Stereo Candies: Jazz-Rock

Showing posts with label Jazz-Rock. Show all posts

Friday, 20 November 2015

DON SEBESKY "DON SEBESKY & THE JAZZ-ROCK SYNDROME" (1968)

«I don't think that there is such a thing as the Don Sebesky sound. [...] I think the common denominator here is more an attitude towards music, a willingness to blend various influences without worrying about where they come from. The way I look at music is the way I look at life - I have no pre-conceived notion about either. If today I feel like doing a certain kind of music, that's what I'll do. And tomorrow, I might try a different kind. I think that if I had one sound, if I stumbled on one formula and I had to stay with that one sound and keep pushing it, I'd never be happy. That's why I said that I don't think I have a "sound". But an attitude, an approach to music, definitely, yes.»

[Don Sebesky, from an interview conducted in 1973 by Didier C. Deutsch]

Donald John Sebesky was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, USA, on 10 December 1937; his father worked in a steel-cable factory, his mother was a housewife. At the age of eight he started learning the accordion; he later came to realize that this instrument was the best possible choice he could have made because, as he says, «the accordion is a 'mini-orchestra' and teaches the principles of harmony from the very beginning».

Sebesky soon started learning piano too, and in high school he switched to the trombone to get into the marching band. Then he began commuting into New York from New Jersey to study with Warren Covington at the Manhattan School of Music. His earliest influences were the big bands of Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson.

During the mid '50s he began his professional career playing with Kai Winding, Claude Thornhill, and the Tommy Dorsey Band led by Covington. In 1958 he was hired to play the trombone in Maynard Ferguson's band appearing on their album "A Message From Newport"; on such occasion he signed two compositions: "Humbug" and "Fan It, Janet".

"Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrome" back cover

He also played briefly with Stan Kenton appearing on "Viva Kenton!" in 1959, but at the turning of the decade he decided to give up trombone playing and devote himself full time to writing and arranging, working out an individual style based on a combination of Jazz and Classical music.

In 1965 Don Sebesky joined Verve Records when Creed Taylor was still a producer for the label. One of his most distinctive and successful arrangements was for Wes Montgomery's album "Bumpin'" released the same year.

In 1967, when Taylor left the company to launch his own CTI, Sebesky joined the newborn label as staff arranger, giving his precious contribution in creating many hit records.

During the late '60s / early '70s, his orchestral backgrounds helped make artists like Montgomery, George Benson ("Shape of Things To Come", 1968), Paul Desmond ("From the Hot Afternoon", 1969) and Freddie Hubbard ("First Light", 1971) acceptable to audiences outside of Jazz.

The beautiful gatefold cover in all its glory

Sebesky's arrangements have usually been among the classiest in his field, reflecting a solid knowledge of the orchestra, drawing variously from Big Band Jazz, Rock, Ethnic music, Classical music of all eras and even the Avant-garde for ideas. He once cited Béla Bartók as his favorite composer, but one also hears lots of Stravinsky in his work.

In 1968 he debuted as a solo artist with "Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrome", the subject of this post, an albums intended to merge - as per its title - Jazz and Rock music. This record was soon followed by "The Distant Galaxy", a weirder affair that combined exotic and electronic instruments with unusual arrangements; this precious gem will hopefully appear on these pages sometimes soon.

In the late '60s / early '70s Sebesky also arranged for Carmen McRae, Tamiko Jones (...her album "I'll Be Anything For You" is available here on Stereo Candies...), Peggy Lee, Hubert Laws, Kenny Burrell and Dionne Warwick, to name just a few, but the list is so much longer... In 1971 his song "Memphis Two-Step" was the title track of the Herbie Mann album of the same name.

"Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrome" inner gatefold, left panel

In 1973 Sebesky released his opus "Giant Box", a double LP for which he employed musicians that makes the term 'all stars' sound like an understatement; this may have been Creed Taylor's most ambitious single project.

Among the numerous artists gathered together for the occasion were Paul Desmond, George Benson, Randy Brecker, Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, Airto Moreira, Grover Washington Jr., Jackie Cain and Roy Kral.

The album reached number 16 on the U.S. Billboard Jazz Albums Chart and was nominated for a Grammy. Later on, this step out into the spotlight was followed only by sporadic releases among which we remember "The Rape of El Morro" (1975), "Three Works For Jazz Soloists & Symphony Orchestra" (1979) and "Full Cycle" (1983).

"Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrome" inner gatefold, right panel

Active as a teacher since the 70s, Sebesky is the author of "The Contemporary Arranger", an authoritative easy-to-understand text covering all aspects of arranging for Jazz bands and other Contemporary / Pop ensembles, which is used in colleges and music schools all over the world.

He has worked with such orchestras as the London Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Pops, The New York Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic of London, and the Toronto Symphony.

As a recording artist and in collaboration with other artists, he has won three Grammy Awards and has been nominated for 27 more, won a Tony and has been nominated for two more, won two Drama Desk Awards and four Clio Awards.

During the years, he has composed and arranged music for Christina Aguilera, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Britney Spears, Chet Baker, Vanessa Williams, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Liza Minnelli, Cyndi Lauper, and a host of other pop stars.

The original inner sleeve displays a few pictures of the most representative Verve artists and a list of their releases...

Sebesky has composed and orchestrated for several films, including the Oscar-nominated short subject "Time Piece" (1965) starring and directed by Jim Henson (...available here, it is worth your precious time, believe me!), "The People Next Door" (1970), "F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles'" (1974), "The Rosary Murders" (1987) with Donald Sutherland (for which Sebesky also conducted), and "Julie & Julia" (2009) with Meryl Streep.

Sebesky's work for television has garnered three Emmy nominations for "Allegra's Window" on Nickelodeon, "The Edge of Night" on ABC, and "Guiding Light" on CBS.

His Broadway theater credits include "Porgy and Bess" (London production by Trevor Nunn), "Sinatra at The Palladium", "Sweet Charity", "Kiss Me Kate", "Bells Are Ringing", "Flower Drum Song", "Parade", "The Life", "Cyrano", "The Goodbye Girl", "Will Rogers Follies", "Sinatra at Radio City", "Pal Joey", "Come Fly Away" and "Baby It's You".

One of the most highly regarded arrangers in the business, Sebesky's work is precise and elegant, yet bristles with ideas and always displays his sure grasp of instrumental potential and the abilities of the performers for whom he writes.

...and more on the back!

"Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrome" contains the following tracks:

01. The Word (3:46)
02. Shake a Lady (3:46)
03. Banana Flower (2:52)
04. Meet a Cheetah (4:07)
05. I Dig Rock'n'Roll (2:05)
06. Never My Love (3:11)
07. Dancing In the Street (3:21)
08. Somebody Groovy (4:12)
09. You've Got Your Troubles (2:57)
10. Big Mama Cass (2:58)

All tracks were remastered from the original vinyl in November 2015 and are available in FLAC lossless format, along with complete artwork reconstruction and printable PDF files.

Please have a look at the comments for the download link.

Recorded between June 1967 and January 1968, and bearing catalogue number V6-8756, "Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrome" was released on Verve Records during the first half of 1968. The album comes in a beautiful gatefold sleeve with colourful pictures by Joel Brodsky which is a real pleasure for the eyes.

As the 'V6' prefix in the catalogue number implies, the album is recorded in full stereo, althought mono copies were also pressed as promotional items for radio stations.

The following liner notes printed on the inner gatefold were written by Cool Jazz musician and author Michael Zwerin.

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«Big bands are not coming back. Let's face it. The old style, rooted in the swing era, is an anachronism. Those bands will hang around only as long as that generation is alive; they are relics, museum pieces - still groovy, but relics nonetheless.

Basie, Herman, James and the few others still carrying on will not survive their own generation. They have no issue; young cats do not generally form swing bands these days. They play Rock and Roll, whether we like it or not.

But something else has been coming-on lately. It has been called 'Jazz-Rock', a budding love affair between a raw but vital, enthusiastic child and a somewhat weatherbeaten but dapper older gentleman.

Basically the one-eyed monster killed old-style dance bands, along with a lot of other things. For awhile, when the tube was still a novelty, nobody did anything else at all but sit in front of it. Then came the Twist and people began moving out again - to dance. The Twist really buried big bands; four electrified kids could produce the volume of fifteen unamplified guys, a lot cheaper. And the other eleven musicians starved or became school teachers.

It may have been a blessing in the long run. The new beat spawned dancing as a worldwide participation sport. For the first time, you don't have to know the steps; anything goes. Just move out on the floor, stay loose and swing.

