Section 25 Always Now 5 LP Boxset Factory Records Near Mint Condition
£
90
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119
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Description
Section 25 Always Now 5 LP Boxset Factory Records Near Mint Condition
This sumptuous 5LP box set from Factory Benelux at first glance appears to be a Super Deluxe edition of their debut ‘Always Now’ but in fact comprises a whole load more – also in the box are the follow-up album ‘The Key of Dreams’, a collection of contemporary singles and b-sides, a live album and the impossible to find 1982 cassette-only release ‘Illuminous Illuminae’. These are all on coloured vinyl (of course) and you get a nice booklet of images and quotes. The sleeve artwork is gorgeous – some of Peter Saville’s best work was with these and everything looks suitably arty and intriguing.
‘Always Now’ suffered at the time somewhat for the misfortune of being recorded and released pretty much at the same time as PiL’s ‘Metal Box’ and having a track called ‘Dirty Disco’. Both bands, by chance. explore similar territory – insistent rhythms, thundering low-end bass and amorphous guitar parts. The most PiL like track here is the serrated, relentless ‘Knew Noise’. The record now stands quite clearly apart, and is rightly heralded as a post-punk classic and one of the best Factory Records.
‘The Key of Dreams’ was released quite soon after the debut. S25 were at heart, an improv band and the songs here are less ‘song based’ but in fact this record surpasses the debut and is quite astonishing. ‘Visitation’ is a magnificent slab of Krautrock, with quietly billowing guitar in the background. This sort of semi-improvised psychedelic weirdness would have been very unfashionable in 1982 but sounds magnificent now. ‘Regions’ adds tinkling piano and almost jazzy, bucolic sax to a languid dub bass. ‘Once Before’ predates post-rock bands like Bark Psychosis and Disco Inferno. The startling, tribal ‘There was a Time’ beats This Heat at their own game. The 15 minute, synth drone led ‘Sutra’ closes out the album in mesmerising style
The singles disc gathers together several non-album singles from 1980 and 1981. Here you’re more in the expected post punk territory, the stand out tracks here being the scything ‘Girls Don’t Count’ (produced by Ian Curtis and Joy Division manager Rob Gretton) and ‘Charnel Ground’ which is stunning. What is striking is you can imagine an alternative universe where Ian Curtis grew up in Blackpool and this was his band- a lot of the music here is on a par with Joy Division at their most visceral.
The live album captures the band live in the Netherlands in 1980 in front of a typically modest sized crowd.
‘Illuminous Illuminae’ comprises tracks from an obscure self-released cassette so this is a looser, more trippy companion to ‘Key of Dreams
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