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Shadowplayers: The Rise and Fall of Factory Records
'Definitive and comprehensive, this is the actual story of Factory Records' Peter Saville
In 1978, a 'Factory for Sale' sign gave Alan Erasmus and Tony Wilson a name for their fledgling Manchester club night. Though they couldn' t have known it at the time, this was the launch of one of the most significant musical and cultural legacies of the late twentieth century. The club's electrifying live scene soon translated to vinyl, and Factory Records went on to become the most innovative and celebrated record label of the next thirty years.
Always breaking new musical ground, Factory introduced the listening public to bands such as Joy Division, whose Unknown Pleasures was the label's first album release, New Order, Durutti Column and Happy Mondays. Propelled onwards by the inspirational cultural entrepreneur, Tony Wilson, Factory always sought new ways to energise the popular consciousness, such as the infamous Hacienda nightclub, which enjoyed a chequered 15-year history after opening in 1982.
Now fully revised and expanded with a new chapter, Shadowplayers is the most complete, authoritative and thoroughly researched account of how a group of provincial anarchists and entrepreneurs saw off bankers, journalists and gun-toting gangsters to create the most influential record label of modern times. Based on both archive and contemporary sources, the book tells the full story of Factory' s heroic struggles, its complex web of inventive, idiosyncratic and tragic personalities, and ultimately, the acclaimed and much-loved music it produced.
In 1978, a 'Factory for Sale' sign gave Alan Erasmus and Tony Wilson a name for their fledgling Manchester club night. Though they couldn' t have known it at the time, this was the launch of one of the most significant musical and cultural legacies of the late twentieth century. The club's electrifying live scene soon translated to vinyl, and Factory Records went on to become the most innovative and celebrated record label of the next thirty years.
Always breaking new musical ground, Factory introduced the listening public to bands such as Joy Division, whose Unknown Pleasures was the label's first album release, New Order, Durutti Column and Happy Mondays. Propelled onwards by the inspirational cultural entrepreneur, Tony Wilson, Factory always sought new ways to energise the popular consciousness, such as the infamous Hacienda nightclub, which enjoyed a chequered 15-year history after opening in 1982.
Now fully revised and expanded with a new chapter, Shadowplayers is the most complete, authoritative and thoroughly researched account of how a group of provincial anarchists and entrepreneurs saw off bankers, journalists and gun-toting gangsters to create the most influential record label of modern times. Based on both archive and contemporary sources, the book tells the full story of Factory' s heroic struggles, its complex web of inventive, idiosyncratic and tragic personalities, and ultimately, the acclaimed and much-loved music it produced.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
656 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 28, 2026
V much the opposite to the 24 Hour Party People version of the story - though it does convince you Coogan was right to play Tony Wilson as Situationist Alan Partridge - though not quite as arty as I might have hoped from Nice's career running the Factory/Crespuscule/Surrealism and Dada reissue label LTM, one of the few record labels where I'll buy whatever I see of theirs on sight. So although it's more straight than it could be, and often reflecting Nice's other career as a litigation lawyer (including once against Wilson), there are subtexts a plenty, on the terrible consequences of the taciturnity of northern men, on the perils of intellectual posturing without anyone with the chops to challenge you, on class and the extremely unexpected collision of these bohemians (some working class, some not) with the real lumpenproletariat, brought in by ecstasy and the Happy Mondays. In the end it leaves a sense of enormous waste, though with some very impressive achievements along the way.
June 5, 2019
The most in-depth and detailed book about the legendary Factory Records and the Manchester music scene of the seventies, eighties and nineties that surrounded it, that it is possible to get.
For the indie music nerd, this book is a must, filled as it is with stats about bands been signed, chart placings, record sales figures, money earned and spent, and anything in between.
I thought I might find this book a bit much, but literally couldn't put it down.
Ask me anything about Factory Records! Go on!
For the indie music nerd, this book is a must, filled as it is with stats about bands been signed, chart placings, record sales figures, money earned and spent, and anything in between.
I thought I might find this book a bit much, but literally couldn't put it down.
Ask me anything about Factory Records! Go on!
November 10, 2025
Excellent, detailed read about Factory Records
August 24, 2026
This is an epic tome of a book, massive. For years I have been a fan of quite a few Factory Record releases, some of the big ones like Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays but also lesser known or celebrated releases like Crispy Ambulance, Section 25 and The Wake. This absolutely fills in the gaps for me about what happened, how it happened and what was occurring behind the scenes. Even though it is critical of the film "24 Hour Party People" it also kind of validates that essentially that is what happened with way more granular detail about money issues, good (and bad) ideas and records (also good and bad). Perhaps more illuminating is how it all falls apart, how New Order falls apart, and the personalities behind it all.
