SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DURUTTI COLUMN – THE RETURN OF THE DURUTTI COLUMN (45th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

THE DURUTTI COLUMN
THE RETURN OF THE DURUTTI COLUMN (45th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)
LONDON RECORDS

Durutti Column is really a musical project rather than a band, created by guitarist Vini Reilly. Quite frankly, no one but Reilly would think to name their debut album The Return of the Durutti Column, although in some ways the album and musical project did mark the return of the name. When the famous Factory Records, home of Joy Division and New Order, released The Return of the Durutti Column, it was clear that was no ordinary album or band. Produced by Martin Hannett who’s famous for producing Joy Division, John Cooper Clarke, and early Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, the band at this time consisted of Vini Reilly (guitar), Pete Crooks (bass guitar), and Toby Toman (drums).

From the sounds of birds created by synthesizers on “Sketch for Summer” on the opening track, the music pours out of your speakers. It is an engaging instrumental album with a number of surprises. Reilly is a gifted and talented guitarist, one of the best in the past 50 years, who uses his guitar in many different ways. Listen to his guitar on “Katharine.” He keeps you glued to the song, and he keeps the song moving without any repetition. It is a beautiful piece.

The new Anniversary edition features the album remastered, from the original tapes, and spread across two albums, which sounds fantastic. But it is the expanded CD that fans will want to also get their hands on. Along with a number of added songs, the singles were given away with the album, “First Aspect of the Same Thing” and “Second Aspect of the Same Thing.” There are also a number of new additions, and interestingly the new material is sequenced in with the album, rather than just being bonus tracks at the end of the CD.

Also included with the CD is a bonus CD with demos, home recordings, previously unreleased songs, and live recordings. The live material is of particular interest as songs like “Sketch for Summer,” which was recorded live at Leeds, sounds very close to the album but a bit rawer and some differences. But it does prove that Vini Reilly and band were quite brilliant live.

The Return of the Durutti Column – 45th Anniversary is a brilliant anniversary edition of an album that has never really gone away, but this new expanded version should be embraced by their fans and may even earn the band a few new ones. Factory Records were responsible for some of the most adventurous and experimental albums of the early 1980s. That time period saw bands who were influenced by the DIY nature of punk without sounding punk. Vini Reilly was always a very artistic and experimental artist. He never let the quality of music suffer due to experimentation and at the same time he was never afraid to go outside the box to achieve the sound he wanted. It is also hard to believe that The Return of the Durutti Column was his debut album that was not really part of any scene when it was released back in 1980. It was quite an achievement.

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