The Claude Mono Blog

Factory Records Beginnings

FAC-1

From Use Hearing Protection (The Factory Records Exhibition):

Peter Saville’s FAC 1 poster set the template for the Factory aesthetic. Its bold use of colour and typographical design immediately set Factory apart from the contemporary punk / new wave visual identity of collage, montage and DIY. It suggested a modern, cool, high-tech aesthetic, one that was intelligent and European but also one that was industrial and ‘of the city’. The design introduced the ‘Use Hearing Protection’ warning sign, which Saville sourced directly from Manchester Polytechnic. Printed in a run of 300 the poster advertised nights at The Factory across May and June 1978 including performances by Joy Division, Cabaret Voltaire, Durutti Column and Big In Japan amongst others.

FAC-2

From ‘The New Vinyl Villain Blog:

FAC 2 A Factory Sample was the first Factory record was a double 7″ EP, originally planned as an orthodox compilation album to be released in collaboration with Roger Eagle and Pete Fulwell of Liverpool punk club Eric’s. Eagle and Fulwell proposed a regional sampler showcasing two groups from Liverpool, and two from Manchester: The Durutti Column, and Joy Division. However, after the more experienced Liverpudlians baulked at the complexity and cost of a double 7″ package Wilson decided to go it alone.

Peter Saville has gone on record as saying that his design for the Factory Sample was based on the FAC 1 poster., and that he was trying to convey the mood rather the music, to the extent that he didn’t listen to any of the tracks before he did the cover.   The music was recorded in October 1978 and the vinyl was released into the shops in December 1978.  There were 5,000 copies pressed, and the two records, along with five stickers, were all hand-wrapped into a silver sleeve which was then sealed in plastic, The two records played at 33 1/3 rpm and not the standard 45 rpm.

Label:  Factory
Catalog#:  FAC-2
Format:  2 x Vinyl, 7″, EP, 33 ? RPM
Country:  UK
Released:  Dec 1978
Genre:  Electronic, Rock
Style:  New Wave, Industrial
Credits:  Artwork By – Peter Saville
Notes:  Gatefold release, with 5 stickers. 5000 copies pressed.

From Popsike A Factory Sample EP For Sale :

A Factory Sample EP (2×7″s) – Factory Records FAC-2 Original

“Please note I am selling most of my rare vinyl collection to fund the deposit for my first house, so please bid generously!”

Labels read:
Aside – “Tears in their eyes”
Beside – “Occasional labour in culture”
Seaside – “A piece of the cake; 3 songs that spell FAG”
Decide – “Lips of sulphur”

Run-off groove notations:
~ Everything
~ IS REPAIRABLE
~ EVERYTHING
~ IS BROKEN

Tracklisting:

  Aside
A1  Joy Division      Digital (2:50)
A2  Joy Division      Glass (3:51)

  Beside
B1  Durutti Column, The     No Communication (4:57)
B2  Durutti Column, The     Thin Ice (Detail) (3:16)

  Seaside
C1  John Dowie     Acne (1:43)
C2  John Dowie     Idiot (1:53)
C3  John Dowie     Hitler’s Liver (2:27)

  Decide
D1  Cabaret Voltaire     Baader Meinhof (3:15)
D2  Cabaret Voltaire     Sex In Secret (3:28)

From Factory Records at the Cutting Edge of Technology by Jan Hicks

One of the Joy Division tracks on the EP has the title ‘Digital’, derived from the digital technology Martin Hannett used to manipulate the sound of the band. During Joy Division’s time in the studio with Martin, recording their tracks for FAC 2, band members Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris began experimenting with electronic instruments. Bernard built a synthesiser from a kit that he purchased from Electronics Today. The PowerTran Transcendent 2000 was a monophonic synthesiser designed by Tim Orr, who worked for British company Electronic Music Studios (EMS). Tim intended it to be an affordable alternative to the synths that could be bought from specialist music shops.