The Durutti Column

The Durutti Column are an English post-punk band formed in 1978 in Manchester, England.Strong, Martin C. (1999) "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", Canongate, ISBN 0-86241-913-1 The band is an ongoing project of guitarist (and occasional pianist) Vini Reilly who is often accompanied by drummer Bruce Mitchell. Other current members are Keir Stewart (on bass, keyboards and harmonica) and Poppy Morgan (on piano).

History

Early line-ups

In 1978 Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, later to become partners in Factory Records, built a band around the remnants of local punk rock band Fast Breeder: drummer Chris Joyce and guitarist Dave Rowbotham; calling the then incomplete group as The Durutti Column. On 25 January, former guitarist for local punk rock band Ed Banger and The Nosebleeds, Vini Reilly, joined the band, being followed Phil Rainford on vocals, some weeks later. Finally, at the end of February, Tony Bowers, formerly of Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias, joined on bass. The line-up was completed, but only for short time, as Rainford was sacked in July, being replaced by Colin Sharp, who also became one of the songwriters of the band. Rainford later went to produce for Nico and Suns Of Arqa.

The band played at the Factory club (organised by their managers), and recorded two pieces for the first Factory Records release, the compilation A Factory Sample (a double 7" also featuring Joy Division, John Dowie and Cabaret Voltaire)

. Just prior to recording a debut album, the group broke up after a dispute about Wilson and Erasmus's choice of producer, Martin Hannett. Reilly was the only member who remained, while Rowbotham, Bowers and Joyce went on to form The Mothmen, being the latter two members of Simply Red some years later, and Sharp apparently quit from music, dedicating to acting.

The Durutti Column effectively became Reilly's solo project from then on; drummer Bruce Mitchell and other musicians have occasionally contributed to recordings and live performances, and Mitchell and Wilson managed the group throughout their career on Factory and for many years afterwards.

The band's name is derived from a misspelling of the name Buenaventura Durruti, who led a column of anarchists during the Spanish Civil War (the Durruti Column). A 1967 Situationist International poster included the phrase "The Return of the Durutti Column", which eventually became the title of the group's first album.

1979-1990: Factory Records

The first album, The Return of the Durutti Column (1980), was a
collaboration between Reilly and producer Martin Hannett. Initial
copies featured a sleeve made of sandpaper (assembled by various
Factory associates, including — according to Wilson — Joy Division
Liner notes to "The Durutti Column Live at the Bottom Line, New York" by A.H. Wilson). This, like the title of the record, was inspired by a Situationist joke, a book — Guy Debord's Mémoires — with a sandpaper cover to destroy other books on the shelf. The music was unlike anything else being recorded by post-punk acts at
the time; although Reilly identified himself as a "new wave" artist,Vini Reilly interview, [[13 August] 1981, Muntplein (Brussels)]
the record contained nine gentle guitar instrumentals (later releases occasionally feature Reilly's soft and hesitant vocals). The music included elements from jazz, folk, classical music and rock. Hannett's
production included the addition of electronic rhythm and other effects,
including birdsong on "Sketch for Summer". The album was accompanied by a flexidisc with two tracks by Hannett alone.

LC (1981) LC ("Lotta Continua", Italian for "continuous struggle") was released in 1981. It was recorded without Hannett, but introduced percussionist Bruce Mitchell, Reilly's most frequent musical partner and occasional manager. The EP Deux Triangles, released in 1982, contained three piano instrumentals with minimal backing and no guitars. Another Setting (1983) was also just Reilly and Mitchell, but in 1984 the band was expanded with the addition of Richard Henry on trombone, Maunagh Fleming on cor anglais and oboe, Blaine Reininger (of Tuxedomoon) on violin and viola, Mervyn Fletcher on saxophone, Caroline Lavelle on cello and Tim Kellett on trumpet. The album Without Mercy, arranged by John Metcalfe, was intended as an instrumental evocation of the poem La Belle Dame sans Merci by John Keats.

Kellett and Metcalfe remained as members of the band (Metcalfe playing viola); they appear alongside Reilly and Mitchell on Circuses and Bread (released by Factory Benelux in 1985) and Domo Arigato, a live album that was recorded in Tokyo and was the first pop album to be released in the UK solely on the relatively new compact disc format.

