LC [FBN 10 CD]

Factory Benelux \ The Durutti Column \ LC [FBN 10 CD]

Factory Benelux presents an expanded double disc edition of LC, the second studio set by The Durutti Column, originally issued by Factory in 1981 and ranked among Vini Reilly's finest albums.

After recording debut album The Return of the Durutti Column with producer Martin Hannett in 1979, virtuoso guitarist Vini Reilly purchased a TEAC four-track recorder from Bill Nelson and set about producing his own material. "I recorded from about two in the morning till dawn. LC wrote itself. I then took it to a studio, Bruce added drums, and I did some piano."

These atmospheric, highly evocative pieces were perfected by Reilly at Graveyard Studios with co-producer Stuart Pickering, with additional drums and percussion from Bruce Mitchell, who has partnered Reilly ever since. Originally released by Factory in November 1981, LC is a key album in a body of work described by David Stubbs of Uncut magazine as "unique in rock, with Reilly's scampering, watercolour guitar style building a tentative bridge between post-punk and the chamber sketches of Debussy and Ravel."

On this expanded Factory Benelux edition the original ten tracks are supplemented by no less than 23 bonus cuts, including rare Sordide Sentimental single Danny/Enigma, 12" EP Deux Triangles, and the three tracks Reilly contributed to A Factory Quartet in 1980, his last recordings with Hannett and featuring Donald Johnson of A Certain Ratio on drums. The remastered double disc set also includes a clutch of scare Crepuscule compilation album tracks, and demo versions of LC tracks, including a full length version of Detail for Paul.

Full tracklist:

Disc 1

1. Sketch for Dawn (1)
2. Portrait for Frazier
3. Jaqueline
4. Messidor
5. Sketch for Dawn (2)
6. Never Known
7. The Act Committed
8. Detail for Paul
9. The Missing Boy
10. The Sweet Cheat Gone
11. Danny
12. Enigma
13. For Mimi
14. For Belgian Friends
15. Self-Portrait
16. Favourite Painting
17. Zinni

Disc 2

1. Mavuchka
2. Experiment in Fifth
3. Portrait for Paul
4. The Act Committed
5. Portrait for Frazier
6. Never Known
7. Untitled LC Demo
8. For Patti
9. Weakness and Fever
10. The Eye and the Hand
11. Party
12. One Christmas for Your Thoughts
13. Homage to Martinů
14. Sleep Will Come
15. Piece for an Ideal
16. Piece of Out of Tune Grand Piano

Mailorder copies are delivered in a special Factory Benelux slipcase.

Reviews:

"Signature songs such as Jacqueline, Messidor and Ian Curtis tribute The Missing Boy bring a meditative, melodic splendour that simultaneously encompasses the melancholy and life-affirming. 23 bonus tracks add contemporary singles, alternative versions, demos and beyond, extending LC's languid, reality-dissolving mood yet more. More proof that Reilly, the post-punk Django Reinhardt, really should be more appreciated. 4 stars" (Q Magazine, 03/2013)

"Like finding the lost sketchbook of a master colourist. Four stars" (Mojo, 04/2013)

"This sophomore effort confirmed Reilly's unique musical genius" (Record Collector, 03/2013)

"A set of evocative, carefully played and performed excursions on electric guitar. As great as Return Of... is, this is perhaps even better, signaling a full flowering of Reilly's talents throughout" (All Music Guide)

"The album itself is a stunner, but the bonus material makes this a must-own and one of the best places to start your Durutti Column journey" (Discussion magazine, 01/2013)

"Classical-leaning pastoralism, presented with care" (The Arts Desk, 02/2013)

"Long unavailable in its original form, yet revered by musicians, LC's reappearance is fitting" (The Big Issue, 03/2013)

"Notable also because it marked the Durutti debut of ex-Alberto Y Los Trios drummer Bruce Mitchell, who has retained the drum seat ever since, himself building a cult reputation as a percussionist capable of allowing Reilly space to meander - no easy feat. As such, LC might be said to be the first true Durutti Column album; the instigation of a famous, often thrilling and undoubtedly unique dynamic" (The Quietus, 04/2013)