As the dances became more abstract and creative, more permissive and popular, the music kept pace - becoming more and more complex until, suddenly, we find Jazz peeking through the door again. Many straight-ahead Rock groups are beginning to add horns. Some will inevitably add more and, since there are few sounds as exciting as seven brass and five saxophones wailing, new-style big bands will soon begin criss-crossing the country just like the old once did; not museum pieces, but contemporary, communicating dance organizations. People will once more dance to big bands - which will sound like this record.

Though he just turned 30, Don Sebesky is a product of the big band tradition, having played trombone with Warren Covington, Stan Kenton, Claude Thornhill and Maynard Ferguson. His big writing break came through Maynard and he has since scored albums for Wes Montgomery, Astrud Gilberto, Erroll Garner and Kenny Burrell.

When Don started to think about this album, he "wanted to come up with something new. It seemed to me that the style in which I had been writing - traditional Holman-influenced Basie - had become a dead end for me. It was either a matter of getting more complex and involved, or simpler. I chose the latter, or rather it was chosen for me. I discovered The Mamas and the Papas and their light, groovy approach influenced my thinking tremendously."

So there are very few hard, 'shouting' big band moments here. Instead, it sings with unisons and counterpoint. The tunes themselves reflect the Mamas and the Papas influence: "Somebody Groovy", a John Phillips tune, "Dancing in the Street", in which Don based the writing on Cass Elliot's phrasing of the same tune, and "Big Mama Cass" which is of course dedicated to her.

The musicians - who were all chosen "for their ability to swing in a Jazz way and yet relate to a Rock feel at the same time" - evidence obvious enthusiasm playing Sebesky's music. I particularly call your attention to Don MacDonald's drums, to Chuck Rainey's really astounding Fender bass - and to two young men you're going to be hearing from a lot, Larry Coryell and Dick Spencer.

Coryell, who's already made quite a name for himself with the Gary Burton group, is perhaps the personification of the Jazz-Rock movement among musicians. He plays real Jazz guitar - writing his own line, improvising on the changes - but unlike some of his colleagues he has also taken the time and trouble to master the electronic effects available on the amp. As a result, Coryell has virtually cornered the market on the wailing, haunting kind of guitar you hear on "Dancing in the Street" and, most especially, on "The Word" - a too-much tour de force right down to the closing cadenza.

Spencer likewise epitomizes the new generation of horn men - guys who grew up with Jazz and Rock in the unswerving belief that the twain shall meet. It's his soulful alto that puts the groove in "Somebody Groovy", the personality in the portrait of "Big Mama Cass". On "Meet a Cheetah", Spencer gets together with Joe Beck (another very now guitarist) and Sebesky himself - who, like Bob Brookmeyer, turns out to be a trombonist who also plays a mean piano. And organ (on "I Dig Rock 'n' Roll Music"). And harpsichord (on "Banana Flower"). And clavinet (dig his dialogue with Coryell on "The Word").

Don feels that "this is the first big band of the Rock era, bringing the influences of traditional big bands and combining them with the music being written today by John Phillips, the Beatles, the Beach Boys and other meaningful groups in an instrumental way, featuring a good strong rhythm section and blues-influenced soloists."

Obviously, Don Sebesky has found an alternative, a way to move ahead while still acknowledging his musical roots. Jazz-Rock is the turning point. Listen, dance and rejoice to it.»

Don Sebesky, exact date unknown, probably late '60s / early '70s

...and to finish this post, here's the complete credits as reconstructed from the original list included on the inner gatefold and the information written on the center labels of "Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrome". Additional information about some of the tunes is also included, along with some clips that offer a generous preview of the remastered album, this time I couldn't help to upload less than six... Enjoy!

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Recorded in June 1967 and January 1968 at A&R Studios, New York City.

Director of Engineering: Val Valentin
Cover photo: Joel Brodsky
Painting on Girl: Mario Rivoli
Art Direction: Acy R. Lehman

Produced by Esmond Edwards.

