A 4CD book set celebrating the roots of The Haçienda.

 

Coinciding with the club's 40th anniversary, the set combines key recordings spun by DJs along with period tracks from acts who played the venue in 1982.

 

From the opening New York underground sound of Suicide to chart-toppers from Dexy’s, via soul, post-punk, reggae, goth, disco and glam rock among many other styles, Haçienda 1982 accurately reflects the music heard during that seminal first year.

 

Endorsed by New Order’s Peter Hook (who owns the rights to the club’s brand), who has written a foreword. In addition, Mick Middles has penned an essay interviewing those who were involved, together with mini-biographies of all the acts featured on the compilation. 

 

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On 21 May 1982, a nightclub opened which would become iconic worldwide, forever associated with the music and popular culture of Manchester, and its most famous homegrown label, Factory Records (indeed, it was given its own catalogue number, FAC 51). A converted yacht builder’s shop, the venue looked as striking and dramatic in its design as the output of Factory. From the start, it hosted a string of local as well as UK and international artists every week, interspersed by the turntable talents of DJs such as Hewan Clarke and Jon Savage. In due course, The Haçienda would embody Manchester’s spirit of independence playing a key part in the explosion of rave culture, ‘Baggy’ and eventually Britpop.

 

Each disc is sequenced roughly in the order in which DJs would have played the songs, starting with the more downbeat or adventurous material and eventually building to classic dancefloor fillers. Elsewhere, a smattering of Manchester/Factory acts make their presence felt while underground club anthems abound, from The Valentine Brothers’ original version of ‘Money’s Too Tight (To Mention)’ (as covered by the city’s own Simply Red) to Defunkt’s ‘The Razor’s Edge’ and ‘The Gospel Comes To New Guinea’ by 23 Skidoo. Equally, many mainstream pop stars played the club that year, from Soft Cell, Blancmange and Tears For Fears to the year’s biggest breakthrough, Culture Club.