Martin Hannett Interview
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MARTIN HANNEn produced all of these: some of it may not be people's exact in the last few years has probably Spiral Scratch - Buzzcocks; Cranked Up words. Treat this whole article vaguely. become one of the most adventurous Really High - Slaughter and the Dogs; Richard Boon, Buzzcocks manager and producers in this country. He's getting Innocents - John Cooper Clarke; Central New Hormones activist, said, "I've known the recognition he deserves; but it Detention Centre - Gyro; Jilted John - him for a few years during which time doesn't agree with me, what he's doing. Jilted John; Kinne! Tommy Ed he's got better at playing with knobs. The Jilted John LP is a credit to him, Banger; A Factory Sample - including He's as inventive as he can be within a working under a low budget, we had five Joy Division, Duretti Column; Electricity limited budget. He likes playing with toys days to record it and mix it, an incredi - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark; - the studio is a playground." Pete Shel ble feat. He's a very intriguing person, All Night Party - A Certain Ratio; ley of Buzzcocks said, "If he changed well beyond a lot of people's understand Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division; places with Tom Baker the world would ing. He's rather abstract, his whole lifes Transmission - Joy Division; Love Will be a better, safer place, although no-one tyle's abstract. He's a chemist, scientific. Tear Us Apart - Joy Division; Disguise would notice." He thinks scientifically, which gives his In Love - John Cooper Clarke; Earcom 2 I asked, was "Spiral Scratch" your first work an odd quality. He'll probably move - including Joy Division; Return of the production? to London soon, to better facilities. He Duretti Column - Duretti Column; The "No, the first thing I produced was a needs deck access credibility." Graveyard and The Ballroom - A Certain soundtrack for a science-fiction cartoon, Lawrence Beedle, also of Rabid and Ratio; Songs from under the Floorboards "All Sorts Of Heroes", in January 1976. now Absurd, said "He is not a living Magazine; Thank You The production on Spiral Scratch was thing. Martin's been dead for a month. Magazine; She's Lost Control (12in dis never finished. We ran out of money at He's a genius, but an expensive genius. comix) - Joy Division; The new John the rough mix stage. The whole EP was He should be working for Warner Bros. If Cooper Clarke LP; The new Magazine LP; mixed in one morning." Martin had produced the Pope's album it An LP of Early Live John Cooper Clarke What was the first record you pro would be double platinum." material; A Rabid compilation LP (includ duced? Chris Sievey, of hot Manchester combo ing previously unreleased material); "A Belt And Braces LP. This kid rang The Freshies, said, ''He's me dad. He's Magazine demos; Fast Cars demos; and me up and wanted to know where they really great. He can hear things differ some more besides. could make a record, cos they couldn't ently that other people don't hear at first. I talked to Martin Hannett at the end of hear the drums on the previous one. So But he costs a lot. It takes him days to a day in the studio with Joy Division, I said I'll produce it, and I promise that do it. As a producer, 10 out of 10." recording "Love Will Tear Us Apart", you'll hear the drums. It was a phone Did you produce every Rabid Record? "These Days", and "Sound Of Music". call just out of the blue. That was done "I'm the irritant in most of those This was in early January, in Oldham. By in May 1976." pearls." To be less vague, he didn't pro the time I talked to him, he had become Tosh Ryan, who, with Martin and duce the Nosebleeds or The Ova. Jilted mildly incoherent, and most of what fol others, started Rabid Records, and who John was remixed three times, the pro lows was scribbled down as notes, so now runs Absurd Records, said, "Martin duction of "Cranked Up Really High" was . 