When I got this through the post I was like a kid when his best wish had come true, over sixty songs in one boxed set of the best of The Factory release's from an especially vibrant time in British music. When Manchester created its own sound much like Liverpool had created it's own sound in the sixties.

Manchester grew its sound from the club scene and not to hark to much on it.. the smiley face of Acid and later Ecstasy, and in some sense the music coming out of the Factory mirrored what people wanted to hear when blotted. Simple melodies mixed with lyrics that meant something to identify with. Well this set of truly outstanding music from one of the most influential Indi labels HAS to be added to your collection, not only for the history, the memories but for some absolutely great music.

The label covered the post punk rock sound of Joy Division through to X-O-Dus and their dub reggae sound not to forget the Happy Mondays and OMD, There are so many bands on this collection that I couldn't remember by name, but when played the sounds and memories just came flooding back, many of the bands or artists went on to be signed by the major labels and had commercial success.

News on the release

Factory Records Bio / History

Below is the List of recordings to be found on the four disc box set!

Disc One:
1. Joy Division/Digital
2. Cabaret Voftaire / Baader Meinhof
3. A Certain Ratio / All Night Party
4. OMD / Electricity (Original version)
5. Joy Division / She’s Lost Control
6. The Distractions I Time Goes By So Slow
7. Joy Division / Transmission
8. The Durutti Column / Sketch For Summer
9. X-O-Dus / English Black Boys
10. Joy Division / Love Will Tear Us Apart
11. A Certain Ratio! Shack Up
12. Section 25! Girls Don’t Count
13. Crawling Chaos! Sex Machine
14. A Certain Ratio! Flight
15. The Names! Night Shift
16. New Order! Ceremony (Original version)
17. Minny Pops! Dolphin’s Spurt
18. John Dowie / It’s Hard To Be An Egg
19. Crispy Ambulance ! Deaf
20. Section 25! Dirty Disco

Disc Two:
1. New Order I Everything’s Gone Green
2. Tunnel Vision I Watching The Hydroplanes
3. The Durutti Column I Messidor
4. A Certain Ratio I Knife Slits Water (LP
version)
5. Royal Family and the Poor! Art on 45
6. Swamp Children I Taste What’s Rhythm
7. New Order! Temptation
8. 52nd Street / Cool As Ice
9. New Order! Blue Monday
10. Cabaret Voltaire! Yashar (John Robie Remix)
11. Quando Quango I Love Tempo
12. The Wake! Talk About The Past


Disc Three:
1. New Order! Confusion
2. Marcel King! Reach For Love
3. Section 25! Looking from A Hilltop
(Restructure)
4. Stockholm Monsters I All At Once
5. Life I Tell Me
6. Durutti Column I A Little Mercy (Duet)
7. JameslHymnFromA Village
8. Kalima I Trickery
9. A Certain Ratio! Sounds Like Something Dirty
10. Quando Quango! Genius
11. Happy Mondays I Freaky Dancin’
12. Miaow! When It All Comes Down
13. The Railway Children! Brighter
14. Biting Tongues! Compressor
15. New Order! True Faith
16. Happy Mondays! 24 Hour PartyPeople




Disc Four:
1. New Order I Fine Time
2. Happy Mondays / WF.L. (Think About the Future)
3. Revenge I Seven Reasons
4. Happy Mondays I Hallelujah (Club Mix)
5. Electronic! Getting Away With It 1
6. Happy Mondays! Step On
7. Northside I Shall We Take A Trip
8. England New Order / World In Motion
9. Happy Mondays I Kinky Afro
10. The Durutti Column / Home
11. Electronic! Get The Message (DNA remix)
12. Northside! Take 5
13. Cath Carroll! Moves Like You (Remix)
14. The Other Two! Tasty Fish (12” mix)7.
15. Happy Mondays / Sunshine and Love 8.
(Lionrock Remix)