The Durutti Column Vinyl Issue Series - Idiot Savants, Someone Else's Party, Keep Breathing, Rebellion, Love in the Time of Recession - coloured vinyl reissues
Interest in The Durutti Column's sprawling back catalogue has been revived for some years, courtesy of Factory Benelux and Les Disques du Crepuscule, augmented by the occasional new set issued by Kooky. Indie behemoth Demon has now stepped up to the scratch-plate with a fistful of long-forgotten albums that were previously issued as CDs on the Artful/Fullfill imprints over a ten-year period.
It wouldn't be fair to dismiss Reilly's later post-Factory period but there were certainly a few albums that fell short of the usual consistent standard, a couple of which get the coveted first-time-on-vinyl treatment here, as well as two of his best recent studio sets.
So let's begin with the strangeness that is Rebellion. Let's talk about Rebellion. One can't deny its variety in styles. The gorgeous swirling psychedelic opener 4 Sophia is one of Reilly's great album openers, Meschugana and Ceh Cak Af En Yam are robust Mitchell and Reilly drum-n-guitar jams and the folksy cover of The Fields of Athenry features some impressive vocals by one Vick A. Wood. There's even some Q-Tip style wordsmithery on Overlord Part One and trademark Reilly vocalising on Falling and Longsight Romance. Ultimately though, the album sounds like a collection of reasonable studio experiments rather than your usual consistent journey. (6/10)
Reilly and co were right back on it for 2003's Someone Else's Party, a lengthy set that utilises sampled voices, thumping rhythms and some pin-sharp musicianship from Reilly and little else in the way of human intervention. But it doesn't repeat the insistent electronica of say Obey The Time or Fidelity - instead Vini has opted for a very organic and human feel for what is a thoroughly engaging album. The likes of Vigil, Somewhere and Love Is Friend are trusty highpoints while the Mulholland Drive-referencing Spanish Lament and personal Requiem For My Mother continue the sorrowful theme of the set. For sheer emotional power though, head to the Herculean No More Hurt and the closing trio of tracks, Drinking Time (originally on Time Was Gigantic), Woman (a bizarre mix of bhangra and po' boy blues) and the beautiful introspective Goodbye (a further hommage to Vini's mum). (8/10)
Things improve even further with the highly likeable (and not dissimilar) Keep Breathing. Issued some three years after SEP, the DC sound continued to evolve with perhaps his most cohesive long-played of the Artful era. Once again there's no Bruce Mitchell on drums, although the generated rhythms are less intrusive than those on its predecessor and Reilly's superb fretwork comes to the fore during the first five songs, including the cover of She Walks Through the Fair (titled as Maggie) and the rather epic Helen, as well as the acoustic workouts Lunch and Neil. Somewhere on every Durutti Column album, there's a show-stopper and Gun is such a track. The lyric tells a thousand stories and the music is sublime. (8.5/10)
RSD 2020 saw the issue of 2007's somewhat morose Idiot Savants, an album of lengthy vocalised jams and the welcome return of Bruce Mitchell on drums. The mood of the album is introspection and, lyrically, personal crisis and self-discovery - musically intriguing but hard work nonetheless. Still, Interleukin 2 is terrific with its mix of sampled voices and subtle drums, opener Better Must Come doesn't disappoint on the riffs front and No Last Surprise is the equal of many Reilly songs. As with Rebellion though, it doesn't quite flow like an album. (6/10)
2009's Love in the Time of Recession rounds off this reissue programme and comes across as something of a likeable mixed bag. Opener In Memory of Anthony is something of a thunderous powerhouse of drums and guitars, opening the gateway to all manner of styles throughout the following hour or so. For Bruce is simply tear-jerkingly wonderful and I'll fight you for it, I'm Alive is as positive and enlightening as Reilly gets on this album and the closing pair of Loser and Lock-down carry the album beyond the realms of average. It's a single album inside a double album's body all day long (6.5/10)
Props to Demon for putting these often-ignored albums out (lovely coloured vinyl to boot) - a Durutti Column reissue is always welcome, even the less essential ones but some sleevenotes would have been an essential must-have. Now it's over to you, Kooky!