40 . •- • :ZIG ZAG MAY 1980 never finished, as the money ran out at done at weekends at Strawberry, it took myself to pop music for a year, £B3. The Invisible Girls with Martin on 256 hours to do half of it, the rest was while driving. (Pause) It was a pretty bass played on " Kinnel Tommy". done in four days at Ridge Farm, and good year just before "Unknown Pleas After a healthy outburst of less there's still some more bits to do yet, ures". printable Hannett-directed abuse, John like Pete Shelley's bits." • Is there one particular record you wish Cooper Clark punk rock poet, and Invis Are you happy with the present system you'd produced? ible Girls gOiJO guy, continued, "He's an of spreading music, i.e. tape, mic "Not really, cos I'd know where the authoritarian, in the Eric Von Stroheim rophones, studios, records, etc 7 mistakes where, it would spoil it. 1 sup tradition - the aural equivalent, with a "I'm still a great believer in forcing pose "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" dash of Cecil B. De Mille; He can stretch people to use their aural imagination. I {Righteous Brothers). That's a really weird to an Exodus or a Spartacus. Did I say think there's a small future for radio in record, the dynamics on it." Cecil B. De Mille? I meant Sheila B. this country for the next few years. Real What's the difference between music Devotion. He's a scientist, he has a very ly, it's just like a select radio station, and noise? scientific approach, to all problems. At this, isn't it?" "I don't think I know." Rabid Records he was one of the few He and Rob Gratton, Joy Division's Do you care? people I knew with a decent car. With an manager, both expressed disgust at dif "Not much. (Pause) Too stupid, see." ejector seat, power steering, power win ferent times during the afternoon at the Bob Last of Fast Product, who doesn't dows, power crazy." amount of airplay Factory-type product live in Manchester, said, "I'Ve always The Invisible Girls supply the music for gets. thought that he worked well with Joy the above poet, Martin plays bass with Is the producer too important these Division, but I'm not so keen on his work them and, with Steve Hopkins, does the days? with other people. There's something a music, as is apparent on "Disguise In "No, but in the best of all po11ible bit cosy about what he does. After a Love". worlds you wouldn't need them (pause). while I want to hear a bit more edge on "There's a lot of good ideas in there It's a tricky medium. Producing is an it. I'm not sure that I'm qualified to give which are half-baked. On this next one, enterprise which is a prime target for opinions on Martin Hannett. He knows the ideas are baked slightly more." automation (pause, then optimistically). what he's doing." You played bass on "Disguise In But some people will still have to write "Autosuggestion" {a Hannett-produced Love". programmes for the first generation. Joy Division piece on Fast Product's Ear "Yeah, I hadn't played bass for a cou Actually it might help some unscrupulous com 2) has a dub feel to it. What about ple of years. I used to think I was a people to get an even bigger hold on the dub? dedicated musician." He recalls how the thing. I'm looking forward to it. Y'see, I '1.ove it. I'Ve got copies of {Invisible) drummer left a group he was once in, have this problem. Am I hoping that Girls' backing tracks, just the backing and they went through a succession of there'll come a time when everyone has traclcs, which are quite interesting to lis drummers, one of whom wore ear-plugs. ace equipment for listening to digital ten to. They're a bit different from dub After this frustration he gave up playing recordings, or for that sort of society to cos they come in over the top, not in bass. go away? I worry about it." front of your nose like dub. It's micro "I hate my own playing. It's rubbish." Would you like to produce anything dub really, cos a lot of the things sneak What's your involvement with CBS and apart from rock music? in and out." John Cooper Clarke? {Pause) " No, I hate working." John Brierley, engineer at Cargo "It's a bizarre triangle. I'm John's man Do you call this work? Studios, Rochdale, where Martin's pro ager really. The deal was negotiated on "This gets me very preoccupied and duced quite a few records, said "I think the understanding I'd get in the studio distracts me from my main occupation he's a really good producer when it from time to time (pause). I don't like which is staring into space." comes to getting sounds from electronic giving information." Do you think The Music Scene is any means such as double-tracking, har . • . and Factory? better now than it was before 1976? monizers, flangers, synthesisers - adding "I'm a director of Factory." (Pause) electronics tracks on, which is particularly Tony Wilson, of Factory, said that as a Come on, pay attention.