Kellett left to join Simply Red, but has a guest appearance on The Guitar and Other Machines (1987), the first UK album to be released on the unsuccessful Digital Audio Tape format (as well as the more usual LP, audio cassette and CD). The Guitar and Other Machines has a far more direct sound than earlier records, with guest vocals from Stanton Miranda and Reilly's then partner, Pol, and the use of a sequencer and drum machine in addition to Mitchell's drumming. The album was produced by Stephen Street, who also produced Morrissey's solo album, Viva Hate (1988), on which Reilly played guitar.

Vini Reilly (1989), also produced by Reilly and Street, features extensive
use of sampling, with looped samples of vocalists (including Otis Redding, Tracy Chapman, Annie Lennox and Joan Sutherland) used as the basis for several tracks. Initial copies came with a 7" or CD single, "I Know Very Well How I Got My Note Wrong", credited to "Vincent Gerard and Steven Patrick", in which a take of the Morrissey B-side "I Know Very Well How I Got My Name" dissolves into laughter after Reilly hits a wrong note.

On Obey the Time (1990) Mitchell played on only one track, the album being otherwise a solo recording by Reilly, heavily influenced by contemporary dance music. An accompanying single, "The Together Mix", featured two reworkings of album tracks by Jonathon Donaghy and Suddi Raval (Donaghy was killed in a car crash in Ibiza before the single was released). This was to be the last Durutti Column record released by Factory, in early 1991.

1990 onwards: after Factory

For the first few years after the demise of Factory, the only Durutti Column album releases were Lips That Would Kiss (a 1991 collection of early singles, compilation contributions and unreleased material on the separate label Factory Benelux), and Dry (1991) and Red Shoes (1992), Italian collections of alternate versions and unreleased outtakes.

Former member Dave Rowbotham was killed by an axe murderer in 1991. He was later memorialized by the Happy Mondays in the song "Cowboy Dave."

In 1993 Tony Wilson attempted to revive Factory Records, and Sex and Death was the first release on Factory Too (a subdivision of London Records). The album was once again produced by Stephen Street, with Mitchell and Metcalfe, and it included, on the track "The Next Time", Peter Hook of New Order. Time Was Gigantic ... When We Were Kids, which followed in 1998, was produced by Keir Stewart, who also played on the album and has frequently worked with Reilly since. Fidelity was released between these albums in 1996 by Les Disques du Crepuscule and was produced by Laurie Laptop.

The eight albums recorded for Factory (The Return of the Durutti Column, LC, Another Setting, Without Mercy, Domo Arigato, The Guitar and Other Machines, Vini Reilly and Obey the Time) were re-released with additional material by Factory Too/London, under the banner Factory Once, between 1996 and 1998.

Factory Too effectively ended in 1998, and subsequent Durutti Column albums have been on independent labels Artful Records (Rebellion [1], ''Someone Else's Party [2], Keep Breathing [3], Idiot Savants [4]) or Kookydisc (Tempus Fugit [5], Sunlight to Blue . . . Blue to Blackness [6]). Kookydisc has also released two further volumes of The Sporadic Recordings (along with a slightly edited re-release of the first volume from 1989), remastered versions of two very scarce LPs from the early 1980s (Live At The Venue [5] and Amigos Em Portugal [7]), and two subscription-club discs of rare and unreleased material. A download-only release, Heaven Sent (It Was Called Digital, It Was Heaven Sent)'', first appeared in 2005 via Wilson's project F4, which was marketed as the fourth version of Factory Records.

In September 2009, Colin Sharp, who, after being lead vocalist of the band, dedicated to acting, teaching and writing (being the author of record producer Martin Hannett's biography Who Killed Martin Hannett?: The Story of Factory Records’ Musical Magician) died after a brain haemorrhage.

Audience

The film 24 Hour Party People shows Vini Reilly playing to an empty Haçienda (58:30 on the DVD). On the commentary track, however, Tony Wilson makes it clear that this is a "bit unfair" because Vini had a "real audience": "you can take him to Portugal and you get two thousand people, you can take him to Paris and you get eight hundred people, and in Manchester you get five or six hundred".

