VOTD 8/25/2024

 A Certain Ratio: To Each... (Factory) 

Purchased used decades ago, I can't remember where

In my college radio days, I was playing a different A Certain Ratio record on the air, a 12" EP on Factory Records. Someone called in to tell me he was a Pitt student who had all of ACR's records. I suggested he come by the station. 

That person was Jason Gibbs. Yes, hello Jason. We became friends, and formed an improvisation group together with Chris Koenigsberg, Morphic Resonance. It was an exciting time. Jason and I also played together in the rock band Carsickness, and were also dismissed from that band around the same time.

History. 

I saw this just now LP and wondered how it held up. I loved the atmosphere of Joy Division, the signature band on Factory. An evocative singer who couldn't really sing, instruments draped in delay and reverb, primitivism.

ACR is first of all far funkier than JD. They are also steeped in atmosphere, but I think the sound-world is more involved. The singer plays trumpet, with the treble turned up in the production. He can't sing much better than Ian Curtis, but lacks the punch Ian had. It's the rhythm section here that dominates: funky bass, grooving drums, a haze of guitar/amp-based noise. 

"Forced Laugh" will always be one of my favorite songs for all these elements. Third song first side, it seems a bit buried in the flow of the record. To me it's clearly their best single song. 

The production sounds thin to current ears. In this respect it's dated.

My wife was listening to the top 20 on the radio today, just to find out what's going on and who will appear on Saturday Night Live the upcoming season. I don't like the sound of any of it. It's so thoroughly compressed, the vocals Autotuned and processed to the point of no life, and backing instrumentals lacking any distinction.

There's a female vocalist on the last track of side one. Who? No information is provided on the album except recording and graphics. The other ACR EP I have also lacks personnel information. Like Joy Division, they choose group identity over personal credit.

I wondered if I would remember the music on this album. In large part I do. I guess I'll take the dated sound of this over whatever's happening now.