Vini Reilly’s first album, The Return Of The Durutti Column (1981), was more notorious for its sandpaper sleeve than the music contained therein. The sleeve was a Factory Records joke, designed to destroy neighbouring LPs.
Follow-up album LC released the same year and named for an Italian leftist slogan meaning “continuous struggle” was recorded by Reilly in just seven hours on a four-track machine bought from fellow North-western guitarist Bill Nelson.
Featuring sparing use of piano and beats by sympatico drummer Bruce Mitchell and a rhythm box, the album contained songs such as Jacqueline, Messidor and Ian Curtis tribute The Missing Boy which brought a meditative, melodic splendour that simultaneously encompassed the melancholy and life-affirming.
Dave Rowbotham was accidentally killed in January 1992.
Vini Reilly
Guitar
Dave Rowbotham
Guitar
Bruce Mitchell
Percussion
Tony Bowers
Bass
Phil Rainford
Vocals
Peter Crooks
Bass
Philip ‘Toby’ Tomanov
Drums
Bruce Mitchell
Percussion
Mervyn Fletcher
Saxophone
Chris Joyce
Drums
Tim Kellett
Trumpet
Maunagh Fleming
Cor Anglais