August 2, 2013
Everything you needed to know about Factory Records but were too afraid to ask. A comprehensive and entertaining retrospective of the legendary record company which wasn't. Many books are available on the subject, none better than this. James Nice writes with sensitivity and objectivity never succumbing to the 'I was there' egotism of many other biographers of this era and an organisation which meant so much to so many but which was perhaps doomed to failure from the outset.
Avoiding the glib '24 hour party people' cliches, rather we are taken through 14 years of struggle by the the acts, the management and their associates to make sense of, and make money in, an industry that not only pitted them against the rest but frequently against each other. What shines through the narrative is the unswerving belief held by the likes of Rob Gretton, Alan Erasmus and Tony Wilson that the musicians and their work mattered and that what they were creating together was greater than the sum of its parts: An Ideal for Living.
Their legacy is the bizarrely eclectic Factory catalogue and a generation of people whose lives were touched by the Factory roster and the music it produced.
A tale of incompetence and genius, naivety and chutzpah, brilliance and bullshit. Musicians, art directors, producers, managers, journalists and Manchester itself all play their part in an authoritative exploration of one of the most significant record labels in the history of British music.
Avoiding the glib '24 hour party people' cliches, rather we are taken through 14 years of struggle by the the acts, the management and their associates to make sense of, and make money in, an industry that not only pitted them against the rest but frequently against each other. What shines through the narrative is the unswerving belief held by the likes of Rob Gretton, Alan Erasmus and Tony Wilson that the musicians and their work mattered and that what they were creating together was greater than the sum of its parts: An Ideal for Living.
Their legacy is the bizarrely eclectic Factory catalogue and a generation of people whose lives were touched by the Factory roster and the music it produced.
A tale of incompetence and genius, naivety and chutzpah, brilliance and bullshit. Musicians, art directors, producers, managers, journalists and Manchester itself all play their part in an authoritative exploration of one of the most significant record labels in the history of British music.
August 24, 2011
James Nice has written the most comprehensive book ever on the history of Factory Records, loaded with detail, maybe overloaded at times as the minutiae get in the way of a proper overview. It is a real treat for any fan of Durutti Column, Joy Division, Crispy Ambulance, A Certain Ratio, Quando Quango, Section 25, James, New Order, Happy Mondays and all the rest of the gang. Stick this on your shelf with Mick Middles' own incisive 1990s history now out in a revised edition. Nice was an insider in part of the period of this history and knows where the bodies are buried. A rich popular cultural history, riveting for all us fans, and well worth reading.
February 20, 2014
A comprehensive history of Factory Records and a very good read. Both funny and irreverent, while at the same time teaching you everything you could ever want to know about the subject matter. You can't help but feel that the author, having run LTM recordings since the early eighties, is just the man for the task.
The only nit-pick I can think of, and it is a minor one, is that I would personally have loved a comprehensive discography at the end of each chapter. As it is, I had to put the book down now and again in order to head over to the computer to look up second-hand vinyl prices on discogs.com.
The only nit-pick I can think of, and it is a minor one, is that I would personally have loved a comprehensive discography at the end of each chapter. As it is, I had to put the book down now and again in order to head over to the computer to look up second-hand vinyl prices on discogs.com.
May 28, 2014
It's good, very good - painstakingly, exhaustively complete, and a must-read for music obsessives of a certain age. But a jolly page-turner it isn't - the striving for objectivity and chronological accuracy can make it feel like a book of lists at times. Many music books are ruined by the author insisting on inserting themselves into the narrative - it is admirable that here, the content has an almost academic rigour, but I found myself wishing the author had allowed at least a tiny part of his own personality into the writing. Fascinating but less than engaging.
April 16, 2012
A very good read, and one that doesn't pull it's punches when it comes to the many many myths that have grew up around Factory. Also points out quite how bad some of the stuff was.
So it went, so it goes.
So it went, so it goes.
August 6, 2013
This is recommended if you're interested in the history of Factory Records or any of the Factory bands (New Order, Joy Division, etc). It's a dense but quick read, suitable for a music geek like myself.
December 30, 2013
Una muy buena investigación sobre Factory y sus productos conexos. Si les gusta o interesa la música de los '80, es una buena oportunidad para tener mejor conocimientos de las corrientes sociales y musicales de ese momento.
August 9, 2015
I got into the Madchester thing in 89/90 and although I was never a Factory die hard it was great to get the background story. It's filled with great characters and is as much about the independent music scene as it is Factory
December 22, 2016
Definitive study of a Utopian vision gone wrong; a fascinating and thoroughly researched account that takes you from Post Punk to Madchester. With a complete lack of business know how or financial control, the wonder was that the dream lasted 14 years.
July 3, 2012
A bit of a labor of love... long, dense, very detailed, but chock full of interesting stories and profiles. And quite funny at times, too.
June 7, 2026
Abandoned this book. Wasn't really good.
September 20, 2010
The best book ever written. Four hundred plus pages of Factory Records minutiae...yes, please.
May 5, 2014
A history lesson, a nostalgia trip and a damn good read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews