A Certain Ratio -

A Certain Ratio are an English jazz-funk band from Manchester that emerged in the post-punk milieu of Factory Records. They cut three singles in 1979/80 and scored a transatlantic dance hit with “Shack Up,” their take on Banbarra’s rare groove classic. After their live/demos cassette The Graveyard and the Ballroom, ACR made the 1981/82 Factory albums To Each…, Sextet, and I’d Like to See You Again.

Members: Jez Kerr (bass, vocals), Simon Topping (vocals, trumpet, percussion, 1978-83), Martin Moscrop (guitar, trumpet), Peter Terrell (guitar, electronics, 1978-82), Donald Johnson (drums, 1979-present), Martha Tilson (vocals, 1981-82), Andy Connell (keyboards, 1982-86), Tony Quigley (saxophone, 1983-present)

Formation

A Certain Ratio started in Flixton, Greater Manchester, in late 1977 when guitarist Peter Terrell and singer–trumpeter Simon Topping formed a duo. Enhanced by Terrell’s electronic equipment, they teamed with bassist–singer Jez Kerr and guitarist–trumpeter Martin Moscrop. For the first year, they jammed in a drummer-less configuration.

Their influences included American proto-punk (Velvet Underground, Pere Ubu), funk (Parliament, Funkadelic), Krautrock (Kraftwerk, Neu), and contemporary UK post-punk (Wire, The Pop Group). They took their name from a line in “The True Wheel,” a 1974 song by Brian Eno from his second solo album Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). Mancunian music mogul Tony Wilson (host of Granada TV’s So It Goes program, a showcase of upcoming new wave talent) became their manager.

First Single, Peel Session

In May 1979, A Certain Ratio released their debut single “All Night Party” in a limited edition of 5,000 copies on Wilson’s Factory label.

A. “All Night Party”
B. “The Thin Boys”

“All Night Party” was the first Factory release by a single artist (FAC 5), ahead of singles by Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark and Joy Division. Factory producer Martin Hannett produced the single under the pseudonym Martin Zero.

On October 1, A Certain Ratio recorded their first sessions for BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel. Their session (broadcast 10/17) featured “All Night Party,” “Do the Du,” “Flight,” and “Choir.” By now, drummer Donald Johnson joined as a fifth member. In December, ACR opened select dates on Talking Heads‘ UK tour behind their third album Fear of Music.

The Graveyard and the Ballroom

In January 1980, A Certain Ratio released The Graveyard and the Ballroom, a cassette-only collection of demos and live numbers. Side One (The Graveyard) gathers September 1979 recordings at Graveyard Studios in Prestwhich. Side Two (The Ballroom) contains numbers from an October ACR gig at Camden’s Electric Ballroom.

The Graveyard
1. “Do the Du (Casse)” (2:53)
2. “Faceless” (2:22)
3. “Crippled Child” (2:54)
4. “Choir” (3:21)
5. “Flight” (3:30)
6. “I Feel” (2:12)
7. “Strain” (2:31)

The Ballroom
8. “All Night Party” (3:38)
9. “Oceans” (4:05)
10. “The Choir” (3:22)
11. “The Fox” (3:25)
12. “Suspect” (2:24)
13. “Flight” (5:32)
14. “Genotype-Phenotype” (3:29)

Factory soundman Stewart Pickering engineered the Graveyard side in sequence with 1980 titles by Crispy Ambulance, The Modernaires, and The Passage. The cassette appeared in a PVC pouch of assorted colors (orange, red, blue, green) with an insert that features a live pic (back) and a photo of Forties-era golfers who resembled the band.

“Shack Up” | “Flight”

On Factory Benelux, A Certain Ratio released “Shack Up,” an American hard funk cover backed with “And Then Again.”

A. “Shack Up” originated as a 1975 two-part single on United Artists by the US funk combo Banbarra.
B. “And Then Again”

ARC self-produced the single at the Graveyard and Plan K, a converted sugar refinery at 21 Manchester Street in Brussels, Belgium.

In October 1980, ACR released their second UK single: the Graveyard track “Flight” backed with “Blown Away” and the Benelux b-side “And Then Again.”