Discography

Chart placings shown are from the UK Indie Chart.first=Barry

Primary Recordings

The Return of the Durutti Column (Factory FACT 14, 1980 - original LP sleeve made of sandpaper - 1996 CD issue has incorrect tracklisting and is missing one track ('Beginning') from the original LP release) (#7)
LC (Factory FACT 44, 1981) (#12)
Deux Triangles EP (Factory Benelux FBN10, 1982)
Another Setting (Factory FACT 74, 1983 - all CD issues have incorrect track listings) (#4)
Amigos Em Portugal (Fundação Atlântica, 1983 - reissued on CD by Kooky in 2005) (#11)
Without Mercy (Factory FACT 84, 1984) (#8)
Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say EP (Factory FAC 114, 1985 - added to CD issues of Without Mercy) (#5)
Circuses and Bread (Factory Benelux FACD 154, 1986 - reissued in 1993 with new artwork on Les Disques Du Crepuscule, titled "Bread and Circuses") (Reissued on LTM in 2008 with original artwork and 9 'bonus' tracks LTMCD 2510)(#11)
The City of Our Lady (Factory Fac 184/A, 1986) with Debi Diamond (#46)
Greetings Three EP (Materiali Sonori MASO 70003)
The Guitar and Other Machines (Factory FACT 204, 1987 - also available as the first commercially released pre-recorded DAT) (#13)
Vini Reilly (Factory FACT 244, 1989) (#5)
Obey the Time (Factory FACT 274, 1990)
Sex and Death (Factory Too/London, 1994)
Fidelity (Les Disques Du Crepuscule, 1996)
Time was Gigantic ... When we Were Kids (Factory Too/London, 1998)
Rebellion (Artful CD40, 2001)
Someone Else's Party (Artful CD49, 2003)
Tempus Fugit (Kooky kookydisc019. 2004)
Heaven Sent (It was called digital. It was Heaven sent) (F4, 2005 - six tracks, download only)
Keep Breathing (Artful CD52, 2006)
Idiot Savants (Artful CD62, 2007)
Sunlight to Blue ... Blue to Blackness (Kooky kookydisc027, 2008)
Treatise on the Steppenwolf OST (LTM CD2518, 2008) (incidental music to theatre performance - mostly reworkings of recent material)
Love in the Time of Recession (Artful CD64, 2009)
A Paean To Wilson (Kooky, kookydisc 29/1 & 29/2, 2009)

Secondary Recordings

Short Stories for Pauline (FBN36) - Despite being given a catalogue number, this album was not released. The tracks are now shared between the 'Lips That Would Kiss' compilation and the LTM reissue of Circuses and Bread. 1983.
The Sporadic Recordings (TTTTTTTTT CD, 1989 - demos and unreleased material - credited to Vini Reilly, not DC)
Dry (Materiali Sonori, 1991 - collection of previously unreleased mid and late 80's material)
Red Shoes (Materiali Sonori, 1992 - collection of previously unreleased mid 80's material and Greetings Three EP)
Return of the Sporadic Recordings (Kooky, 2002 - double CD - reissue of above 1989 Sporadic title with new disc of previously unreleased material)
Sporadic Three (Kooky, 2007 - another CD release of rare and previously unreleased material)

Live Recordings

Live At The Venue (VU, 1983 - recorded in the UK, 1983 - original vinyl ltd. to 4000 copies - reissued on CD in 2004)
Domo Arigato (live) (Factory FACT 144, 1985 - recorded in Japan 4/85 - the first pop compact-disc only release)
One Night In New York (US ROIR - cassette only release in 1987, CD issued in 1993 - CD reissue in 1999 re-titled "A Night In New York" with bonus track but mistakes in track listing)
Live in Bruxelles 13 August 1981 (LTM CD 2008, including radio interview with Vini Reilly)

Compilations

Valuable Passages (Factory FACT 164 UK/Relativity US, 1986 - double LP, single CD)
The First Four Albums (Factory, 1988 - 4 CD set of Return Of, LC, Another Setting and Without Mercy/Say What You Mean... - Return Of disc has original LP tracks, in correct order)
Lips That Would Kiss (Factory Benelux CD, 1991 - early 80's single and compilation tracks with previously unreleased material)
The Best Of The Durutti Column (WEA UK, 2004 - double CD)
Four Factory Records (Kooky - 6CD box set of first four Factory albums plus two discs of demo & live material - limited edition of 1175 copies, August 2009)
The Durutti Column 2001-2009 (Fullfill, November 2009 - 5CD box set of the Artful albums)

Pictures

Teatro de Gil Vicente, Coimbra, Portugal 1995/4/7.

Signed Music Artists