A Certain Ratio

A Certain Ratio are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 in Wythenshawe, Manchester. While originally part of the punk rock movement, they soon added funk and dance elements to their sound. Their name is taken from the lyrics of Brian Eno's song 'The True Wheel' from the 1974 album 'Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)'. The group's longest-serving original members are Martin Moscrop (born 24 September 1960) (guitar, trumpet) and Jez Kerr (bass, vocals). Another current member, Donald Johnson (drums, vocals, bass), joined after the first drummerless single.
A Certain Ratio's first recording contract was with Factory Records in 1979. They released 'The Graveyard and the Ballroom' only on cassette in 1980. Another experimental album, 'To Each...', released in 1981, was the band's official debut LP. With growing popularity and success, the band signed with A&M Records in 1987, and 'Good Together' was released in 1989. The album failed to produce a hit, leading to the band's departure from the label. In the early 1990s, they signed with Robs Records, owned by New Order manager Rob Gretton.
A Certain Ratio were managed by Tony Wilson. They are featured in the film '24 Hour Party People' where Wilson (played by Steve Coogan) describes them as "having all the energy of Joy Division but better clothes." Martin Moscrop was Musical Supervisor of '24 Hour Party People'.
(Read more at Wikipedia.)
== Links to Peel ==
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Peel gave regular airtime to A Certain Ratio during the 1980s, particularly early in the decade, after acquiring their debut single, 'All Night Party', on a trip to Manchester for a TV interview in May 1979. The release (FAC-5) was the first single put out by the city's Factory label, which was headed by TV presenter Tony Wilson and subsequently became home to many other Peel sessions bands. ACR recorded three sessions for Peel, all in the period 1979-82. The DJ also played the band's one-off 1981 dub release under the name Sir Horatio.
A Certain Ratio were influential with others on Peel's playlists as one the first to add elements from dance music to post-punk indie. In September 2014, Bella Union label head and former Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde included the band's 2x12” release 'The Double' (1981) in his selection of 1980s favourites from Peel's Record Collection for the Record Box series. In the accompanying video, he commented:
“The sound is so big and crispy, the bass is so deep. It's a sound that we hadn't really heard before … it's like dance music but not.”
== Festive Fifty Entries ==
*None
== Sessions ==
Three sessions. Official releases:
- 'Do The Du' from #1 on Various Artists: Manchester- So Much to Answer For CD, 1990 (Strange Fruit, SFRCD 202)
- All of #1 and 'Skipscada' from #2 on Early 2xCD, 2002 (Soul Jazz SJR CD60)
- 'Do The Du' from #1 and 'Skipscada' from #2 on Do The Du 7", 2002 (Soul Jazz SJR 060-07}
- All of #1 and 'Skipscada' from #2 on B-Sides, Rarities And Sessions 2x10", 2002 (Soul Jazz SJR 065-10)
- All of #2 and #3 on Sextet 2xCD expanded reisssue, 2014 (Factory Benelux FBN CD)
- 'Piu Lento' from #3 on ACR:BOX, 40th anniversary boxset, 2019 (Mute ACRBOX1CD).
1. Recorded 1979-10-01. First broadcast 17 October 1979.
*Do The Du (Casse) / All Night Party / Flight / The Choir
2. Recorded 1981-06-29. First broadcast 02 July 1981. Repeated 05 August 1981, 03 November 1981.
*Knife Slits Water / Day One / Skipscada
3. Recorded: 1982-11-20. First broadcast 01 December 1982. Repeated 05 January 1983.
*Who's To Say? / Piu Lento / Touch
== Live ==
*19 April 1980: In Concert show also featuring Undertones, introduced by Peel. Recorded 1980-04-03.
# Intro by John Peel / And Then Again
# Crippled Child
# The Choir
# The Fox
# Flight
# John Peel thank you and farewell
== Other Shows Played ==
;1979
*30 May 1979: All Night Party (7") Factory FAC (Peel had been in Manchester during the day to be interviewed for a regional television programme and picked up a copy of the 7" by A Certain Ratio. Peel observes that the single "has no information at all on the label, just a picture of a chap who looks like Paul Gambaccini lying on the floor. Not that I've ever seen Paul Gambaccini lying on a floor, but you take my meaning.")
*05 June 1979: All Night Party (7") Factory FAC 5
*09 June 1979 (BFBS): All Night Party (7") Factory FAC 5
*18 July 1979: All Night Party (7") Factory FAC 5
*12 September 1979: All Night Party (7") Factory FAC 5 (JP played the wrong side of an earlier track, which messes up the show timings, and had been going to drop the A Certain Ratio song, but it was reprieved by “my inability to read a watch.")
;1980
*12 February 1980: I Feel (Cassette - The Graveyard and the Ballroom) Factory
*03 April 1980: (Peel reveals that the previous night's show had been pre-recorded, as he was present at a gig featuring the Undertones and A Certain Ratio that was being recorded for Radio One's In Concert series.)
*04 August 1980: (JP: 'And now, the first result of Factory Records' assault on Europe. It's a Factory Benelux product, in fact...it's on Crepuscule Records, which I think means something like 'twilight', or it means something more subtle than that. It may mean nothing like that at all, I have no idea, to be honest.')- Shack Up (7") Factory Benelux
*07 August 1980: And Then Again (b/w 'Shack Up' - 7") Les Disques Du Crepuscule
*09 August 1980 (BFBS): Shack Up (7") Factory Benelux FAC BN 1-004
*14 August 1980: Shack Up (7") Factory Benelux FAC BN 1-004
*26 August 1980: Shack Up (7") Factory Benelux / Les Disques Du Crépescule
*01 September 1980: Shack Up (7") Factory Benelux, Les Disques Du Crépuscule
*15 September 1980: Shack Up (7") Factory Benelux
*27 October 1980: Blown Away (12" - Flight) Factory FAC 22
*01 November 1980 (BFBS): Blown Away (12" - Flight) Factory FAC 22
*01 November 1980 (BFBS): Flight (12") Factory FAC 22
*12 November 1980: Flight (12") Factory FAC 22
*22 November 1980 (BFBS): Flight (12") Factory FAC 22
*09 December 1980 or 10 December 1980: Flight (12") Factory FAC 22
;1981
*01 January 1981: Shack Up (7") Factory Benelux FAC BN 1-004
*25 February 1981: Shack Up (12" - Do The Du (Casse)) Factory
*26 February 1981: A Forced Laugh possibly later
*04 March 1981: Do The Du (Casse) (12") Factory FACUS 4
*08 March 1981 (BFBS): Do The Du (Casse) (12") Factory FACUS 4
*KevH Tape 24: Forced Laugh (unknown promo)
*21 April 1981: The Fox (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*22 April 1981: Felch (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*22 April 1981: My Spirit (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*23 April 1981: Choir (album - To Each) Factory FACT 35
*23 April 1981: Forced Laugh (album - To Each) Factory FACT 35
*29 April 1981: The Fox (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*30 April 1981: Forced Laugh (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*03 May 1981 (BFBS): Forced Laugh (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*03 May 1981 (BFBS): The Fox (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*06 May 1981: Oceans (album - To Each) Factory FACT 35
*13 May 1981: Forced Laugh (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*28 May 1981: Loss (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*28 May 1981 (BFBS): Loss (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*04 June 1981 (BFBS): Forced Laugh (album - To Each...) Factory FACT 35
*17 December 1981 (BFBS): Waterline (12") Factory FAC 52
*27 December 1981 (BFBS): Waterline (12") Factory FAC 52
;1982
*06 January 1982: Gum (album - Sextet) Factory FACT 55
*17 January 1982 (BFBS): Crystal (album - Sextet) Factory FACT 55
*17 January 1982 (BFBS): Lucinda (album - Sextet) Factory FACT 55
*17 January 1982 (BFBS): Below The Canal (album - Sextet) Factory FACT 55
*18 January 1982: Crystal (album - Sextet) Factory FACT 55
*25 January 1982: Abracadubra (12" - Abracadubra / Sommadub) 666 (as Sir Horatio)