A1. “Flight”
B1. “Blown Away”
B2. “And Then Again”

Sessions took place at Revolution Studios in Cheadle Hulme and 10cc‘s Strawberry Studios in Stockport. Martin Hannett produced the “Flight” EP in sequence with 1980 titles by Magazine (The Correct Use of Soap), Pauline Murray & The Invisible Girls, The Durutti Column, Section 25, and U2. The EP back-sleeve features shirtless photos of the short-haired group by Daniel Meadows, a later pioneer in digital storytelling.

In the US, Factory issued a four-song 12″ with a track each from Graveyard (“Do the Du”), Ballroom (“The Fox”), the Benelux single (“Shack Up”), and the new track “Son and Heir.”

A1. “Do the Du” (Casse)
A2. “The Fox”
B1. “Shack Up”
B2. “Son and Heir”

In January 1981, “Shack Up” reached No. 46 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

A Certain Ratio became a sextet with singer Martha Tilson of the post-punk band Occult Chemistry, which issued a self-titled EP on the indie label Dining Out. Meanwhile, Moscrop started Swamp Children, an avant jazz-funk band on Factory.

To Each…

A Certain Ratio released their proper debut album, To Each…, in April 1981 on Factory.

To Each… features nine group-credited originals, including fresh versions of the Graveyard/Ballroom numbers “Choir,” “Loss,” and “The Fox.”

Musically, To Each… weds the jagged rhythms of the Leeds punk/funk scene (Gang of Four, Delta 5) with the jazz-funk flexibility of Pigbag. The mix favors deep, frontal bass and faint, remote vocals.

1. “Felch” (3:45)
2. “My Spirit” (2:28)
3. “Forced Laugh” (5:53)
4. “Choir” (2:51)
5. “Back to the Start” (7:49)
6. “The Fox” (3:46)
7. “Loss” (3:23)
8. “Oceans” (3:30)
9. “Winter Hill” (12:45)

Sessions occurred in the Northeast US at E.A.R.S. Studio in East Orange, New Jersey. A Certain Ratio co-produced the album with Martin Hannett, who worked on To Each… in sequence with 1981 titles by Crispy Ambulance, ESG, OMD, The Psychedelic Furs, and the debut New Order album Movement.

To Each… was co-engineered by indie freelancer Chris Nagle (Basement 5, Creation Rebel, Kissing the Pink, Minny Pops) and jazz-funk soundman Bruce Gerstein (James Mason, Mike Santiago, Ryo Kawasaki, Tarika Blue).

Illustrator/musician Peter Christopherson (Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV) designed the album’s gatefold cover, which features vintage imagery of studios and patrol officers (inner-fold) and a watercolor painting by Swamp Children frontwoman Ann Quigley, whose artwork depicts A Certain Ratio as single-file nudes beside a greenery widow with a giant, protruding trumpeter’s hand.

To Each… reached No. 1 during its 21-week run on the UK Indie Chart.

Peel | Sir Horatio

On June 29, 1981, A Certain Ratio performed their second Peel session for the DJ’s 7/2 broadcast, which aired rough cuts of “Knife Slits Water,” “Day One,” and “Skipscada,” all earmarked for their next album.

In January 1982, A Certain Ratio masqueraded as Sir Horatio for a dub-reggae 12″ on 666, a one-off imprint.

A. “Abracadubra”
B. “Sommadub”

“Abracadubra” appeared in a plain green sleeve with green record labels that feature the name and label in Blacketter font (Side A) and a hemp-leaf sketch.

Sextet

A Certain Ratio released their second album, Sextet, in January 1982 on Factory. The title refers to their six-piece lineup with singer Martha Tilson.

Sextet continues in the To Each… vein with more spacious rhythms, enhanced production clarity, and Martha’s heightened vocal presence. The album contains nine group-credited originals, including “Day One,” “Below the Canal,” and the Peel-playlisted cuts “Lucinda,” “Crystal,” “Gum,” and “Knife Slits Water.”

1. “Lucinda” (3:56)
2. “Crystal” (2:55)
3. “Gum” (2:59)
4. “Knife Slits Water” (7:34)
5. “Skipscada” (2:10)
6. “Day One” (6:12)
7. “Rub Down” (3:43)
8. “Rialto” (3:45)
9. “Below the Canal” (3:59)

A Certain Ratio self-produced Sextet in 1981 at Revolution Studios with engineer Phil Ault, a soundman on Seventies classics by Camel (Mirage), Caravan (Blind Dog at St. Dunstans), Deaf School (2nd Honeymoon), Free (Heartbreaker), Gong (Shamal), and Nasty Pop (self-titled).

Sextet features cover art by future cartoonist Steve McGerry, whose grainy watercolor (front and back) depicts a cloudy sunset sky at high altitude with rainbow hues. Graphic artist Ben Kelly (an associate of Factory founder Tony Wilson) designed the cover in sequence with 1982 visuals for The Boomtown Rats, The Cure, and Wilson’s newly opened Haçienda club.

In September, Factory lifted “Knife Slits Water” as a single, backed with the non-album “Tumba Rumba.”

B. “Tumba Rumba”

Sextet reached No. 1 during its eleven-week run on the UK Indie Chart.

I’d Like to See You Again

A Certain Ratio released their third album, I’d Like to See You Again, in November 1982 on Factory.

Here, they resume the quintet configuration of singer/trumpeter Simon Topping, guitarist/trumpeter Martin Moscrop, guitarist/keyboardist Peter Terrell, bassist Jez Kerr, and drummer Donald Johnson.

1. “Touch” (5:05)
2. “Saturn” (3:46)
3. “Hot Knights” (3:51)
4. “I’d Like to See You Again” (5:11)
5. “Show Case” (3:10)
6. “Sesamo Apriti – Corco Vada” (3:51)
7. “Axis” (6:25)
8. “Guess Who” (4:58)

Sessions occurred at Revolution Studios, where A Certain Ratio slotted between bookings by Swamp Children and Twelfth Night. Phil Ault engineered I’d Like to See You Again amid Revolution recordings by The Cheaters and 52 Street, a Mancunian soul-funk combo with Derek Johnson, the bassist brother of Donald Johnson, who produced their debut single “Look Into My Eyes” (b/w “Express”), which also features Chic drummer Tony Thompson. Donald also produced the 1982 Strawberry recording “Go Exciting” (b/w “Tingle”), the debut single by Factory funksters Quando Quango.

Photographer Andrew Haslam took the front-cover image, a doctored down-shot of the band inside the Haçienda. Original copies came with a yellow inner-sleeve, printed on each side with a diagonal warning: “This recording may cause offense to people with limited thrill capacity.”

In Belgium, Factory’s Benelux division lifted “Guess Who?” as a 12″ single backed with “Guess Who? (Part Two).”

I’d Like to See You Again reached No. 2 during its 12-week run on the UK Indie chart. The album marked the end of the classic lineup with Simon Topping and Peter Terrell.

Lineup Change

In late 1982, Terrell cleared for keyboardist Andrew Connell, recently of unsigned Mancunian post-punks The Immediates. Connell joined in time for A Certain Ratio’s third Peel session, cut on November 20 for the DJ’s 12/1 broadcast, which showcased “Touch” and two new originals: “Piu Lento” and “Who’s To Say?” Both songs went unrecorded due to the four-year gap before their next album.

In 1983, Simon Topping exited ACR and joined Durutti Column for their third album Another Setting. He did subsequent stints with Quando Quango and erstwhile Tuxedomoon singer Winston Tong.

A Certain Ratio hired Swamp Children saxophonist Tony Quigley, Ann’s brother. In the gap between ACR albums, Connell, Donald Johnson, and Jez Kerr joined Quigley and Martin Moscrop in Kalima, the eight-piece evolution of Swamp Children. Kalima debuted in January 1984 with the Factory single “The Smiling Hour” (b/w “Fly Away”), followed by the 1985 EP Four Songs.

1983–85 Stopgap Singles

In July 1983, A Certain Ratio released their fourth UK single: “I Need Someone Tonight,” a band original backed with “Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing,” a Stevie Wonder cover. The single features synthesizer programming by Be Music, the collective pseudonym of New Order. Donald Johnson sings lead on both sides, harmonized by one Carol McKenzie.