The Word
(John Lennon / Paul McCartney - this track was also released as a single with cat. number VK-10605; the original version appears on the Beatles' "Rubber Soul" released in 1965, more information about the song is available here)
Clavinet: Don Sebesky
Guitar: Larry Coryell
Bass: Chuck Rainey
Drums: Donald MacDonald
Flute: Hubert Laws

Shake a Lady
(Ray Bryant - original version appears on Ray Bryant's "Cold Turkey" released in 1964)
Piano: Don Sebesky
Guitar: Joe Beck
Bass: Don Payne
Drums: Donald MacDonald
Alto Saxophone: Richard Spencer
Flute: Jerry Dodgian

Banana Flower
(Don Sebesky - this track was also included on Side B of the VK-10605 single)
Harpsichord: Don Sebesky
Guitar: Joe Beck
Bass: Don Payne
Drums: Donald MacDonald
Flute: Jerry Dodgian
Vocals: Janet Sebesky

Meet a Cheetah
(Don Sebesky)
Piano and Harpsichord: Don Sebesky
Guitar: Joe Beck
Bass: Don Payne
Drums: Donald MacDonald
Alto Saxophone: Richard Spencer
Flute: Jerry Dodgian

I Dig Rock'n'Roll Music
(Paul Stookey / James Mason / Dave Dixon - original version appears on Peter, Paul and Mary's "Album 1700" released in 1967; more information about the song is available here)
Organ and Clavinet: Don Sebesky
Guitar: Joe Beck
Bass: Chuck Rainey
Drums: Donald MacDonald
Alto Saxophone: Richard Spencer
Flute: Hubert Laws
Vocals: Janet Sebesky

Never My Love
(Donald Addrisi / Richard Addrisi - original version appears on The Association' "Insight Out", released in 1967; the Addrisi Brothers later released their own version in 1977 - more information about the song is available here)
Harpsichord: Don Sebesky
Guitar: Joe Beck
Bass: Chuck Rainey
Drums: Donald MacDonald
Flute: Hubert Laws
Vocals: Janet Sebesky

Dancing In the Street
(Marvin Gaye / William Stevenson / Ivy Jo Hunter - original version by Martha and The Vandellas was released as a single in 1964; the song was later covered by the The Mamas and The Papas in 1966 and by many other artists, including David Bowie & Mick Jagger in 1985 - more information about the song is available here)
Clavinet and Organ: Don Sebesky
Guitar: Larry Coryell
Bass: Chuck Rainey
Drums: Donald MacDonald
Alto Saxophone: Richard Spencer
Vocals: Janet Sebesky

Somebody Groovy
(John Phillips - original version appears on The Mamas and The Papas' debut album "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears" released in 1966)
Clavinet and Organ: Don Sebesky
Guitar: Joe Beck
Bass: Don Payne
Drums: Donald MacDonald
Alto Saxophone: Richard Spencer
Flute: Jerry Dodgian
Vocals: Janet Sebesky

You've Got Your Troubles
(Roger Greenaway / Roger Cook - original version by The Fortunes was released as a single in 1965; more information about the song is available here)
Piano: Don Sebesky
Guitar: Joe Beck
Bass: Chuck Rainey
Drums: Donald MacDonald
Flute: Hubert Laws
Vocals: Janet Sebesky

Big Mama Cass
(Don Sebesky - this song was covered by The Buddy Rich Big Band; it appears on their "Mercy, Mercy" live album released in 1968)
Organ and Clavinet: Don Sebesky
Guitar: Joe Beck
Bass: Chuck Rainey
Drums: Donald MacDonald
Alto Saxophone: Richard Spencer
Flute: Hubert Laws
Vocals: Janet Sebesky

More information about Don Sebesky is available here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Sebesky

http://www.donsebeskymusic.com/

http://www.discogs.com/artist/45768-Don-Sebesky

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/don-sebesky-mn0000801711/biography

http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/don_sebesky

http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/don-sebesky

http://www.dougpayne.com/ctiads.htm

http://www.jazzwax.com/2010/12/interview-don-sebesky-part-1.html

http://www.jazzwax.com/2010/12/interview-don-sebesky-part-2.html

http://www.whosampled.com/Don-Sebesky/sampled/

If you have any other useful information about this post, or if you spot any dead links, just get in touch with me at stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com or leave a comment in the box below, thank you!

Friday, 25 April 2014

A.A.V.V. "A FACTORY QUARTET" (1980)

«FAC 24: as yet untitled. Basically, it's another Factory sample, only this time a double 10" featuring 4 bands / 15 minutes each.

1) The Royal Family. 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.

2) Blurt. Sax based dance band from Stroud - Jesus Christ Stroud! Fronted by former anarcho beat poet - reformed.

3) The Durutti Column. An extended piece being prepared by Vinny Reilly, Stephen Hopkins and Mr. Hannett.

4) 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.»

[from an early 1980 Factory Records hand-typed "newsletter and shareholder's analysis"]

"A Factory Quartet", front cover reconstruction

«We were at FAC10 for "Unknown Pleasures", then 11 for X-O-Dus, and 12 and then 13, then Vini's album is 14. It was only when we did the next album that we said 'Well what's this going to be? Well that one was 14, well this could be 24'. And the fact that the second album that Vini was on, was a four sides, with four artists. Two albums, four artists, it was like 'Oh look, 24!' Four artists, two vinyl, how appropriate.»

[Tony Wilson explaining the thinking behind the Factory catalogue number for "A Factory Quartet"]

"A Factory Quartet", back cover reconstruction

Well, I've been working on this post for quite a lot of time... This is one of my favourite records ever, and one that I heavily played in my Twenties when Factory and Mute used to keep my turntable busy most of the times during the early '90s.

I have always preferred "A Factory Quartet" to "A Factory Sample", althought it is commonly considered of inferior quality compared to its predecessor. The main reason is quite simple: the Quartet offers more quality music from The Durutti Column, which have been my favourite band for many, many years.

The fact that every band/artist has a whole side of music also made it easier to get a clear idea about them, and I decided that they were all worth a deeper exploration: in a few months I was able to get second-hand copies of "In Berlin" by Blurt, "Such Hunger For Love" by Kevin Hewick and the "Art - Dream - Dominion" 12" single by The Royal Family and the Poor, wow!

At the time I purchased my second-hand copy of "A Factory Quartet" I already knew The Durutti Column's albums released by Factory in the early '80s, and although their contribution to the Quartet misses the unique drumming style of Bruce Mitchell - who still wasn't part of the band at the time - I was more than happy to be able to finally listen the original studio versions of two Durutti classics like "For Belgian Friends" and "Self-portrait".

"A Factory Quartet", inner gatefold detail left

The first part of the long Kevin Hewick live side (...about 25 minutes!) has been a mistery to me for quite many years. My knowledge of English was limited then ("...he has not improved a lot in the meantime..." I here you say...) so I couldn't understand the reason why the young singer-songwriter was receiving such an hostile reaction from the public... Anyway, I was able to figure out that Hewick was standing his grounds firmly, and I liked that. While preparing this post I finally discovered the reason: Hewick was supporting a Roy Harper tour and the main attraction was more than 90 minutes late!

With their primeval drumming, frantic saxophone and hallucinated voice, Blurt were my introduction to stripped-back Avantgarde Jazz-Rock. The songs included on the Quartet are taken from a demo recorded at home on a Teac four-track machine and are pretty lo-fi, a characteristic that matches them with the Kevin Hewick live recordings. Anyway, the seven minutes of "Dyslexia" are worth the admission ticket alone and still make a strong impression on me after all these years.

The Royal Family and the Poor's contribution to the Quartet sounded to me like is a sort of an endless flux of distorted guitars overlaid with, what I now know is - Situationist oratory.... Something like an extended version of Joy Division's "Atrocity Exhibition" brought to the limit... Exhausting, but in a positive way!

"A Factory Quartet", inner gatefold detail right

The following text is excerpted from James Nice's opus "Shadowplayers: The Rise and Fall of Factory Records". In his book, Nice offers an extremely complete and incredibly documented research on the legendary Mancunian label; I strongly suggest anyone who has an interest in Post-Punk and New Wave to rush out and buy this book, it is simply essential and an effort of the highest quality.

This is the definitive story of Factory Records, or the Factory Bible if you prefer, all other books that deal with the same subject pale in comparison. You can buy "Shadowplayers" here.

"A Factory Quartet", inner sleeve 1 front, Vini Reilly (The Durutti Column)

«Following one-off singles by OMD, The Distractions and X-O-Dus, by the spring of 1980 the second wave of Factory bands was set to comprise Section 25, The Names, Minny Pops and Crawling Chaos, as well as a mooted album project by Martin Hannett and Steve Hopkins as The Invisible Girls, though this project was never completed.

With Gretton's influence on A&R increasingly apparent, Wilson determined to showcase Vini Reilly and three new left-field artists on a second label compilation, A Factory Quartet, envisaged as 'another Factory Sample' (thus Fact 24), and scheduled for release as a double 10-inch package in April.

None of the three newcomers hailed from Manchester, and all were recruited on the basis of demo tapes, sight unseen. Unfortunately, as with the clumsy original Durutti Column band, the year-long Factory Quartet fiasco only served to emphasize that Wilson's skills as a talent scout were somewhat haphazard.

"A Factory Quartet", inner sleeve 1 back, Kevin Hewick

The pick of this unlikely trio was Blurt. Born in 1943, musician, poet and self-confessed 'performance junkie' Ted Milton had already been around several creative blocks by 1980, boasting a colourful background unmatched by any other early Factory artist. As a verse writer, his work had appeared in the Paris Review and "Children of Albion: Poetry of the Underground in Britain" as early as 1969, after which Milton diversified into left-field puppeteering, performing as Mr Pugh's Velvet Glove Show, and contributing a puppetry scene to Terry Gilliam's 1977 comic film "Jabberwocky".

The following year Milton supported Ian Dury on tour, where he was seen by Wilson and invited to perform on 'So It Goes'. Milton then took up the saxophone, and in late 1979 formed Blurt as a trio with drumming brother Jake and guitarist Pete Creese.

Early Blurt critiques would compare the oddball trio with James Chance, Captain Beefheart, Wild Man Fischer, Tom Waits and any number of left-field jazz icons, though their stripped-back, noisy, avant-garde sound defied easy categorization.

"A Factory Quartet", inner sleeve 2 front, Ted Milton (Blurt)

Blurt quickly recorded a basic demo at home in Stroud, a copy of which Ted Milton dispatched to Wilson. Always alert to potential genius, Wilson offered to release these lo-fi demo tracks as one side of the Factory Quartet, labelling the trio as a 'sax-based dance band, fronted by former anarcho beat poet - reformed.'

Blurt on Factory seems less outlandish in the light of Wilson's desire to release an album of Charles Bukowski readings at this time, and in truth he was more interested in Milton as a personality than in Blurt as a working band.

"Ted was a friend of Tony's and welcome visitor," confirms Lindsay Reade. "He stayed at our house in Charlesworth on several occasions when up from Stroud and we also visited him. He was very amusing and clever as I recall. I suspect his contribution to the Quartet came from Tony's appreciation of his originality, humour and performance that, like John Dowie, was on the wacky side of things but not perhaps of lasting significance to Factory."

"A Factory Quartet", inner sleeve 2 back, Arthur McDonald (The Royal Family and the Poor)

Wilson was also intrigued by Kevin Hewick. A capable singer-songwriter with a talent for arresting melody, Leicester troubadour Hewick was no less fond of Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Neil Young than of punk and new wave, and at the beginning of 1980 was employed as a clerk in a social security office.

"I did lots of tapes in my bedroom and sent them off to various labels, and one of them appealed to Tony Wilson. Before I knew it, the Joy Division-obsessed bedroom tape maker became a Joy Division support act."

Promoting Hewick's bashful talent as 'frail specifics', Wilson confidently predicted that singer-songwriters would be back in fashion by 1982. Meanwhile the unassuming 'folkie' guitarist made his Factory debut at the troubled City Fun benefit at the New Osborne Club on 7 February, along with Joy Division, A Certain Ratio and Section 25, but failed to make much of an impression.

Vini Reilly (The Durutti Column) in Manchester, 1980, photo by Kevin Cummins

From Liverpool, The Royal Family and the Poor presented less as a group than a pseudo-Situationist provocation. Their first incarnation came together after teenage musician Michael Keane met Arthur McDonald, an art graduate with an interest in SI politics and the avant-garde. "I was about eighteen at the time," Keane recalls, "and Arthur was a bit older than me, about twenty-eight. I was already pretty aware, but he sort of introduced me to a lot of ideas. I got this old synthesizer and put it through a record player, which produced a horrendous noise. Then Arthur just started reciting Situationist texts over the top of it."

Like Blurt, the unlikely duo recorded a crude tape and posted a copy to Factory. Switching into full McLaren mode, Wilson plucked their clumsy name from Sex Pistols: The Inside Story, a paperback written by Fred and Judy Vermorel, at a stroke doubling the number of SI-monikered artists on Factory.

By the time The Royal Family made their live debut, the group had expanded to include drummer Phil Hurst and Wilson protégé Nathan McGough on bass, permitting forays into politicized punk-funk redolent of The Pop Group and Gang of Four. True to form, A Factory Quartet was nowhere near ready for release in April 1980 and would not appear until the end of the year.

