The Return of the Durutti Column

Background

The initial two thousand copies also included a flexi-disc single with two tracks by producer Martin Hannett: "First Aspect of the Same Thing" and "Second Aspect of the Same Thing".

The original 3600 LP sleeves were notably made of coarse sandpaper, designed to scratch LPs which were placed on either side of it. The sleeves were assembled by members of the bands and label-mates Joy Division and A Certain Ratio. A regular printed sleeve for later copies was designed by Steve Horsfall. Some later pressings featured a sixth (untitled) track on side two.

"Sketch for Summer"/"Sketch for Winter" was released as a single (Gap Records SFA-491) in Australia, with a sleeve by Andrew Penhallow of Gap.

In 2013 a modified version was issued as a vinyl album by Factory Benelux (FBN-114) with a single sheet of glasspaper tipped to the inner sleeve, visible through a die-cut in the front cover. The die-cut took the form of the original Factory logo designed by Peter Saville. On this edition the Hannett tracks were included on a bonus 7-inch single on hard vinyl.

Track listing

All written by Vini Reilly.

1. "Sketch for Summer"
2. "Requiem for a Father"
3. "Katharine"
4. "Conduct"

1. "Beginning"
2. "Jazz"
3. "Sketch for Winter"
4. "Collette"
5. "In 'D'"

1. "First Aspect of the Same Thing"
2. "Second Aspect of the Same Thing"

Critical reception

AllMusic called the album a "quietly stunning debut, as influential down the road as his labelmates in Joy Division's effort with Unknown Pleasures."

Personnel