A. “I Need Someone Tonight” (5:37)
B. “Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing” (4:36) originated on the 1973 Tamla release Innervisions, the third album of Stevie Wonder’s adult era.

“I Need Someone Tonight” appeared as a sleeveless promo 7″ (FAC 72) and a standard 12″ billed by their ACR acronym. The latter sports Memphis-style sleeve art by Mark Farrow, a subsequent sleeve designer for Factory’s Life and Parlophone’s Pet Shop Boys.

In September 1984, A Certain Ratio released the Factory 12″ single “Life’s a Scream” (Dance Side) backed with “There’s Only This” (Trance Side), both band originals performed by a four-piece lineup of Connell, Johnson, Kerr, and Moscrop.

A. “Life’s a Scream”
B. “There’s Only This”

Meanwhile, Factory Benelux issued “Brazilia,” an ACR standalone backed with an extended mix.

A. “Brazilia”

Graveyard soundman Stewart Pickering engineered both 1984 singles amid work with The Wake and Le Griffe.

In June 1985, Factory issued The Old & The New, an ACR compilation with two new cuts lifted as a 12″ single:

A. “Wild Party”
B. “Sounds Like Something Dirty”

Veteran freelance soundman Michael Johnson (no relation to Donald) engineered “Wild Party” in sequence with Low-Life, the transatlantic-breakthrough third album by New Order. The 12″ identifies A Certain Ratio as the four aforementioned members with Anthony Quigley as a musical guest.

Force

A Certain Ratio released their fourth album, Force, November 1986 on Factory, which billed them by their ACR acronym.

Force is the first full-length album by the now four-year-old ACR lineup of co-founders Jeremy Kerr and Martin Moscrop with mainstay Donald Johnson and newer members Andy Connell and Anthony Quigley.

The album contains eight group-credited originals, including the singles “Mickey Way” and “Bootsy,” both with Biting Tongue’s trumpeter Tom Barnish. “Bootsy” features vocals by Corinne Drewery, the singer of Connell’s concurrent project, Swing Out Sister.

Kerr assumes the role of male lead vocalist apart from the Johnson-sung “Inside.” Additional touches include vocoder (Connell), guitar synthesizer (Moscrop), and Yamaha DX7 bass by Force engineer Paul ‘Killer’ Harrison, a recent Carmel soundman.

North
1. “Only Together” (3:40)
2. “Bootsy” (4:38)
3. “Fever 103°” (5:13)
4. “Naked and White” (4:57)

South
5. “Mickey Way” (4:50)
6. “And Then She Smiles” (3:59)
7. “Take Me Down” (5:00)
8. “Anthem” (4:53)

Sessions spanned July–August 1986 at Stockport’s Yello 2 Studios, which recently acquired the neighboring Strawberry North and hosted recent projects by The Fall, Swing Out Sister (“Blue Mood”), and Spanish new wavers Danza Invisible, whose third album (Música de Contrabando, an early showcase for guest singer Lisa Stansfield) features Moscrop and Quigley on the titular “Contrabando.”

Six months prior to the Force sessions, ACR partook in the Yello 2 sessions for Night Time Shadows, the first full-length album by Kalima. By the time of their self-titled second album, Kalmina replaced the ACR personnel apart from Quigley.

‘Killer’ Harrison engineered Night Time Shadow and Force with assistant on the latter by Stuart ‘Jammer’ James, an erstwhile musician (Eric Random & The Bedlamites) and prior soudman for the Diagram Brothers, Dislocation Dance, and Ludus.

Factory lifted “Mickey Way” as a UK 12″ single backed with “Inside” and the non-album “Si Firmi O Grido.”

B2. “Si Firmi O Grido” (7:10) translates from Italian as “Yes Sign O Shout” (sic) while the Spanish translation (with “Firmo”) translates as “If I sign or scream” (sic).

In Australia, Factory lifted “Bootsy” as a 7″ single (b/w “Inside”). Force reached No. 2 during its nine-week run on the UK Indie Chart.

Post-Force, Connell resigned from ACR to focus on Swing Out Sister, which broke internationally with their 1987 debut album It’s Better to Travel and the single “Breakout,” supported by a trend-setting music video.

Discography: