Constellation de Comportements [TWI 1244 / FBN 146]

Tracklisting

Otis (Live) (6:35)

Notes

A selection of tracks from new releases on Factory Benelux and Les Disques du Crépuscule in 2018 and 2019.

Catalogue number shown as "FBN 125" on front cover but that was previously assigned to the Noblesse Oblige TWI/FBN compilation and FBN 146 is therefore assumed to be correct.

Otis was recorded live at Nottingham Rescue Rooms on 16 May 2004 and is previously unreleased.

Without Mercy [Factory Benelux FBN 84 / CD]

4CD: 09.18 (Factory Benelux FBN 84 CD)
2LP + 7": 09.18 (Factory Benelux FBN 84)
Digital download: UK 09.18 (Factory Benelux FBN 84)

4CD tracklisting:

CD1

1. Without Mercy (Stanzas I-III)
2. Without Mercy (Stanzas IV-VII)
3. Without Mercy (Stanza VIII)
4. Without Mercy (Stanzas IX-XII)
5. Without Mercy 2
6. All That Love and Maths Can Do
7. Snowflakes
8. Profondeurs des Eaux des Laques
9. The Sea Wall
10. Duet
11. Estoril a Noite
12. Favourite Descending Intervals

CD2

1. Goodbye
2. The Room
3. A Little Mercy
4. Silence
5. E.E.
6. Hello(w)
7. Paresseuse Aussi
8. Mercy Theme (Live in Tokyo 1985)
9. A Little Mercy (Live in Tokyo 1985)
10. Estoril a Noite (Live in Rotterdam 1983)
11. Favourite Descending Intervals (Live in Manchester 2011)

CD3 (Live in London 1984)

1. Sketch for Summer
2. Jacqueline
3. Mercy Theme
4. A Little Mercy
5. Pauline
6. Mercy Dance
7. E.E.
8. The Room
9. Silence
10. Ornithology
11. Prayer
12. The Beggar
13. The Missing Boy
14. Friends in Belgium

CD4 (Live in Oslo 1986)

1. Mercy Theme
2. A Little Mercy
3. Pauline
4. Mercy Dance
5. E.E.
6. Silence
7. The Room
8. Dream of a Child
9. Tomorrow
10. Blind Elevator Girl

2LP + MP3 tracklisting:

LP1

A1. Without Mercy I
B1. Without Mercy II

LP2

C1. All That Love and Maths Can Do
C2. Duet
C3. Estoril a Noite
C4. Favourite Descending Intervals
C5. A Little Mercy
D1. Mercy Theme (Live in London 1984)
D2. A Little Mercy (Live in London 1984)
D3. Mercy Dance (Live in London 1984)

Notes

Factory Benelux presents expanded 4CD and 2LP disc editions of Without Mercy, the fourth album by Manchester ensemble The Durutti Column, originally released in 1984 and widely regarded as Vini Reilly's most ambitious album.

In 1983 The Durutti Column's mentor/manager Tony Wilson asked Vini Reilly to abandon fleeting guitar miniatures in favour of a longform modern classical piece. The result was an ambitious 20 minute instrumental suite, Without Mercy, performed by core Durutti duo Vini Reilly and Bruce Mitchell along with Blaine L. Reininger and John Metcalfe (violas), Caroline Lavelle (cello), Tim Kellett (trumpet) and Maunagh Fleming (cor anglais).

Explains Vini: "Tony had just come in for a conversation one day and said, 'Look, you keep making these albums that you want to make, and I'm quite happy with you doing that, but just give me this one album and do it my way.' He wanted it to have a narrative determined by a Keats poem, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, which he said was the poet's version of a pop song: boy meets girl, falls in love with girl, loses girl, blah blah blah. It was a very, very Tony way of looking at it. He had aspirations that I should be taken seriously."

Produced by Reilly and Wilson at Strawberry Studio and Britannia Row, Without Mercy was originally split into 19 separate stanzas, some of which have now been restored using digital cue points on the CD. Bonus tracks include the original recordings of Duet, Estoril a Noite and Favourite Descending Intervals (all re-worked for inclusion on Without Mercy), as well as companion EP Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say, collaborations with John Metcalfe, Steven Brown and Benjamin Lew, and two previously unreleased live sets across Discs 3 and 4, recorded at London School of Economics in December 1984 and Oslo in December 1986.