*27 January 1982 (BFBS): Day One (album - Sextet) Factory FACT 55
*31 January 1982 (BFBS): Lucinda (album - Sextet) Factory FACT 55
*03 February 1982: Day One ( Sextet ) Factory
*19 February 1982 (BBC World Service): Skipscada (album - Sextet) Factory FACT 55
*24 May 1982: All Night Party (7") Factory FAC 5
*26 May 1982 (BFBS): Crystal (album - Sextet) Factory FACT 55
*23 August 1982: Guess Who (12") Factory Benelux
*22 September 1982 (BFBS): Knife Slits Water (7") Factory FAC 62
*11 October 1982: Knife Slits Water (7") Factory FAC 62
*16 November 1982: Waterline (12") Factory
*24 November 1982: Saturn (album - I'd Like To See You Again) Factory FACT 65
*30 November 1982: Hot Knights (album - I'd Like To See You Again) Factory FACT 65
*05 December 1982 (BFBS): Saturn (album - I'd Like To See You Again) Factory FACT 65
*12 December 1982 (BFBS): Hot Knights (album - I'd Like To See You Again) Factory FACT 65
*12 December 1982 (BFBS): Sesamo Apriti - Corco Vada (album - I'd Like To See You Again) Factory FACT 65
*19 December 1982 (BFBS): Showcase (album - I'd Like To See You Again) Factory FACT 65
;1983
*19 January 1983: Hot Knights (album - I'd Like To See You Again) Factory FACT 65
*15 August 1983: I Need Someone Tonite (12") Factory FAC 72
*20 August 1983 (BFBS): I Need Someone Tonite (12") Factory FAC 72
*24 August 1983: I Need Someone Tonite (12") Factory FAC 72
;1984
*25 April 1984 (BFBS): All Night Party (7") Factory FAC 5
*27 November 1984: Life's A Scream (7") Factory
*05 December 1984 (BBC World Service): Life's A Scream (12") Factory FAC 112
*16 December 1984 (BFBS): Life's A Scream (12") Factory FAC 112
;1985
*13 February 1985: Brazilia (12") Factory Benelux FBN 32
*18 February 1985 (BFBS): Brazilia (12") Factory Benelux FBN 32
*05 March 1985: Brazilia (12") Factory Benelux
*22 July 1985 (BBC World Service): Wild Party (12") Factory
*25 November 1985: Blown Away (LP - The Old & The New) Factory
*10 December 1985: Do The Du (album - The Old & The New) Factory
;1986
* 29 January 1986: Wild Party (12") Factory
* 04 February 1986: Life's A Scream (LP - The Old & The New) Factory
*17 March 1986: Sounds Like Something Dirty (Remix) (v/a LP - Abstract Magazine Issue 6 - Audio Visual) Sweatbox / Abstract Magazine
* 05 May 1986: Sounds Like Something Dirty (Remix) (v/a album - Abstract Magazine Issue 6 - Audio Visual) Sweatbox SAM006
*17 November 1986: Mickey Way (album - Force) Factory
*10 December 1986: Anthem (LP - Force) Factory
*17 December 1986: Anthem (LP - Force) Factory
*21 December 1986 (BFBS): Bootsy (single) Factory
;1989
*13 June 1989: Good Together (12" promo) A&M
*20 June 1989: The Big E (single) A&M
*28 June 1989: Good Together (12") A&M
*24 July 1989: Good Together (12") A&M
;1990
*10 January 1990 (BFBS): Spirit Dance (12" promo - Four For The Floor) A&M
*22 January 1990: Spirit Dance (12" promo - Four For The Floor) A&M
*25 January 1990: Be What You Wanna Be (7" - Good Together) A&M
*06 February 1990: Tribeca (12" - Four For The Floor) A&M ACRY 550
*13 February 1990: Spirit Dance (12" - Four For The Floor) A&M
*17 July 1990: Good Together (LP - acr:mcr) A&M
*07 August 1990: Shack Up' (7" Single) Factory Benelux
;1991
*09 November 1991: 27 Forever (12") Robs
*22 November 1991 (BFBS): 27 Forever (12") Robs
*23 November 1991: Twenty Seven Forever (7") Robs
*24 November 1991: All Night Party (v/a 4xLP - Palatine) Factory
;1998
*01 October 1998: Show Case (LP - I'd Like To See You Again) Factory
== See Also ==
*Record Boxes: Simon Raymonde
*Manchester: Sessions
*Gigography 1980
* Sounds
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Facebook
*Twitter
*Discogs
Category:Artists