Durutti Column: classic or dud

this is pretty devastating and beautiful in parts

http://www.juliehamill.com/post/74722538816/fifteen-minutes-with-vini-reilly-guitarist-with

Loved that interview. Got my reissue of Return of from Factory Benelux this week. Gorgeous packaging.

I love the Durutti Column

I couldn't wait for reissues and bit the bullet - Japanese CDs of "Another Setting" and "Without Mercy" are on their way to me.

Liked that interview a lot, he's amazingly humble for a man who's made so many music fans happy

I bought all the Factory Too reissues and the 6 CD box thing so I'm done with buying CDs. What's the deal with the Japanese reissues? Vinyl replicas?

Fantastic, heart-tugging interview — though I have to admit I winced a bit when I saw this topic upped, thinking it was because Vini had passed.

Can't wait for that Chronicle album to get released.

quite sad. its weird, i wouldnt associate violence with the guy but it seems to be a big issue in his life.

I love Vini Reilly

Also I'm happy about the weird Viva Hate royalty dispute being settled once and for all

I must admit I came away from that interview with a vague feeling of ... I dunno ... it felt weird to hear him underplaying what he brought to Viva Hate.

He's right that Late Night Maudlin Street is the highlight though. It has the most 'Durutti' guitar sound of any of the tracks.

Not weird for me, seems more like this "humble genius" thing where highly skilled people underestimate their talents. Also having a stroke and reflecting your life/artistic legacy could have changed his self-assessment.

reflecting on*

Do you guys know about the extra/missing track on some versions of "Return" ?

I had trouble following a lot of that Soundcloud interview, even at full volume.
When he was saying "dont laugh at me", I wasnt sure if he meant someone in the audience or if it was about him feeling belittled by some people in general or something else.
Also wondering if him talking about seeing an old lady getting beaten up is about something he saw happen or comparing that to the situation of some depressed people.
I kept rewinding it and still couldnt really hear.

In that other interview he said that he doesnt get royalties from his albums. Did he mean that he actually doesnt at all or that they dont sell well enough for him to get much?

DDD ... I think what I meant was that the guitar on much of "Viva Hate" is undeniably Vini-esque ... and so it feels uncomfortable to read him crediting Street with the skills and dismissing his own previous claims as "displaced anger", when perhaps he was absolutely justified in feeling un(der)credited ... whilst not feeling surprised to read him denying he's anything special. Can understand why he would want peace with others, at this point though.

He said he'd not "Sold anything" for 4 years, so I guess it's that.

I daresay he'll get a good amount from the new "Return of" reissue

I'd hope so...but I don't know how much profit something like is going to make.

I was actually disappointed (truly disappointed) that the guitar wasn't more distinctively identifiable as Vini. Seems like he compromised his sound for the album. Where are you hearing Vini-esque playing?

If I didn't know it was Vini Reilly, I wouldn't have guessed it was him on any of the tracks.

djh, now I understand what you mean. Regarding that VH dispute: AFAIK Street composed some demos and, after getting a "Yes" from Morrissey he got Reilly to play guitar on the studio tracks. He wasn't impressed with them though (dismissing them as three-chord crap) and fleshed them out, which for him was considered composing the tracks.

There's this interesting documentary from the (early?) 00s with literally every Morrissey solo album producer, T. Wilson and V. Reilly talking about his career. Viva Hate is discussed right after 5 minutes - Reilly and Street give their side of the story, this weird "session musician/composer" discrepancy that lead to this conflict.

Relistening now to find clear examples. There's a bit in the background on Little Man, What Now.

("led", not "lead")*

Bengali actually has some distinctive Vini-esque playing too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utWlq0DtZ8c

The very end of "Margaret" has some distinctive Vini playing, but I agree that most of the album it's hard to tell it's him.

To be fair Viva Hate is technically not a Durutti Column album

oh, you may find this interesting...

http://www.juliehamill.com/post/74722538816/fifteen-minutes-with-vini-reilly-guitarist-with

Um, this link has been posted before and has in fact sparked the discussion we're having right now...

Anyway, if you want to know how Vini Reilly is recovering from his stroke these days, check out this interview:

http://www.juliehamill.com/post/74722538816/fifteen-minutes-with-vini-reilly-guitarist-with

Can never choose between Another Setting, LC or Circuses and Bread.

I think anyone that's heard the Vini Reilly album from 1989 (and the outtakes on the recent Kooky reissue) can clearly hear that it's Vini on Viva Hate.

Some comparisons:

The "noisier" tone on 'People's Pleasure Park' and the same tone on 'Alsatian Cousin'
The floaty playing on 'William B' and the same thing on 'Late Night Maudlin Street'
The rhythm tone on 'Red Square' and the same tone on 'Everyday is Like Sunday' and 'Break up the Family'
The nylon finger picking on 'They Work Every Day' and the same on 'Margaret on the Guillotine'

Just for a few examples.

I love LC and Circuses and Bread, but for me Another Setting is miles above all. I think it has the most sorta post-punky/joy divisiony moody pop songs, with a bunch of perfect little instrumentals rounding it out. Songs like Missing Boy or Tomorrow may be better than all the songs on Another Setting, but as a complete album, Another Setting is it for me.

Once Prayer starts I feel my whole body relax. It's a remarkable feeling and happens every time. It's not 'hairs on the back of my neck' but it's just as powerful a feeling.

Good god, Chronicle is heart wrenching.

I still haven't played my copy but i'm looking forward to it.

There's a video of Swing Out Sister covering The Perfect Kiss by New Order where they end by playing a Durutti Column guitar riff. Pretty sweet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMJrUvQdro0

from 2:42 on

nice

is it "for mimi"? that's lovely

'Jacqueline', originally from the second album, but played live for many years to follow.

I can't see this thread appear without a vague feeling of ... fear/sadness.

I think Swing Out Sister should record an album of DC covers. It will sell like HOTCAKES in Japan and make them all some money, Vini especially.

You may or may not be joking but I would preorder that today.

I'm not joking. I don't know anything about Swing Out Sister beyond Breakout and just read they're still "big in japan", and liked that New Order cover. I think the combination would be interesting and would certainly find an audience.

Weird. This just appeared in my Twitter feed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEGvzjmUs8Y

Odd to see V looking vaguely healthy.

Love that clip, have watched it many times previously.

Yeah, I love that one too. This revive prompted me to put on DC. Now made it through Obey the Time and started Vini Reilly. Hope to get through Circuses and Bread later tonight.

LTM finally reissued "Another Setting", get it if you don't have it!

3 copies of Another Setting already, but I'm likely to buy it again if it's on LP or the CD has different bonus track than the Factory Too reissue from the 90s

My favorite DC album by far. I have the original factory cassette, LP and Factory Too reissue. I think that reissue just has the original Amigos Em Portugal as the bonus tracks.