I was digging through the vast Trapezoid archives and came upon this little gem. This is a 7-inch flexi disc from Joy Division. I believe it was a giveaway in UK record stores originally. One note on the disc says “This soundsheet should not have cost you anything, wherever or however it was obtained.” And you know what? In my case it didn’t; one of my friends gave this to me, honoring that legally binding contractual requirement on the flexi disc.
Some of my younger readers may be asking “What are these flexi discs you speak of?” Well…Back in the “Plastiazoic Era” when vinyl records roamed and ruled the world, flexi discs were a “technology” that was sometimes used to share music (usually attached to a magazine). As you can see in my photo they were indeed flexible and lightweight, and would play on a normal turntable. Well, sometimes they needed help; they were so light and thin that sometimes the weight of the tone arm and needle would hold the disc in place so the turntable would spin but not the disc. One common home remedy to solve this problem was to put a coin in the center, giving the disc enough weight to spin under the needle, thereby playing the wonderful music contained in the grooves.
This particular disc was labeled FAC 28 (Factory Records fans will know that they used to label/number everything they issued – records, posters, etc.). Hard to say how rare this record is; I’ve seen estimates (on the low end) saying it was limited to 10,000 copies, I’ve seen it reported that 25,000 were pressed for the first run (were there more runs?), and I’ve seen it said at least 75,000 were issued. We may never know as I suspect detailed record keeping at Factory was not usually a priority.
In any case, the A side is “Komakino”, and the B side includes “Incubation” and “As You Said” (as an unlisted hidden track). These were recorded during the sessions for “Closer” in March 1980 but did not make that album. Aside from being issued on this flexi, I don’t believe these three songs were available until many years later when the Joy Division “Heart and Soul” box set was issued.
Some of the information on the disc is interesting and/or amusing. Aside from what I mentioned earlier, both sides say “A Fractured Music – A Factory Record.” Where the A side indicates this is FAC 28, the B side in the same place says “FAC Reject.” Finally, on a sadder note, the date shown on the disc (18/4/80) is coincidentally exactly one month before Ian Curtis committed suicide.
While I don’t play this flexi disc anymore, I still love the band’s music and this is a somewhat unique Joy Division keepsake for a fan.