Various – A Factory Quartet [2xLP] (1980, Factory)

December 1980 saw the release of 'A Factory Quartet', a double album featuring tracks from The Durutti Column, Kevin Hewick, Blurt and The Royal Family And The Poor. With a cover price of ‘five guineas’, the double LP offered a side per Factory artist. Side One featured three tracks by The Durutti Column; Side 2 seven tracks by Kevin Hewick; Side Three, four tracks by Blurt; Side Four, three tracks by Royal Family and The Poor. The embossed sleeve featured a set of Polaroid photographs taken by Factory boss Tony Wilson.

 

A Factory Records hand-typed "newsletter and shareholder's analysis" told us about each artist: Royal Family and The Poor: "A remarkable S.I. influenced outfit from Liverpool who, with sing along numbers like "Vanneigem Mix", rose such comments as; "They show The Gang of Four to be the bubble gum band we always thought they were" - R. Boone". Blurt; "Sax based dance band from Stroud - Jesus Christ Stroud! Fronted by former anarcho beat poet - reformed". The Durutti Column: "An extended piece being prepared by Vinny Reilly, Stephen Hopkins and Mr. Hannett". Kevin Hewick: "Kid comes from Leicester. Writes singles about hay-stacks and finding needles, and apart from the FACT that he likes Sylvia Plath and Clem Burke, he has a lot going for him. Interested in frail specifics, yip, yip, yip". 

 

The first thing ever released by Kevin Hawick was one side of this double LP on Manchester's legendary Factory label. Kevin himself is still a little scarred by the experience of Tony Wilson selecting the tracks (all live recordings) and deciding to start Kevin's career with the sound of him and a hippy heckler trading abuse. A uniquely honest and abrasive exchange between performer and audience. More punk than anything a punk group ever mustered that's for sure. As if fueled by this confrontation, Kevin proceeds to sing his heart out in a manner that would've had Tim Buckley raising a glass. [SOURCE: RATE YOUR MUSIC] 

 

Label: Factory – FACT 24 

Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation 

Country: UK 

Released: Dec 1980 

Style: New Wave, Post-Punk, Indie Rock, Avantgarde 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 The Durutti Column – For Mimi 4:42 

A2 The Durutti Column – For Belgian Friends 5:35 

A3 The Durutti Column – Self-portrait 4:52 

B1 Kevin Hewick – Rubble 6:10 

B2 Kevin Hewick – 1940 4:20 

B3 Kevin Hewick – A Little Feeling 5:10 

B4 Kevin Hewick – Forget 4:06 

B5 Kevin Hewick – Morphia 2:37 

B6 Kevin Hewick – The Enchanted Kiss 2:50 

B7 Kevin Hewick – Haystack 3:02 

C1 Blurt – Puppeteer 3:31 

C2 Blurt – Dyslexia 7:42 

C3 Blurt – Some Come 3:10 

C4 Blurt – Benighted 4:45 

D1 The Royal Family And The Poor – Dirge 1:17 

D2 The Royal Family And The Poor – Vaneigem Mix 6:42 

D3 The Royal Family And The Poor – Dirge 1:13 

D4 The Royal Family And The Poor – Death Factory 6:33 

D5 The Royal Family And The Poor – Dirge 1:03 

D6 The Royal Family And The Poor – Rackets 6:56 

 

Notes: 

Track A1 to A3 engineered at Strawberry Studios, Stockport. 

Track B1 to B3 were performed at Leeds University in May 1980 on the Sylvia Plath Comeback Tour, the rest at the Moonlight West Hampstead in April 1980. 

Track C1 to C4 produced at home. 

Job on track D1 to D6 carried out at Graveyard Prestwich and Strawberry, Stockport. 

No copyright for the usual reasons 

"Polaroid-style" gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeves. 

Track D2: TRFAP read extracts from Raoul Vaneigem's book "The Revolution Of Everyday Life" (see chapter VII.2 and 3), the last part is from Ken Knabb's "Some Clarifications", both uncredited. 

 

The Durutti Column recordings on side A are also available on LC reissues. 

The Blurt recordings on side C are also available on The Factory Recordings CD. 

The Royal Family And The Poor recordings on side D are also available on 'The Project Phase 1 - The Temple Of The 13th Tribe'. 

 

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