The Durutti Column
L C

It is the late 1970s when this band with the strange name, actually with strong political connotations (the Durutti Columns are a reference to the Zapatista movement, I am told), makes its appearance on the international scene, led entirely by the English composer Viny Reilly from Manchester, so much so that one cannot really speak of a real group, as our only member occasionally employs equally well-known and capable collaborators.

The international scene at the debut is that of punk rock, with the slow decline of glam and progressive, to be clear when electronic and groups like Devo or Depeche Mode on one side and new wave and dark wave on the other begin to assert themselves. Reilly's choice to make avant-garde experimental/ambiental music, (distinguishing himself from the genre of Brian Eno and Harold Budd), denotes character and passion, the same that permeates every groove of his albums from the debut, and much, much romance.

The first album will prophetically and ironically be titled “The return of the D.C.” and will say much about future production which in my opinion reaches its peak with LC in 1981: the structure is always the same, these are single episodes of melodic music for guitar and effects, sometimes with folkloristic connotations, other times merely a tribute to the new wave, but always revisited with a personal perspective and full of sweetness. Sonic carpets where the guitar, wisely accompanied by the piano, stands out as an excellent instrument above all. The use of percussion is also characteristic of the Durutti's music, alongside orchestral instruments, never overpowering voices, or electronic drums, almost as if they were solitary studies on 4 tracks in small rooms, all always led by guitars with a crystalline and perfect sound.

For years it was very difficult to find material from the group, despite the introverted Reilly having published until 2003; there is also a live recording that has now become collectible and a long-distant memory of a wonderful concert in 1984 in Longiano. Recently the Factory reissued LC with unreleased material, valuable but not unmissable if compared to the rest of the cd; among them, the splendid, rarefied PORTRAIT FOR FRAZIER, NEVER KNOWN, and THE SWEET CHEAT GONE shine. Curious is THE MISSING BOY, almost at the cd's end, where Reilly’s drum-machine and voice play with the new wave.

A record for the nostalgic? No, I’d say a group for the nostalgic…