Best Factory Band Besides Joy Division?

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Assuming that we're all on the same page about Factory Records being the label equivalent of the burning bush on Mt Sinai, which is probably not an accurate assumption but should be: leaving Joy Division out of the equation, who was the best band Factory had & why? N.B. while there are no correct answers per se, it is safe to say that Happy Mondays is the wrong answer.

― John Darnielle, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

We did a Factory S+D which covered this pretty well.

If we're doing it again I'll say Section 25 and Stockholm Monsters joint 1st, followed by ACR and Crispy Ambulance. Best 'one record' band - The Distractions -"Time Goes By So Slow".

― Dr. C, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No Happy Mondays? Oh, then clearly Northside. *is chased down by Dr. C and company, hides*

So yeah, we did the Factory thing somewhere else, but I'll have to say that thanks to my obsessive scaring up of the reissues, Crispy Ambulance definitely Had Something Going For It. And perhaps still do, we'll have to see about this reunion album. I think what I like about them is how they looked into prog and psych while not wanting to exactly *sound* like it -- there's something different about them that a lot of nineties groups who plow the same ground (and who I do rather love) don't quite capture. Also, good taste in covering "United."

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Wake, post-Bobby Gillespie.

― http://gygax.pitas.com, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Crawling Chaos!

Seriously, my answer would probably change each week. This week, I'd say it's Durutti Column. New Order, Section 25, and ACR are up there somewheres too.

(Much agreed that "Happy Mondays" is the worst answer.)

― Andy K, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm going to have to go with the sublime and ridiculous New Order.

― dan, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

For reference See this Factory Records ILM thread and The Crépuscule and Factory Pages where the mysterious named Stockholm Monsters will have three reissues available in March. I have never heard of them, but Tim "Sink" Hopkins is a big fan.

― DJ Martian, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the wake are fast becoming a favourite of mine; harmony has some wonderful tracks but they couldn`t quite pull of the darker gothicy stuff could they? and gillespie`s bass playing sounds like a creaky floorboard. the second album which was very recently reissued is quite lovely mind section 25, acr and the durutti column all had their moments, as did the mondays for that matter BUT still new order were easily the best band on the label.

― nelly, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

STOCKHOLM MONSTERS REISSUES?????????????????

My own answer to the question "Best Factory Band Possibly Even Including Joy Division" is "the Stockholm Monsters," whose album "Alma Mater" is completely stunning and two of whose 12"s -- "Miss Moonlight" and "How Korrupt Is Rough Trade" b/w "Kan Kill!" -- are among my favorite records of all time.

Off to drool over your link, thanks so much.

― John Darnielle, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh Northside were OK, Ned. I'm feeling charitable tonight.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ah yes, Durutti pips Crispy Ambulance, duh. My brain was elsewhere.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

All I've heard is 'The Guitar and Other Machines,' and I found it a little slick and clinical. I have a feeling his Factory stuff is more like what I'm looking for... where to start?

― Clarke B., Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Try Return of the Durutti Column or LC -- his first two, and they'll show you where he's coming from...

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Thanks, Ned - I'll try to track those down. Seems like I've hunted for 'Return...' before, but if I remember correctly it was kind of pricey, and it's hard to convine me to pay import prices for something if I can buy two different CDs for the same price. ;-)

― Clarke B., Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

happy mondays is sooo not the wrong answer. maybe it is actually because happy mondays aren't the best factory band besides joy division, happy mondays are the best factory band full stop. by a country mile (and i like jd)

― gareth, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

In case my views aren't obvious from that other thread: A CERTAIN RATIO! (Distant second: Durutti Column)

I am pleased to note incidentally that someone was obviously paying attention to the calls on that other thread for a proper reissue of early ACR stuff on CD - according to DJ Martian's page, that's just what Soul Jazz will be doing on 25 March. Thanks Martian, you've just made my year. ;-)

― Jeff W, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Thanks, by the way - as well as reading my weblog regularly to get information on music news/releases, I find that Siren Disc in the Future Releases section, is an excellent source of information on forthcoming releases/reissues - it is updated throughout the week.

E.g Crispy Ambulance have a new album

Crispy Ambulance Scissorgun, CD $15.99 Former FACTORY Records band deliver an album of quality new material. Country: UK. Release Date: 1-Apr-02

It even tells you what will be on the front cover of the next Wire, Sonic Youth !

Wire Magazine March 2002 - Sonic Youth Cover, MAGAZINE $9.99 Country: UK. Release Date: 25-Feb-02

― DJ Martian, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Cath Carroll = only good band on Factory surely?!?!

― mark s, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll throw Kalima into the equation, just because they're probably the least Factory-esque band on Earth.

― Jez, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey, you forgot Quando Quango. And X-O-Dus.

― Snotty Moore, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm throwing my vote to Crispy Ambulance, though the first 2 Certain Ratio outings are superb. I also like some of those early Minny Pops singles.

― jek, Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

C'mon, people--ESG! Just for "UFO".