Kevin Hewick, early '80s

Finally released in December, A Factory Quartet arrived as a conventional double album offering a side apiece by Blurt, Kevin Hewick, The Durutti Column and The Royal Family and The Poor. Aside from arriving eight months late, A Factory Quartet now served no useful purpose, Blurt having already released their first single through a London label, and Kevin Hewick deserving a better vinyl debut than seven scrappy live tracks recorded on a Roy Harper tour.

"I had a big bust-up with Tony," explains the hapless singer. "I brought the tapes to Factory clearly marked, but Tony went through them and picked out different tracks to the ones I wanted. I was furious, but what could I do? They were tapes of me and an audience hurling abuse at each other. My gigs are never like that unless I get a really rude crowd, then I let my temper get the better of me."

The three new Durutti tracks were pleasant enough, and enlivened by the presence of Donald Johnson on drums, yet no amount of Hannett alchemy or Situationist (w)rapping could elevate the Royal Family material above the mundane.

Ted Milton (Blurt)

Even the sleeve of Fact 24 disappointed, with the raised embossed panels failing to lift what was essentially a collection of abstract polaroids snapped by Wilson and mounted on heavy grade card. "I put out that one record," he pleaded defensively, "and I knew everyone else would think it was shit. I think it's great. I knew people would hate it, but Rough Trade and Pinnacle both said they could sell lots of them."

Priced at 'five guineas', the Quartet sold well enough, briefly visiting the British indie top ten, but was dismissed by reviewers, some of whom voiced concerns over Factory's 'growing obsession with coffee-table chic'. In reality, the problem was simply that Fact 24 was a Wilson pet project, and its curator cursed with a tin ear for music.

The belated release of A Factory Quartet also marked the end of Blurt's relationship with the label, and plans to release live album In Berlin through Factory Benelux foundered after Armageddon offered a cash advance. "My feeling about Factory is that they have Joy Division and A Certain Ratio and everything else is a sidetrack," Ted Milton confided to Melody Maker. "They might be interested in us, but they only have a certain amount of time and energy. We also had a sense of being on hold. Factory is a style, like Habitat or something like that, a house style... I was bugged by the presentation of Quartet, too sort of twee for my liking. But they're not interested in asking you what you want to see there and stuff like that, it comes from the top, it comes from Tony. You get a feeling of being a pawn, actually. It's very distressing."

Michael Anthony Keane (The Royal Family and the Poor), 1986

Reviewing A Factory Quartet in Melody Maker, Lynden Barber summed up the prevailing critical attitude towards Factory at the close of 1980. "This record [...] is an indication that Factory seem to be sliding down a dubious slope towards an image. Factory are becoming too complacent, wrapped up in their image as a special label. As for their highly elitist practice of only releasing certain records on the Continent so that British fans have to fork out inflated import prices, there's no excuse. Factory used to be a label to be looked up to. I'd like that to continue in 1981, but better that they don't release anything at all than issue these damaged goods. If you're thinking of shelling out the requested five ‘guineas' for this album, don't. It only encourages them."»

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As a welcome supplement to the James Nice's "Shadowplayers: The Rise and Fall of Factory Records" excerpt above here, I suggest that you pay a visit to Cerysmatic Factory website and read this precious interview where Kevin Hewick recalls the days of "A Factory Quartet".

Here's the track list of "A Factory Quartet":

Disc 1

01. THE DURUTTI COLUMN - For Mimi (4:35)
02. THE DURUTTI COLUMN - For Belgian Friends (5:25)
03. THE DURUTTI COLUMN - Self-portrait (4:50)
04. KEVIN HEWICK - Rubble (5:59)
05. KEVIN HEWICK - 1940 (2:45)
06. KEVIN HEWICK - A Little Feeling (3:24)
07. KEVIN HEWICK - Forget (2:46)
08. KEVIN HEWICK - Morphia (3:20)
09. KEVIN HEWICK - The Enchanted Kiss (4:19)
10. KEVIN HEWICK - Haystack (2:39)

Disc 2

01. BLURT - Puppetter (3:22)
02. BLURT - Dyslexia (7:26)
03. BLURT - Some Come (3:04)
04. BLURT - Benighted (4:38)
05. THE ROYAL FAMILY AND THE POOR - Dirge (1:11)
06. THE ROYAL FAMILY AND THE POOR - Vaneigem Mix (6:24)
07. THE ROYAL FAMILY AND THE POOR - Dirge (1:08)
08. THE ROYAL FAMILY AND THE POOR - Death Factory (6:15)
09. THE ROYAL FAMILY AND THE POOR - Dirge (0:59)
10. THE ROYAL FAMILY AND THE POOR - Rackets (6:42)

All tracks were remastered from the original vinyls in March 2014, they are available as two FLAC lossless format files or two high-quality 320 Kbps MP3 files. Both formats offer complete printable PDF artwork, including a 12-page booklet.

