The Return of The Durutti Column 45th Anniversary Edition

This year marks 45 years since the release of The Durutti Column’s landmark album The Return Of The Durutti Column. To celebrate, London Records announces a very special reissue of the seminal Manchester band’s 1980 debut, set for release on 28 November 2025 and available for pre-order now at the official Durutti Column online store.

The Return Of The Durutti Column remains one of Factory's most enduring and important works: fragile, otherworldly, and quietly radical. Produced by Martin Hannett, it showcased Vini Reilly’s distinctive, delicate guitar work against Hannett’s ambient textures, post-punk reverb and glacial electronics.

The 45th Anniversary Edition is available in several formats:

The Deluxe Sandpaper LP, replicating the rare first pressing and limited to 500 numbered copies worldwide. Each sleeve has been spray-painted by hand with the original catalogue number, FACT 14. This edition includes a unique printed inner sleeve featuring an essay by Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, housed inside a protective outer cover.

This version is available exclusively at the official Durutti Column online store.

The Standard Edition LP, replicating the second pressing, commonly known as the ‘Dufy’ sleeve (after a featured triptych of images by French painter Jean Dufy), with the outer sleeve printed on the same textured card as the 1980 version. The inner sleeve features an essay by Durutti Column/Factory Records expert James Nice. Rough Trade will stock a unique pressing of this edition as part of their Essentials range, pressed on black-and-white marbled vinyl and limited to 500 copies (with bonus sandpaper postcard) from here.

All vinyl editions have been remastered from the original source tapes, recently rediscovered in a Stockport warehouse, and cut at half-speed for maximum audio fidelity. The tracklisting includes the original album plus 'Untitled' (featured on later iterations), alongside two further tracks: 'Lips That Would Kiss' and 'Madeleine', both originally issued on Factory Records’ Belgian sister label Factory Benelux in autumn 1980.

The Expanded Hardback Book Edition is a 2CD, 38-track collection housed in a tall storybook format with a 48-page booklet. Alongside essays from James Nice and Bobby Gillespie, this edition also includes a new piece by Mojo journalist Ian Harrison. The expanded audio features the vinyl tracklisting plus material from the 1980 bonus flexidisc Testcard, first recordings, studio and home demos, live performances, and several previously unreleased tracks. The artwork reflects the special 1985 boxed cassette edition (part of Factory’s series alongside releases from Joy Division, New Order and A Certain Ratio) and is printed on authentically sourced paper stock.

The first 500 orders from the official store will receive an exclusive bonus CD, Lost Songs and Sketches, featuring early live recordings and a rare 1981 audio interview with Vini Reilly.

Tracklistings (all 2025 remasters)

2CD Edition (Catalogue Number LMS1725575)

CD1

1. Sketch For Summer
2. Requiem for a Father
3. Katherine
4. Conduct
5. Untitled
6. Beginning
7. Jazz
8. Sketch for Winter
9. Collette
10. In 'D'
11. Lips That Would Kiss
12. Madeleine
13. Experiment in Fifth (Graveyard Studio Demo)
14. The First Aspect Of The Same Thing (Martin Hannett ft. Vini Reilly)
15. The Second Aspect Of The Same Thing (Martin Hannett ft. Vini Reilly)
16. Piece For An Ideal
17. Sleep Will Come

CD2

1. No Communication
2. Thin Ice
3. Won't Look Out (Gammer and His Familiars ft. Vini Reilly)
4. Intervals (Home Recording -1978)
5. Katharine (Home Recording -1978)
6. Untitled (Home Recording -1978)
7. Conduct (Home Recording -1978)
8. I’m a Face (Studio Demo – 1980)
9. Sketch for Summer (Studio Demo – 1980)
10. Requiem for a Father ((Studio Demo – 1980)
11. Madeleine (Studio Demo – 1980)
12. Katharine (Studio Demo – 1980)
13. Lindsay (Studio Demo – 1980)
14. For Belgian Friends (Studio Demo – 1980)
15. Detail for Annik (Live – Leeds Polytechnic 1980)
16. Sketch for Summer (Live – Leeds Polytechnic 1980)
17. Requiem for a Father (Live – Leeds Polytechnic 1980)
18. Conduct (Live – Brussels 1981)
19. Self Portrait (Live – Brussels 1981)
20. For Belgian Friends (Live – Brussels 1981)
21. Sketch for Summer (Live – Brussels 1981)

Vinyl LP Editions (1LP Regular Edition LMS1725576, 1LP (Sandpaper Edition - LMS1725583, 1LP Rough Trade Essentials Edition w/ Black & White Marble Vinyl LMS1725584)

Side One

1. Sketch For Summer
2. Requiem for a Father
3. Katherine
4. Conduct

Side Two

1. Untitled
2. Beginning
3. Jazz
4. Sketch for Winter
5. Collette
6. In ‘D’
7. Lips That Would Kiss
8. Madeleine

More info at: https://store.the-durutticolumn.com/