The remastered 4xCD set is housed in a clamshell box, with inner wallets and liner notes by Reilly, Wilson, Mitchell, Reininger and Metcalfe. The cover painting is L'Etang de Trivaux by Henri Matisse (1916/17).

A double gatefold vinyl edition is also available with free digital copy (MP3) of the vinyl tracks. The outer sleeve is printed on 500 mic grey cairn board, with letterpress typography and tipped sheets front and back. The insert (with liner notes) is printed on a 350gsm white frost card, and the whole package housed in a re-sealable polybag.

A limited edition of 100 copies of the vinyl will also be available with a postcard signed by Vini and Bruce. These copies are only available from FBN mailorder.

Available as a 4CD box, gatefold double vinyl and MP3 (vinyl tracklisting). To order please select correct button and shipping option and click on Add To Cart button below cover image, or else contact FBN by email for other payment methods.

For release in September 2018.

M24J (Anthology) [Factory Benelux FBN 164 / CD]

2CD: UK 09.18 (Factory Benelux FBN 164 CD)
2LP + 7": UK 09.18 (Factory Benelux FBN 164)
Digital download: UK 09.18 (Factory Benelux FBN 164)

2CD tracklisting:

CD1

1. Sketch for Summer
2. Conduct
3. Lips That Would Kiss
4. For Belgian Friends
5. Danny
6. Messidor
7. The Beggar (live)
8. Prayer
9. Mercy Theme (Duet)
10. Estoril a Noite
11. College
12. All That Love and Maths Can Do
13. Pauline
14. Arpeggiator
15. Catos con Guantes
16. Otis
17. Love No More
18. My Country

CD2

1. Home
2. Art and Freight
3. My Only Love
4. A Beautiful Thought (Pt 1)
5. The Title On the Cover
6. Bruce
7. The Missing Boy
8. Anthony (Favourite Descending Intervals)
9. A Paean to Wilson I: Or Are You Just a Technician?
10. A Paean to Wilson II: Chant
11. A Paean to Wilson IX: Darkness Here
12. Glimpse
13. Detail for Annik (live 1980)
14. Sketch for Summer (live 1980)
15. Requiem for a Father (live 1980)

2LP + 7" tracklisting:

LP1

A1. Sketch for Summer
A2. Lips That Would Kiss
A3. For Belgian Friends
A4. Danny
A5. Messidor
B1. Mercy Theme (Duet)
B2. Estoril a Noite
B3. All That Love and Maths Can Do
B4. Catos con Guantes

LP2

C1. Prayer
C2. Otis
C3. Love No More
C4. Home
C5. A Beautiful Thought
D1. Anthony (Favourite Descending Intervals)
D2. A Paean to Wilson I: Or Are You Just a Technician?
D3. A Paean to Wilson II: Chant
D4. A Paean to Wilson IX: Darkness Here
D5. Glimpse

7"

E1. Albatross (live in Nottingham 2004)
F1. Spooky Tune (live in Manchester 2011)

Notes

M24J (Anthology) is a collection of valuable passages recorded by The Durutti Column between 1979 and 20?? for various iterations of Factory Records, including poignant tributes to Anthony H. Wilson and Ian Curtis.

Available as a gatefold double vinyl (with bonus 7") and 2xCD set, M24J includes selections from The Return of the Durutti Column, LC, Another Setting, Short Stories for Pauline, Without Mercy, Circuses and Bread, The Guitar and Other Machines, Vini Reilly, Obey the Time, Treatise on the Steppenwolf and A Paean to Wilson.

Bonus tracks on the CD version include three tracks recorded live at Leeds Polytechnic on 7 October 1980 (with The Invisible Girls and John Cooper Clarke), these being the earliest preserved professional in-concert recordings by Vini Reilly. The bonus 7" included in the vinyl package features two previously unreleased live recordings: a cover of Peter Green's Albatross recorded in 2004, and Spooky Tune, recorded with Poppy Morgan at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester in 2011, Vini's last major concert to date.

