Sold Date: May 15, 2016
Start Date: May 5, 2016
Final Price: $442.75 (USD)
Bid Count: 17
Seller Feedback: 477
Buyer Feedback: 12

A Factory Sample (FAC 2) - Joy Division, Cabaret Voltaire, Durutti Column - 5 Stickers

(Original Goldmine Ad, Receipt and Note from seller included with auction!)

Rare ORIGINAL 7-inch double sampler EP released in 1979 by Factory Records. It was the first vinyl recording to be released by the label (FAC 1 was a concert at The Factory). The cover of the EP is made of rice paper, dyed silver and sealed inside a thin plastic bag.  Only 5000 copies were pressed.

The following is quoted from the book Shadowplayers: The Rise and Fall of Factory Records by James Nice.  Based on this information, it is possible that Ian Curtis actually made the sleeve for this record.

Saville also liked the packaging idea, despite its origins in budget jazz fusion. "It was very clever. It provided a sort of do-it-yourself record sleeve manufacturing process. You could easily print the piece of paper within the context of everyday printing, slip it inside the polythene, fold it over a couple of times and heat-seal it." However, this was easier said than done, as Wilson soon discovered. "I thought putting a piece of silver paper into a plastic bag, flattening it, folding it, sealing it and cutting it - times 5,000 - would take a few weeks. lt took several people, including me and Lindsay, about four months, night after night, loads of us doing it."

The labour force included journalist Jon Savage, who moved from London to Manchester to work with Wilson at Granada early in 1979. "I recall sitting in Wilson's house in Charlesworth folding thousands of those things. It was such a tricky thing to do. There would be a folding party - everyone who attended would take 500 sheets of paper, 500 plastic bags and 500 singles." Other invitees included Joy Division. "We helped to make the sleeves and were paid fifty pence per hundred," says bassist Peter Hook. [...]

This is an outstanding ORIGINAL copy that comes complete with the sheet of 4 stickers (intact) and the ultra rare diamond-shaped FACTORY RECORDS 2 sticker with the “Use Hearing Protection” man (with his fingers in his ears).

I am not a professional record seller, so I am going to refrain from using the standard grading terminology and just describe what I see/hear.  This item, as well as the other Joy Division items I currently have listed, are from the collection of a hardcore audiophile and Joy Division collector who passed away in 2002.  Prior to this auction, these records had not been touched or played in 14+ years.

Both sides were tested on the following stereo equipment:

• Pioneer A-91D amplifier

• Rega Planar 2 turntable with Grado cartridge and stylus

• Definitive Technology BP-8 speakers.

Artists

Joy Division

Cabaret Voltaire

Durutti Column

John Dowie

Condition

Cover:  See photos for the condition of the cover.  The sleeve is paper sealed in plastic which has minor wear, creasing and surface marks (which is to be expected due to the material).

Vinyl:  The vinyl is in outstanding condition.  No visible marks, the discs look like they've hardly been played.  The playback was very clean with hardly any noise at all.  No warp and no skips.

Stickers:  See photos for the condition of the stickers.  The stickers are intact and in excellent condition.  They have sharp edges and are printed on "fasprint" paper.  None have been peeled and there are no tears or stains.

Identifiers

The vinyl edge around the label is serrated.

Matrix / Runout (Runout side A: FAC 2 - A1 EVERYTHING TB

Matrix / Runout (Runout side B: FAC 2 - B1 TB IS REPAIRABLE

Matrix / Runout (Runout side C: FAC 2 - C1 TB EVERYTHING

Matrix / Runout (Runout side D: FAC 2 - D2 TB IS BROKEN

Tracklist

A1 Joy Division - Digital

A2 Joy Division - Glass

B1 The Durutti Column - No Communication

B2 The Durutti Column - Thin Ice (detail)

C1 John Dowie - Acne

C2 John Dowie - Idiot

C3 John Dowie - Hitler's Liver

D1 Cabaret Voltaire - Baader-Meinhof

D2 Cabaret Voltaire - Sex In Secret

Please bid with confidence. I've been a trusted eBay member since Nov. 1998 with 100% positive feedback. Questions? Please contact me. 

Thanks for looking and happy bidding!