― Andy M., Friday, 8 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't know. For as much 'hype" as it has behind it, I think Factory was a pretty disappointing label. Nonetheless, I'd have to go with Durutti Column - the only consistently good Factory band afterJD/NO. But A Certain Ratio had moments (only moments, though). And if you listen to them, those two James 7"s (later compiled into a 5-song 12") are as perfect as pop gets. Later, they sucked.

― A. Swyth, Saturday, 9 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

ACR and Kalima were both very good. Once ACR parted way with its initial sound, they found a very good balance between jazz, funk and rock...Kalima has always been one of my favorite bands of all time...Night Time Shadows is a neglected classic that any record label with half a brain would re-release immediately (where are you, LTM?). Last, Durutti Column is one of the desert island bands, especially the first 4 albums.

― AndreNY (AndreNY), Sunday, 25 April 2004 23:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Did Durutti Column ever work with Martin Hannett again, after "Return of..."?

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 26 April 2004 07:58 (twenty-one years ago)

― the surface noise (electricsound), Monday, 26 April 2004 07:59 (twenty-one years ago)

New Order
First two Mondays albums
Early James singles

― holojames (holojames), Monday, 26 April 2004 09:06 (twenty-one years ago)

New Order, obv.

No love here at all for Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark? Really?

A Certain Ratio, Crispy Ambulance, Distractions, ESG, Section 25 and Stockholm Monsters all enthusiastically seconded.

Errrr.... John Dowie anyone?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 26 April 2004 10:08 (twenty-one years ago)

No not John Dowie!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 26 April 2004 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Ike Yard

― Paul (scifisoul), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Got all those Stockholm Monsters reissues. They were the best band on Factory, full stop.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:22 (twenty-one years ago)

really? what do they sound like?

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 26 April 2004 13:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Well - I'm pretty sure it's Peter Hook on bass, at least on some of the songs. They had a sort of early-eighties "dance" but not-actual-in-the-club dance music feel sometimes, i.e. the songs are often toe-tapping & uptempo, head-nodding things. EXCEPT! There's also the very slow long aching ones. Trumpet was featured a lot of the time - sorta dubby trumpet sometimes (the opening notes of "Terror" off the Alma Mater album), keening aching trumpet other times. Lyrically they're incredibly sophisticated though not in the boring sense of the word: no real love songs, mostly songs about feeling alienated or impotently angry and helpless - when set against the upbeat tempos it's downright jarring. The singer's voice isn't really like anybody else's: medium pitch, sort of a strangled feel a lot of the time: sounds like he's singing out loud just so he can work things out for himself. The guitars are clean and twinkly 'til near the end of their career, at which point Hook's production started to favor a little more fuzz, as on the massive massive breaks-my-heart 12" called "How Corrupt Is Rough Trade?" which is a dub-into-indie-pop spectacular - sound snippets & stray v. deep bass notes take their sweet time coalescing into a very sad & mournful pop song.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 26 April 2004 13:31 (twenty-one years ago)

"mostly songs about feeling alienated or impotently angry and helpless"

someone needs to write a book on why this became so popular so suddenly when it did, and then disappeared

thx for the info j0hn!!

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 26 April 2004 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

someone needs to write a book on why this became so popular so suddenly when it did, and then disappeared

Cold War ended and we got happy. Then 9/11 happened and the feeling became familiar again, and all the reissues came out.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Miaow ("When It All Comes Down!!!") and ESG.

― mike a, Monday, 26 April 2004 14:17 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

Red Turns To...

― Duke Dubuque (Duke Dubuque), Monday, 23 January 2006 02:01 (nineteen years ago)

whats the best a certain ratio album to get first?

― jonathan - stl (jonathan - stl), Monday, 23 January 2006 03:14 (nineteen years ago)

Dead heat between Sextet or I'd Like To See You Again.

― telephone thing, Monday, 23 January 2006 03:19 (nineteen years ago)

Wrong. The answer is Force or Graveyard & Ballroom.

― Bimble brings a lawn chair to antartica so he can sit and drink silver coff (Bim, Monday, 23 January 2006 03:20 (nineteen years ago)

Piffle, my good man. I shall see you on the field of honour at dawn, and we shall have it out like men, with fisticuffs and grievous injuries.

― telephone thing, Monday, 23 January 2006 03:25 (nineteen years ago)

And then I'll have to call your mother a parrot and it will all get out of hand...

― Bimble brings a lawn chair to antartica so he can sit and drink silver coff (Bim, Monday, 23 January 2006 03:51 (nineteen years ago)

Force sounds like Kenny G smoked out on da chronic

― Duke Dubuque (Duke Dubuque), Monday, 23 January 2006 04:38 (nineteen years ago)

UNREST!

― Michael J McGonigal (mike mcgonigal), Monday, 23 January 2006 04:48 (nineteen years ago)

Either The Wake or The Durutti Column

― Christopher Costello (CGC), Monday, 23 January 2006 06:45 (nineteen years ago)

With ACR, I'd get them in order i.e Graveyard, To Each, Sextet, ILTSYA, Force..

― Dr.C (Dr.C), Monday, 23 January 2006 10:12 (nineteen years ago)

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