  

Side 4 (1981)

1 New Order - Ceremony (original version)  

2 Minny Pops - Dolphin’s Spurt  

3 John Dowie - It’s Hard To Be An Egg  

4 Crispy Ambulance - Deaf  

5 Section 25 - Dirty Disco  

Side 5 (1981)

1 New Order - Everything’s Gone Green  

2 Tunnelvision - Watching The Hydroplanes  

3 The Durutti Column - Messidor  

4 A Certain Ratio - Knife Slits Water (LP version)  

Side 6 (1982)

1 Royal Family and the Poor - Art on 45  

2 Swamp Children - Taste What’s Rhythm  

3 New Order – Temptation  

Side 7 (1982-83)

1 52nd Street - Cool As Ice  

2 New Order - Blue Monday  

Side 8 (1982-84)

1 Cabaret Voltaire - Yashar (John Robie remix)  

2 Quando Quango - Love Tempo  

3 The Wake - Talk About The Past Side 9 (1983-84)  

Side 9 (1983-84)

1 New Order - Confusion  

2 Marcel King - Reach For Love  

3 Section 25 - Looking from A Hilltop (Megamix)  

Side 10 (1984-85)

1 Stockholm Monsters - All At Once  

2 Life - Tell Me  

3 The Durutti Column - Without Mercy (Duet)  

4 James - Hymn From A Village  

5 Kalima – Trickery  

Side 11 (1985-87)

1 A Certain Ratio - Sounds Like Something Dirty  

2 Quando Quango - Genius  

3 Happy Mondays - Freaky Dancin’  

4 Miaow - When It All Comes Down  

Side 12 (1987)

1 The Railway Children - Brighter  

2 Biting Tongues - Compressor  

3 New Order - True Faith  

4 Happy Mondays - 24 Hour Party People  

Side 13 (1988-89)

1 New Order - Fine Time  

2 Happy Mondays - W.F.L. (Think About the Future)  

3 Revenge - Seven Reasons  

Side 14 (1989-90)

1 Happy Mondays - Hallelujah (Club mix)  

2 Electronic - Getting Away With It  

3 Happy Mondays - Step On  

4 Northside - Shall We Take A Trip  

Side 15 (1990-91)

1 England New Order - World In Motion  

2 Happy Mondays - Kinky Afro  

3 The Durutti Column - Home  

4 Electronic - Get The Message (DNA remix)  

Side 16 (1991-92)

1 Northside - Take 5  

2 Cath Carroll - Moves Like You (remix)  

3 The Other Two - Tasty Fish  

4 Happy Mondays - Sunshine and Love (Lionrock remix)

Label: Warner Music

Released: 2008/2019