Before burning the compilation on two CD-Rs using the provided CUE files, you need to convert the original files to WAV format using an appropriate software. Here's an option for FLAC to WAV conversion and one for MP3 to WAV conversion.

As usual, please have a look at the comments for the download links.

The following credits are spread across the labels and the end-groove areas of the original release:

THE DURUTTI COLUMN

The Durutti Column on this occasion were Vini Reilly on guitar and piano, and Donald Johnstone on drums.

Martin Hannett produced and Chris Nagle engineered, this at Strawberry Studios Stockport.

The pieces are written by Vini Reilly and published by Movement of 24th of January Publishing.

FACT 24A [FACT 24 A1 A PORKY PRIME CUT FOR WHO IT SAYS LYN-8869]

Vini Reilly performing live in the early '80s

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KEVIN HEWICK

The first three songs were performed at Leeds University in May 1980 on the Sylvia Plath Comeback Tour, the rest at the Moonlight West Hampstead in April 1980.

Live sound by Dave Pringle, Glyn Wood and John Hurst.

Noise generator on 'Morphia' by Peter Terel.

Kevin Hewick writes them and Funny Animals Music publishes them.

FACT 24B [FACT 24 B1 A PORKY PRIME CUT YIP YIP YIP LYN-8870]

Kevin Hewick performing live in the early '80s

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BLURT

Blurt are Blurt are Ted Milton, sax and vocals, brother Jake on drums and Peter Creese on guitar.

All material written by Blurt and published by Blackhill, you remember Blackhill, produced by Jake Milton at home.

FACT 24C [FACT 24 C1 P.O.R.K.Y. N.A.R.G. LYN-8871 2]

Ted Milton performing live

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THE ROYAL FAMILY AND THE POOR

The Royal Family and the Poor on this occasion were Levi Windsor, Nathan Windsor, Phil Windsor and Mike Windsor.

Another Hannett and Nagle job carried out at Graveyard, Prestwich, and Strawberry, Stockport.

Assists to Gretton and Pickering.

No copyright for all the usual reasons.

FACT 24D [FACT 24 D1 PORKY THE MODE OF PRODUCTION ETC.... - LYN-8872]

Arthur McDonald, early vocalist of The Royal Family and The Poor, performing live

Enjoy a few related videos courtesy of YouTube:

The Durutti Column "Never Known" promotional clip, 1981

Kevin Hewick perfoming "Morphia" live, filmed by Tony Wilson, circa 1980-1981

Blurt "Puppetter", the footage is from a super-8mm film featuring Ted Milton as Mr. Pugh.

The Royal Family and the Poor "Art on 45", 1982

If you have any other useful information concerning this post - or if you spot any dead links - please get in touch with me at stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com or leave a comment in the box below, thank you!

Welcome to Stereo Candies!

As an avid music lover I've been purchasing and enjoying records for the most part of my life. In the recent years I've quite appreciated many music blogs, they've been a great source of information about a lot of artists that for some reason I had never got into, or music that I simply didn't know existed.

I thought that it was time to give my own contribution, so here I am. I decided to focus mostly on music that has not been re-released in CD format and on artists/labels that are not widely represented on the web, or whose releases are sold-out and quite hard to find nowadays, without sticking to any particular music style.

All recordings presented here have been carefully transferred, cleaned and remastered with digital techniques for better enjoyment. When possible, I also try to add useful information, pictures, videos and so on.

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All the contents on this blog are provided only to promote music as culture and for no other purpose.

All recordings comes from physical media such as vinyl records, CDs and cassettes that I purchased new at time of original release or later in second hand records shops and on the Internet.

As far as I know, all the releases posted here are not in production at the present time and/or are unavailable for sale as new on the market.

If you are one of the featured artists or one of their agents, or if you simply own any of the material and would like it to be removed, please notify me via email ( stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com ) and I will endeavour to remove them as soon as possible.

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