Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album
By Matthew Robertson
Chronicle Books, 224 pages, 2006
A few weeks back I wrote about Designed by Peter Saville. It had been a while since I’d pulled that book off my shelves to revisit its pages. Since then, there’s been of a vinyl revival going on here at home, with much of the record covers strewn around our living room having been designed by Saville for Factory Records in the 1980s.
While Saville was certainly the legendary record label’s main man when it came to creating their distinct and memorable covers, they did draw from a stable of other talented artists. Most may not have achieved Saville’s name recognition, but their work? You’d know it to see it.
It seemed logical that my personal Saville record-art retrospective here in the living room should expand, perhaps broadening into more of a Factory Records retrospective and for that to work, I was going to have to pull out my copy of Matthew Robertson’s Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album and re-read that one, too.
It only takes a few pages and I quickly remember why I was so excited when this book was originally published in 2006. It has everything I love in a good coffee table book: it’s oversize, thick, chock full of colour pictures, and just enough analysis and history to provide context without overwhelming its visually-oriented goodness.
And there is all is — my ’80s dream record collection laid out pretty and looking as fresh as ever. For me, the function of the book proves two-fold: it reminds me that Peter Saville wasn’t responsible for simply everything design at Factory Records, and reminds me that my vinyl collection is far from complete — some of those early Happy Mondays’ records are calling my name.
