The world lost Tony Wilson la2 weeks ago. The eclectic promoter and Manchester icon got involved in promoting bands after attending an early Sex Pistols show in the mid 70's. He was a reporter for Granada Television in Manchester at the time, and the inspiration from this show lead him to presenting punk era musicians like the Sex Pistols on the Granada events programme "So It Goes."
During the same period he began promoting the Factory night at the Russel Club, and later started a record label by the same name. The Fledgling Factory Records did much more than simply signing and promoting some of the best new bands of the era. They established a distinct look and style for their releases, from singles to LP's to cassettes and even promotional campaigns, that incorporated all aspects of the presentation of the music into a larger alternative cultural context.
Factory rekindled the idea of a record label identity for itself and its artists, similar to what labels like Blue Note had done for Jazz artists in the past. Factory's innovative approach of music for music's sake inspired other independent labels like 4AD, Creation, Netwerk, ZTT, Cleopatra, Sub Pop, Dischord, and Teenbeat.
Amazingly, while running the label, promoting bands, and managing a nightclub, Wilson continued to host regular television broadcasts for Granada! During the 80's, Tony Wilson hosted a late night show that was one of the first of it's kind in the U.K. It ran very late Sunday nights and covered regional music, literature, and arts in general (and, not surprisingly, included a lot of New Order's music in its presentation). What was the name of the show?
Bonus Question: All of Factory Records' releases had a catalog number, including singles, albums, cassettes, and even things like stationary, posters, a lawsuit, the Hacienda Club, and the cat. FAC 2 was the first music release, a double 7" single that included songs by Joy Division, The Durutti Column, John Dowie, and Cabaret Voltaire. On the outer cover, there is the title ("A Factory Sample) the name of the artists, the catalog number, and a graphic with a slogan underneath (these things all appear on the bootleg versions that turned up later). The graphic in question was used on at least a few other Factory releases. On this particular release (FAC 2), what does the slogan underneath it say?
Labels: Music
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The answer to the Trivia Question (During the 80's, Tony Wilson hosted a late night show that was one of the first of it's kind in the U.K. It ran very late Sunday nights and covered regional music, literature, and arts in general. What was the name of the show?) was "The Other Side Of Midnight."
The answer to the Bonus Question (The graphic in question was used on at least a few other Factory releases. On this particular release (FAC 2), what does the slogan underneath it say?) was "Use Hearing Protection."
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