The remastered 2xCD set is housed in a jewel case; copies ordered direct from FBN are delivered in a Factory Benelux slipcase. The vinyl version is housed in a double gatefold sleeve printed on white matt board and includes as a digital copy (MP3).

Available in September 2018 on CD, gatefold double vinyl (+7") and MP3 (vinyl tracklisting) via Factory Benelux Mailorder.

Another Setting [Factory Benelux 2LP Record Store Day 2018]

2LP: UK 21.04.18 (Factory Benelux FBN 30)

Tracklisting

Side one

Prayer
Response
Bordeaux
For a Western
The Beggar
Francesca

Side two

Smile in the Crowd
You've Heard It Before
Dream of a Child
Second Family
Spent Time

Side three

Sketch for Dawn (live)
Sketch for Summer (live)
Conduct (live)
Pauline (live)
Jacqueline (live)

Side four

Stains (live)
Estoril a Noite (live)
The Beggar (live)
I Get Along Without You Very Well

Notes

A limited double vinyl edition of FBN 30 for Record Store Day on 21 April 2018. The original album is presented on the black vinyl disc one. This is partnered by a previously unreleased live performance from the Pandora's Box Festival in Rotterdam (4 September 1983) on the clear vinyl disc 2. The gatefold sleeve is printed on white matt board. Includes free digital copy of vinyl tracks.

See also: Another Setting [FBN 30 CD]

The Guitar and Other Machines [FBN 204]

2LP: UK 12.01.18 (Factory Benelux, FBN 204)

Tracklisting

Side A

1. Arpeggiator
2. What It Is to Me (Woman)
3. Red Shoes
4. Jongleur Grey
5. When the World
6. U.S.P.

Side B

1. Bordeaux Sequence
2. Pol in B
3. English Landscape Tradition
4. Miss Haymes
5. Don’t Think You’re Funny

Side C

1. Arpeggiator (live)
2. Our Lady of the Angels (live)
3. Pol in B (live)
4. Miss Haymes (live)

Side D

1. When the World (live)
2. English Landscape Tradition (live)
3. Bordeaux Sequence (live)

Notes

Deluxe double vinyl edition of the sixth studio album originally released by Factory Records in 1987.

The origin of The Guitar and Other Machines was the Christmas present given by Factory founder Tony Wilson to Durutti mainman Vini Reilly in 1985. "He gave me another kick and bought me a load of electronic instruments," revealed Reilly at the time. "I never dreamt of getting into this electronic thing, and I struggled and fought and stayed up til half seven in the morning and really worked on it. I know that Tony's got this vision and I persevered. And I found a way of using a sequencer that isn't like New Order – it's my way, and it's my music."

Produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths; Morrissey), the album also features percussionist Bruce Mitchell and viola player John Metcalfe.

The second record features selected recordings of the band performing live at the Bottom Line club in NYC in October 1987, plus two further live tracks from WOMAD in August 1988.

The double vinyl set comes in a gatefold sleeve featuring original artwork by 8vo. A 3CD edition will also be available.

The Guitar and Other Machines [FBN 204 CD]

LP: UK 12.01.18 (Factory Benelux, FBN 204 CD)

Tracklisting

CD1

1. Arpeggiator
2. What It Is to Me (Woman)
3. Red Shoes
4. Jongleur Grey
5. When the World
6. U.S.P.
7. Bordeaux Sequence
8. Pol in B
9. English Landscape Tradition
10. Miss Haymes
11. Don't Think You're Funny
12. Dream Topping
13. You Won't Feel Out of Place
14. 28 Oldham Street
15. LFO Mod
16. Catos con Guantes

CD2

1. Florence Sunset
2. All That Love and Maths Can Do
3. San Giovanni Dawn
4. For Friends in Italy
5. Our Lady of the Angels
6. Red Shoes (VR vocal)
7. Song for Les Preger
8. For Rebecca
9. Final Cut
10. When the World (Newson Mix)
11. Arpeggiator II
12. Pol in AB
13. 30 Oldham Street
14. When the World (Soundtrack)
15. Our Lady
16. White Rabbit
17. When the World (Version)

CD3

1. Prayer (live)
2. Arpeggiator (live)
3. Our Lady of the Angels (live)
4. Pol in B (live)
5. Miss Haymes (live)
6. For Mother (live)
7. Requiem (live)
8. Jacqueline (live)
9. Elevator Sequence (live)
10. The Missing Boy (live)
11. When the World (live)
12. Tomorrow (live)
13. English Landscape Tradition (live)
14. Bordeaux Sequence (live)

Notes

Expanded 3CD deluxe edition of the sixth studio album originally released by Factory Records in 1987.

