The Durutti Column - A Night In New York (1987)

From the label's website:

“Divine, celestial music, perfect for walking along a deserted neon lit street.”-NME UK

The Durutti Column formed at the height of the punk explosion in the middle of 1978 in Manchester, England. They took their name from an anarchist brigade in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930’s. Quickly grabbed up by Factory Records UK for a series of records and national gigs, they were in reality antithetical to what was going on in punk at the time. They were essentially a lyrical ethereal romantic guitar driven band, likened by some to King Crimson. A Night in New York was originally released by ROIR as a cassette-only release in 1987. It has been one of the most requested titles from our catalog.

Note: the 1987 cassette was released with the title "Live at the Bottom Line New York" and was changed for this CD release. I wasn't listening to this in '87, but maybe the B from D was.

I had heard of the group plenty when reading about Factory stuff, but had never heard them until I picked up this CD from a used bin last year. The NME quote describes the music perfectly. I'm not hearing any post-punk, it's more post-prog/avant-garde with sequencers and drum machines. In any case, this is music that requires multiple listenings.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 12 tracks, 61 minutes. At this point, I'm liking Arpeggiator, Miss Haymes, For Mother, and Jacqueline. Vini Reilly's vocals aren't for me, so I'm tempted to skip the last three tracks here, but all the instrumental cuts (tracks 1-9) are hypnotic and fascinating and I'm mesmerized.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None