Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album
by Matthew Robertson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Matthew RobertsonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2006-11-30
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Book Reviews of Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album
Book Review: Sandpaper, Floppy Discs and Envelopes
Summary: 5 Stars
Factory Records began in the year 1978 with the unique idea that married both sound and vision. Bands such as Joy Division then later New Order, A Certain Ratio, Durutti Column, Section 25, and the Happy Mondays to name a few would receive a new brand of image treatment which could be called "non-image". There is a reason why New Order never made an album with a big photo of the band in goofy poses holding their instruments. The Factory Design idea was to give their artists a mystique which would allow artful images to decorate their cover thus moving the spotlight off the artists themselves and moving it onto the music.
FAC 001-521. The Factory Catalog Numbering System. Everything that was Factory Records had a FAC Number. This book for example is FAC 421. New Order's "Power Corruption and Lies" is FAC 75. The Factory nightclub The Hacienda is FAC 51. A lawsuit against Factory Records was FAC 61. Stationary, every project and object was assigned a Factory Number. Even label owner Tony Wilson received the treatment when he passed away in 2007. His coffin and funeral were assigned FAC 521. This System of Numbers is a manifesto of organization and clear thinking that would influence not just the sleeves but art itself.
My Favorite Sleeves: This book is beautiful unto itself! Slick, polished, uncluttered, and bright. Paragraphs give insight into cover art without being too verbose or occupying too much page room. Classic sleeve designs include the famous Durutti Column "The Return of..." which had a raw sandpaper sleeve so as to destroy other record album covers that sat with it in the bins! The simple non text die-cut floppy disc sleeve of the best selling 12" in history; New Order's "Blue Monday" which itself is a sacrifice to design since its sales didn't make up for the sleeve production! Section 25's "Always Now" which was packaged in a luxurious yellow envelope with purple marbling interior.
Factory created irony with its images too. Just take New Order's "Power, Corruption and Lies" with Henri Fantin-Latour's beautifully rich painting "A Basket of Roses" which contained a small block of colors which was in fact a color code for FAC Numbers designed by Peter Saville. The FAC sleeves look like classic art (Joy Division's "Closer"), they look like commercial products (New Order's "Run 2"), they look like homespun ("Happy Monday's "Yes Please"), they look like land surveying (Section 25's "From the Hip"), they look modern, they look elegant, in fact....
they look like nothing else on the shelves.
The designers such as Peter Saville, 8VO, Ben Kelly, Trevor Johnson, etc. gave Factory artists a unique form of communication with their audience. They used mixed media such as art paper, sandpaper, cardboard, and plastic. Many of the albums and singles within the book have no text whatsoever. A brave move for the music industry. Replacing band photos (and bravado) with simple clean elegant art and typography, these designers helped craft a new frontier of art that which the music inspires.
The Book 421 (Factory Records The Complete Graphic Album) isn't just for fans of the music. Take it as a textbook of graphic design. Take it as a thesis on minimalism. Take it as an example of modern art and form. If anything and like everything Factory designers made, it would look great on the coffee table!
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