Factory Records
| December 13, 2007

Several years in the making, this book, by Matthew Robertson, is the first and definitive overview of the artwork of the seminal Manchester-based Factory label, covering its iconic record sleeves, posters, ephemera, venues and packaging.

During its heyday in the 80's, Factory Records worked with some of the most brilliant graphic artists around, including Peter Saville, Den Kelly, Mark Farrow, 8VO and Barbara Kruger. Their stylish design is almost as iconic as the era-defining bands (Joy Division, New Order, etc.) that are synonymous with the Manchester-based label. The upcoming new book, Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album, is the first to document the graphic legacy with every single piece of their graphic output, such as reproductions of flyers, rare record sleeves and posters organized according to the famous Factory catalogue system.

In the late 70s, the mysterious, topographical radio waves of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures appeared like a burst of energy in an empty void, signifying the arrival not only of one of the best bands this country has produced but also its finest independent record label, Factory. It’s not too strong to say that Peter Saville’s sleeves for Unknown Pleasures and New Order’s Blue Monday are up there with Peter Blake’s Sargeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Kraftwerk’s Autobahn and Vaughan Oliver’s 4AD covers. The design mostly matched up to the quality of the music.

Link:  Book Review here

Tags:  8vo, album covers, factory records, peter saville