Twenty years ago today, producer and Factory Records co-founder Martin Hannett died of heart failure at age 42 after a steady decline into drinking and drug abuse. Before that untimely end, however, Hannett help craft the sound of a generation, most notably through his sparse, reverb-heavy production of Joy Division — plus work with other acts from Manchester and beyond, including landmark tracks by OMD (“Electricity”), U2 (“11 O’Clock Tick Tock”) and New Order (“Ceremony”), as well as the debut single by The Stone Roses (“So Young”).
To commemorate the work of one of England’s most important modern musical figures, here’s a news report from 1980 of Hannett showing off his studio trickery to Factory co-founder and TV presenter Tony Wilson while working on Pauline Murray’s album Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England.
Hearing Tony’s voice in this piece gave me much more of an appreciation for Coogan’s portrayal of him. He really nailed his tone and his delivery.