This rarely visited album, bought without a case or inserts, almost certainly in a sale of such things in Our Price, is subtitled Martin Hannett Productions 1978-1991 and contains all the usual suspects from Hannett's illustrious production career, as well as a few surprises.
There's no need to lavish praise on Joy Division's She's Lost Control and New Order's Ceremony, but I wasn't aware Hannatt had produced U2's early single 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, which sounds very thin compared to their early albums. Magazine's A Song From Under The Floorboards is an old friend, very welcome, as are Jilted John, and John Cooper Clarke's beautiful Beasley Street. Hidden in between them is the Happy Mondays' Wrote For Luck - I'm not a fan, but there a hypnotic feel to this.
But halfway through, things deteriorate (as did Hannett). There are limp offering from Kissing The Pink, The Names, ESG; punk thrashes from Basement 5 (grim) and Slaughter and the Dogs (Cranked Up Really High - an enjoyable Stooges-like number), and two disappointing offerings from Durutti Column (of whom I am a fan, so it's a strange choice).
There's a little bit of brightness towards the end, with World of Twist's cover of the Rolling Stones' She's A Rainbow, but the first half far outshines the second.
I'm feeling that I've got most of the great stuff elsewhere, so while there's a lot to like here, it's a compilation I don't need.
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3* - a mixed bag of the wonderful and the ordinary, like Hannett's career?
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