Martin Hannett, Steve Hopkins - The Invisible Girls

Release date: 10/22/2021

180gm LP+ DVD
CD

LP+DVD description:

Factory Benelux presents a 180gm vinyl edition of The Invisible Girls, a collection of rare lost studio recordings by legendary new wave production duo Martin Hannett and Steve Hopkins (aka The Invisible Girls).

Martin ‘Zero’ Hannett is the legendary Manchester producer famous for his work with Joy Division, Buzzcocks, New Order, Magazine and Happy Mondays. Steve Hopkins was his musical partner in The Invisible Girls, a floating studio collective which shaped epochal records by John Cooper Clarke, Pauline Murray, Nico and several others.

The first five tracks on the album are a selection of previously unreleased demos (‘moods’) recorded at the famous Strawberry Studios between 1980 and 1987. “These were the beginnings of Martin’s Invisible Girls world domination plan,” ace arranger Hopkins explains. “The idea was to assemble a roster of key instrumental players, produce tracks to be fronted by different singers/stars - and get some hits!”

Also included are 3 Hannett solo pieces recorded in 1978 and 1979, with the deluxe package rounded off by a DVD featuring a remarkable 13 minute trio improvisation by Hannett, Hopkins and Vini Reilly of The Durutti Column, recorded for television in January 1980.

The album has been newly remastered by Peter Beckmann at TechnologyWorks and is pressed on 180gsm black vinyl. The outer sleeve is printed in black with a silver pantone. The inner bag includes detailed liner notes by Steve Hopkins, as well as archive TIG and Strawberry images.

Praise for FBN 65: ‘This store room grab conjures Manchester’s scarred wastelands, jazz-funky library music and ambient disquiet. Blade Runner via the Arndale Centre. A strange wayward collection, just like the thought processes of Hannett’s brain’ (Mojo) ‘Lovingly annotated, these effortlessly melodic backdrops offer a glimpse into what could have been as a post-punk one-stop-shop Chic’ (Q); ‘Captivating’ (Classic Pop); ‘The Nelson Riddle of narcotic rock’ (The Wire)

Vinyl tracklist:

A1. Scandinavian Wastes
A2. Huddersfield Wastes  
A3. Toy of a Toy
A4. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah   

CD description:

The Invisible Girls is a collection of rare and unreleased recordings by legendary production duo Martin Hannett and Steve Hopkins (aka The Invisible Girls), most of them never before heard.

Martin 'Zero' Hannett is the legendary Manchester producer famous for his work with Joy Division, Buzzcocks, New Order, Magazine and Happy Mondays. Steve Hopkins was his musical partner in The Invisible Girls, the floating studio collective that shaped epochal records by John Cooper Clarke, Pauline Murray, Nico and several others.

The first five tracks on the album are a selection of previously unreleased 'Moods' recorded at the famous Strawberry Studios between 1980 and 1987. "These were the beginnings of Martin's Invisible Girls world domination plan," Hopkins explains. "The idea was to assemble a roster of key instrumental players, produce tracks to be fronted by different singers/stars - and get some hits!"

Other tracks include rare solo tracks by Hannett, collaborations with Section 25, Pauline Murray, Nico and Crispy Ambulance, as well as the complete soundtrack to All Sorts of Heroes, a short animated film from 1976 scored by Hannett and Hopkins. The 74 minute album features detailed liner notes by Steve Hopkins and others, as well as archive TIG and Strawberry images.

1. Scandinavian Wastes, 2. Huddersfield Wastes, 3. Toy of a Toy, 4. Time Is Slipping, 5. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, 6. Procession, 7. Concorde Drone, 8. Collective Project, 9. First Aspect of the Same Thing, 10. The Music Room, 11. Second Aspect of the Same Thing, 12. Space Music, 13. Three Short Pieces for Trio, 14. All Sorts of Heroes Pt 1, 15. All Sorts of Heroes Pt 2, 16. All Sorts of Heroes Pt 3, 17. All Sorts of Heroes Pt 4, 18. All Sorts of Heroes Pt 5, 19. All Sorts of Heroes Pt 6, 20. All Sorts of Heroes Pt 7, 21. All Sorts of Heroes Pt 8, 22. All Sorts of Heroes Pt 9