Martin Hannett - Maverick Producer, Genius and Musician

  by Jon Rogers

published: 12 / 11 / 2011

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Review

The role of a producer is rather overlooked in rock 'n' roll. In simple terms it is the artist that is cherished as the creative force write and executing their songs with the producer usually doing little more than pressing the record button and getting everything recorded as well as it can be. They are seen merely as part of the blueprint for the recording, subordinate to the artist and product. Quite often though listen to a band's demos and then compare that to the finished, polished release and it quickly becomes obvious that the producer, can (and often does) add their own artistic input - even if it is just doing a better arrangement - into the mix. Some producers go much further though and incorporate their own particular musical vision into a group's sounds. Just how different would the likes of the Ronettes, the Righteous Brothers or the Crystals be without the visionary "Wall of Sound" production work of Phil Spector? It is rather stretching things a bit too far to put the work of Hannett, effectively the in-house producer of Manchester-based indie label Factory Records, in the same bracket at Spector, but but one listen to the early demos of Joy Division and then compare that with the likes of their debut 'Unknown Pleasures' and Hannett's essential shaping of the band's sound is obvious. Admittedly in the post-punk atmosphere of the late 1970s Joy Division were growing at a rapid rate but Hannett helped turn the quartet into something special and unique rather than just another outfit who had been inspired to pick up an instrument in the wake of the likes of the Sex Pistols. Clearly Hannett warrants the term 'acclaimed' and his role call of bands he worked with and helped shape is impressive: Joy Division/New Order, Buzzcocks, Magazine, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays... And the list goes on but it would seem using the word 'genius' would be a step too far. Spector would rightly deserve the term 'genius' but Hannett? Really? This is, after all, the man who wasted his talent on heroin and alcohol and was, for all intents and purposes, pushed out as a director of Factory Records because he was a liability which led to acrimony and court cases between Hannett and other Factory director Tony Wilson and Rob Gretton. This two-disc compilation does a great service in filling out Hannett's career before he started twiddling the knobs on the sound desk for the Factory bands and gathered up here are some of Hannett's early attempts at producing as well as some of his musical experiments as well as a Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook talking about their producer. The thing is absolutely everything gathered up here is completely inessential and really not worth the bother it really should have been left gathering dust on the shelf. If you're going to dub someone a genius you'd better have the evidence to back it up with. There's nothing here that even warrants the label talented, let alone anything more.

Track Listing:-

1 Martin and JCC - Quick Verbal Quip
2 Office In A Bottle - Martin On Vocals
3 Martin On Synths, Metronome ETC
4 Martin On Syndrums
5 Martin On Synths, Keyboards ETC (Track A)
6 Bernard Sumner Talks About Martin
7 Martin On Synths, Keyboards ETC (Track B)
8 Martin - Strange Piano Mix
9 Martin On Synths, Keyboards ETC (Track C)
10 Martin Plays Bass
11 Chrysler - Belt And Braces
12 Benavila - Belt And Braces
13 Joe Smith - Belt And Braces
14 Derry - Belt And Braces
15 Trouble In A Major - Pete Farrow
16 Hold On - Pete Farrow
17 Sailaway - Pete Farrow
18 Maybe He'll Make You Smile - Pete Farrow
19 Old Man's Song - Pete Farrow
20 Hooky Talks About Martin
21 Manchester Boys - George Borowski
22 Who Is Innocent - George Borowski
23 Dangerous City - George Borowski
24 Giant - Belt And Braces
25 Questions - Belt And Braces
26 Grapes - Belt And Braces
27 Money - Belt And Braces
28 Banks Of The Dee - Belt And Braces
29 Chains - Belt And Braces

Band Links:-

http://www.martinhannett.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Martin-Hannet

Label Links:-

http://www.tractor-ozit.com/