Blown Away

 

A Certain Ratio - Flight [FAC 22 UK 1980 24-Bit FLAC]

ACR are releasing a new album on Mute Records tomorrow, so I thought I would have a go at some new rips of a few of their old classic singles.

According to Discogs, there are four versions of this twelve inch single. All of them get their hipsides and flipsides in a muddle due to Factory's dithering and indecision. This is a new rip using penguinflight's copy which (according to Discogs) is the second Tracon pressing as it comes in a slightly thinner inner sleeve and is in near mint condition. My copy is the first Tracon pressing; I don't think I've ever come across the CBS pressing as described on Discogs and I am certainly baffled as to how CBS also chose to press on opaque vinyl. 

Enough waffling, I put myself firmly in the camp which proudly suggests that this single is Martin Hannetts's finest production work, except for Unknown Pleasures. His well documented practice of getting the band to record their bits and then banishing them from the studio, whilst he gets about with his  magic on the desk clearly worked, although it also annoyed the young musicians greatly. Imagine if To Each sounded this good?

A1 Flight
B1 Blown Away
B2 And Then Again