Circuses and Bread (Factory Benelux, FBN 154 / FBN 154 CD)

CD (UK, 29.01.2021, Factory Benelux, FBN 154 CD)
2LP (UK, 26.03.2021, Factory Benelux, FBN 154)

CD Tracklisting

1. For Pauline
2. Tomorrow
3. Dance II
4. For Hilary
5. Street Fight
6. Royal Infirmary
7. Black Horses
8. Dance I
9. Blind Elevator Girl - Osaka
10. All That Love and Maths Can Do
11. Florence Sunset
12. San Giovanni Dawn
13. For Friends In Italy
14. The Aftermath
15. Our Lady of the Angels (Stu 'Jammer' James Mix)

2LP Tracklisting

Side One

A1. For Pauline
A2. Tomorrow
A3. Dance II
A4. For Hilary
A5. Street Fight
B1. Royal Infirmary
B2. Black Horses
B3. Dance I

Side Two

C1. Blind Elevator Girl – Osaka
C2. The Aftermath
C3. Our Lady of the Angels (Stu 'Jammer' James Mix)
D1. Florence Sunset
D2. All That Love and Maths Can Do
D3. San Giovanni Dawn
D4. For Friends In Italy

Notes

Factory Benelux presents remastered CD and 2LP coloured vinyl editions of Circuses and Bread, the seventh studio album by The Durutti Column. Originally released by Factory Benelux and Factory in 1986, the original 9 tracks have now been expanded with 6 bonus pieces.

The cover art retains the original design by 8vo. The remastered vinyl set is housed in gatefold sleeve, with liner notes and rare band images.

Self-produced by Vini Reilly at Strawberry and Revolution studios, the album saw Durutti playing as a quartet, with Reilly on guitar, vocals and keyboards, Bruce Mitchell in drums and percussion, John Metcalfe (viola) and Tim Kellett (trumpet).

"The music ends up being very simple," Vini told NME. "People can dismiss it as being very simplistic, easy listening or whatever. It's very honest, it's very personal. People say it's ambient, and it's like Eno. I don't like that, because the music's made to be listened to, it's not wallpaper."

Of extended piece Blind Elevator Girl – Osaka, Vini adds: "The music really writes itself. For example, we’re in Osaka, in Japan, getting in this elevator. It"s very crowded with all these Japanese businessmen talking about distribution deals, and going on and on. On this lift was a beautiful Japanese girl, in an immaculate uniform. Each floor we arrived at, she's starting talking Japanese, obviously saying what was on each floor. We went higher and higher, and finally we get to the top. And then, sort of walking out of the elevator, I suddenly realised she was blind... It got to me, this girl. It was incredible. So maybe a day later, I was thinking about that, and the whole tune came out. And every single piece of music is like that."

Bonus tracks include Italian-only EP Greetings Three, scarce compilation track The Aftermath, and a previously unreleased working version of 1987 single Our Lady of the Angels produced by the late Stuart 'Jammer' James.

Cover art retains the original design by 8vo. The remastered set is housed in 6 panel card digipack, with liner notes and rare band images. A double vinyl version of FBN 154 will be issued in March 2021.

More information at factorybenelux.com.

Sex and Death (Factory Benelux, FBN 201 / FBN 201 CD)

2CD: UK 23.04.2021 (Factory Benelux, FBN 201 CD)
2LP: UK 23.04.2021 (Factory Benelux, FBN 201)

2CD Tracklisting

CD1

1. Anthony
2. The Rest of My Life
3. For Colette
4. The Next Time
5. Beautiful Lies
6. My Irascible Friend
7. Believe In Me
8. Fermina
9. Where I Should Be
10. Fado
11. Madre Mio
12. Blue Period

CD2

1. Believe In Me (Mix 1)
2. You Mess Me Up
3. My Only Love (aka Duet)
4. Believe In Me (Mix 2)
5. Picking Guitar for the Shrimp
6. Get Me to the Beat On Time
7. Jumble Drums, Growling Bass and the Whammy Bar
8. For Cameron de la Isla
9. War Torn
10. The Celestial Bar

2LP Tracklisting

LP1

A1. Anthony
A2. The Rest of My Life
A3. For Colette
A4. The Next Time
B1. Beautiful Lies
B2. My Irascible Friend
B3. Believe In Me
B4. Fermina

LP2

C1. Where I Should Be
C2. Fado
C3. Madre Mio
C4. Blue Period
C5. War Torn
D1. Picking Guitar for the Shrimp
D2. The Celestial Bar
D3. Jumble Drums, Growling Bass and the Whammy Bar
D4. For Cameron de la Isla

Notes

Factory Benelux presents expanded double CD and double vinyl editions of Sex and Death, the 11th studio album by The Durutti Column.

Originally released in 1994 on CD only, the album has now been re-mastered with bonus tracks and appears on vinyl for the very first time in a coloured vinyl edition limited to 1500 copies. The vinyl edition is housed in a gatefold vinyl sleeve. Disc 1 is pressed in blue vinyl, and disc 2 in silver.

The 2CD edition is remastered with rare and previously unreleased bonus tracks.

The writing and recording of Sex and Death closed an uncertain period for Vini Reilly and the group following the collapse of Factory Records in 1992. Factory founder Tony Wilson remained in post as manager of the band, but Sex and Death would be their last album with producer Stephen Street, famed for his work with Morrissey, The Smiths and Blur.

Writer and master guitarist Vini Reilly remained philosophical: "People say the Durutti Column is this or that. I don't care, so long as we make good music. There's screaming feedback on some tracks, heavy metal guitar, Spanish picking. It's not just this ethereal trip. Don't listen to the form, never listen to the form. Listen to the content."

Stand-out tracks include Anthony (dedicated to Wilson), The Rest of My Life and believe In Me. Guest musicians include viola player John Metcalfe, vocalist Ruth-Ann Boyle (later to form hitmakers Olive with Tim Kellett), programmer Martin Jackson (Magazine, Swing Out Sister) and bassist Peter Hook, then on furlough from New Order post-Republic.

Of the 10 bonus tracks on CD2, 6 are previously unreleased, having been retrieved from a long-lost DAT tape located in Tony Wilson's personal archive. The other 4 are album outtakes previously only available as an online download. All tracks have been newly re-mastered in 2020 by Peter Beckmann and Technology Works.

A limited edition 2LP coloured vinyl edition is also available housed in a gatefold vinyl sleeve and limited to 1500 copies.