The Durutti Column LC

    The Durutti Column – LC

    23 Jun

    By

    Genre: Rock, Ambient
    Style: Avantgarde
    Year: 1981
    Format: LP, Album
    Label: Factory – FACT 44

    Time Travel in Parallel Universes…

    One wonders how it happens? That you can travel on musical “railroad tracks” and run parallel to another track and never crossover. You might see the switches ahead, but they pass by and you never look back.

    Early 80’s Synth Britannia movement and Manchester UK music scene was an amazing universe to explore.

    Post 80’s Shoegazer and Dream Pop scene are pretty big in my personal music collection. Beachhouse, Slowdive are two bands that spring to mind.

    So last week Thursday our mate Simon who works with me in building and assembling turntables decided to play an album from one of his favourites The Durutti Column – LC Album. George and Simon go way back as musical buddies. Simon has a huge understanding of electronica and UK music scene.

    Simon is a few years older than I but was well and truly immersed in the UK music scene of the 80’s and 90’s as a young lad from Hull living and working in London. So, there is a lot of music and bands that we all enjoy and play during our day-to-day workshop background soundtrack.

    I can honestly say I’d never heard The Durutti Column until last week. How was it that the “algorithm” had never presented this band in the many streaming sessions we run? 1981 was for me Synth Brittania time. Simple Minds, Ultravox, Joy Division New Order, Yazoo, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Thomas Dolby, Thomson Twins, Eurythmics, Gary Numan etc.

    No Durruti Column…

    Later on, 1991 Mogwai and a raft of artists which layered guitars into a thousand angry bees.

    And still no Durruti Column…

    Yes, digital does happen at Dohmann Audio – it is an explorer’s paradise for sure, but this confirms that there is no substitute for personal sharing of new music.

    So, this weekend I set aside time to contemplate “life, the universe, and everything” for a winter’s day with an open flame and glass of South Australian Shiraz (big bold 14.9 % cracker) and listen to DC’s LC in full and let it flow through a few times.

    So here we are June 2026. I now have Durriti Column (DC)…

    A new tangent to explore and enjoy.

    The Durruti Column was founded in 1978 in Manchester, England by Anthony H. Wilson (aka Tony Wilson) and Alan Erasmus. However, it soon became a solo project of Vini Reilly the guitarist. Signed to Tony Wilson’s label Factory from 1978 to 1992. There’s a bunch to read up on at thedurutticolumn.com.

    LC is the second DC release on Factory, released in November 1981.

    Recorded in five hours on a TEAC 4-track tape recorder, putting a drum machine through an echo unit whilst playing the guitar, and then mixed in the studio in another two hours.

    “LC” stands for “Lotta Continua” (meaning “the struggle continues” in Italian), a former left-wing student-workers movement and its eponymous publication.

    The track “Jacqueline” is dedicated to Jacqueline Mitchell (aka Jackie Williams (4), wife of Durutti Column drummer Bruce Mitchell.

    The track “The Missing Boy” is dedicated to Ian Curtis of Joy Division.

    Predominantly instrumental with some jazz percussion vibes and ambient vocals it turns out the album has been on favourite lists of other artists like Brian Eno and Harry Styles.

    Vinyl copies look a bit tricky to source at reasonable prices. Ah well life is short and the hunt must continue!

    Thank you Simon!

    Tracklist

    Sketch For Dawn (1): 5:13

    Portrait For Frazier: 3:29

    Jacqueline: 2:15

    Messidor: 2:30

    Sketch For Dawn (2): 4:33

    Never Known: 6:46

    The Act Committed: 5:03

    Detail For Paul: 1:58

    The Missing Boy: 6:35

    The Sweet Cheat Gone: 2:48

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