An interesting question I thought to myself the other day is:
What if Martin Hannett had had his way in 1981 and persuaded Tony Wilson and the other Factory Records directors that buying a Fairlight was a good idea, whereas the others wanted to build the Hacienda?
How different would musical life be now? Would "Blue Monday" have happened? Would dance culture have exploded anyway without the Hac? Would Hannett have gone on to greater glories?
Thoughts please!
― Rob M (Rob M), Thursday, 9 January 2003 16:07 (twenty-three years ago)
dance culture woul have exploded without the hacienda because the haciendas role was tangential. earlier than acid house yes, and then big in late 80s but, the london scene was happening also
― gareth (gareth), Thursday, 9 January 2003 16:23 (twenty-three years ago)
I'm not sure that anyone associated with Factory would have had the first idea how to handle a Fairlight - in 1981/2 that would have needed a muso like T. Horn. So - either they'd have got wonderful new sounds from it by accident OR filled it with beer and broken it.
― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 9 January 2003 16:36 (twenty-three years ago)
Maybe they'd have got wonderful new sounds out of it BY filling it with beer?
Well, it's certainly been known to work for me on occasions.
― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 9 January 2003 16:44 (twenty-three years ago)
two weeks pass...
I think you're being a bit disingenous Dr C. Hannett was by all accounts well into his gear (no pun intended) and would have taken the time and effort to do something interesting with it.
He probably wouldn't have quit Factory in disgust at the 'squandering' of profits in the Hacienda and would have continued recording for Factory for rather longer than he did instead of disappearing in a junk fuelled wilderness. Who knows, maybe he would even have stayed cleaner and lived a bit longer. It would have been interesting to hear what N.O, ACR, Quando Quango etc would have produced.
If nothing else 24 hour party people would be a lot shorter.
― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 21:01 (twenty-three years ago)
What's a Fairlight?If the question's still of interest, here's some very Fairlight-heavy albums. (Read an interesting comparison once about the use of the Fairlight vs. its contemporary the Synclavier, making the point that the Fairlight has a "signature" sound that you can learn to spot in a lot of tracks that use it, while the Synclavier -- which was more $$$ and therefore prob. less often used -- is relatively anonymous, not so easy to pick out by ear... Don't know how true this is but it seems about right.)
Peter Gabriel - 4th album (Security); the song credits list the individual samples/programs P.G. used. Later stuff too, e.g. the shakuhachi sample that opens "Sledgehammer"
Kate Bush - The Dreaming / Hounds of Love; the title track of the former features an early use of the "Orch Hit" sample which quickly became a major '80s cliche
Jean-Michel Jarre - Zoolook
Thomas Dolby - The Flat Earth
Joni Mitchell - Dog Eat Dog
(also I'd guess other Thos. Dolby productions around this time like Prefab Sprout - Jordan)
Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche (a lot of Yamaha FM synthesis too, but the sample-based stuff e.g. on "Perfect Way" is classic Fairlight)
Asia - Whatever the album is with "Heat of the Moment" etc.
Probably a lot of Trevor Horn / ZTT productions
Conspicuously visible in the video (as well as audible in the track): Herbie Hancock - Rockit
Lots more I'm sure. And yes, I'm slightly embarrassed for knowing/caring.
― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Wednesday, 29 January 2003 21:37 (twenty-three years ago)