The origin of The Guitar and Other Machines was the Christmas present given by Factory founder Tony Wilson to Durutti mainman Vini Reilly in 1985. "He gave me another kick and bought me a load of electronic instruments," revealed Reilly at the time. "I never dreamt of getting into this electronic thing, and I struggled and fought and stayed up til half seven in the morning and really worked on it. I know that Tony's got this vision and I persevered. And I found a way of using a sequencer that isn't like New Order – it's my way, and it's my music."

Produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths; Morrissey), the album also features percussionist Bruce Mitchell and viola player John Metcalfe. Remastered in 2017, this new FBN edition restores all three bonus tracks included on the original Factory CD, being experimental pieces written and recorded with Jez Kerr and Simon Topping of A Certain Ratio.

CD2 features many associated recordings, including the rare Greetings 3 EP (released only in Italy), non-album tracks such as Our Lady of the Angels, LFO Mod, acoustic instrumental Catos con Guantes, various mixes of When the World, Jefferson Airplane cover White Rabbit, and several ‘sporadic recordings' which revisit themes first heard on the original album.

CD3 features a recording of the band live at the Bottom Line club in NYC in October 1987, plus two further live tracks from WOMAD in August 1988.

The 3CD set is housed in a clamshell box with individual interior wallets. A 2LP vinyl edition will also be available, featuring the core studio album plus live versions of selected album tracks on Disc 2.

The Return of the Durutti Column [LP, Factory Benelux]

LP: UK 03.12.2013 (Factory Benelux FBN 114)
LP: UK 16.07.2018 (Factory Benelux FBN 114)

Tracklisting

Side 1

1. Sketch for Summer
2. Requiem for a Father
3. Katharine
4. Conduct

Side 2

1. Beginning
2. Jazz
3. Sketch for Winter
4. Collette
5. In 'D'
6. Lips That Would Kiss
7. Madeleine

Side 3

1. The First Aspect of the Same Thing

Side 4

1. The Second Aspect of the Same Thing

Credits

All tracks written by Vini Reilly and produced by Martin Hannett.

Thanks are due to Pete Crooks, bass, Philip 'Toby' Tomanov, drums, and Eric Random, rhythm box program on 2/6 and 2/7. Thanks also to Gammer for his melody, and Wilson, Rowbotham, Reid and Debord for the sandpaper packaging concept. Die-cut based on a 1978 logo designed by Peter Saville. Portraits by Daniel Meadows.

Album with flexidisc first released in January 1980 on Factory Records (FACT 14).

Tracks 2/6 and 2/7 originally released in October 1980 as a 12" single on Factory Benelux (FAC BN 2).

Reviews

Paul Pledger / Flipside Flipside

--

Notes

2013 issue

New Factory Benelux edition on 12" vinyl in a special sleeve with an 11-inch square sheet of coarse glasspaper seated in a recessed deboss. The back cover features period photographs by Daniel Meadows.

The original Hannett 'Test Card' flexi-disc has been converted to a regular non-flexi-disc black vinyl 7" single and this brings commensurately better sound quality.

There are two bonus tracks on the main album itself, 'Madeleine' and 'Lips That Would Kiss' which previously came out on an FBN single in 1980.

Liner notes feature quotes from Vini Reilly, Martin Hannett, Tony Wilson, Peter Saville, Daniel Meadows, John Brierley, Bruce Mitchell and members of Joy Division.

2018 issue

This slight variant features the 7" Testcard single on clear vinyl and the 11-inch square sheet of glasspaper is now black.

How to buy

The album is available direct from Factory Benelux mailorder. All enquiries about the album release, postage, etc direct to Factory Benelux please!