Fact 290 Electronic Electronic
Fac 328 Electronic Feel Every Beat
The two first met in 1984 when the Smiths guitarist contributed to a Quando Quango track that Sumner was producing. However, despite achieving mainstream success with the singles This Charming Man and What Difference Does It Make? Sumner didn’t initially recognise Marr, and both were surprised to discover that they had several musical touchstones in common, including New York dance music, early Rolling Stones singles and Neil Young album tracks.
Electronic finally materialised in 1988, when the New Order frontman suggested Marr add guitar to a solo album he was planning - this was quickly abandoned when the idea of joining forces for a full-time group emerged. The band were inspired by contemporary dance music like Italo house and acts such as Technotronic (Sumner remixed Technotronic’s Rockin’ Over the Beat single in 1990), their initial concept was to release white label records on Factory and remain an anonymous entity, in contrast to their considerable reputations with The Smiths and New Order. The track Lucky Bag and the name Electronic itself are two of the vestiges of this initial approach.
In 1989, when Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant heard of their budding partnership through sleeve designer Mark Farrow he suggested a collaboration. The fruits of this union became Getting Away with It, Fac 257, Electronic’s debut single which was released in December 1989 and sold around a quarter of a million copies. It was a Top 40 hit in America the following spring, and after a support slot for Depeche Mode in August 1990 their chances of anonymity soon vanished. Instead, Sumner and Marr took a more commercial direction, blending synthesizers, guitars and analogue technology whilst retaining the template of modern alternative rock. As well as its fusion with rock and pop, Electronic continued their interest in dance music by inviting DJs to remix their singles and album tracks; this was a trend that continued throughout their career.
The sleeve for Getting Away With It was designed by Peter Saville Associates and is notable for the fact that this was the first time Saville had used stock photography for a sleeve, in this case, an image of a tumbler of whiskey. The cover employs the visual language of modern print advertising with the title and name of the band positioned as a caption would appear. This ironic selling of a ‘supergroup’ as a product or commodity is interesting in the context of Factory, given that when the label was established, overblown seventies supergroups such as Emerson Lake and Palmer, were a prevailing trend that the label - and punk in general - were reacting against.
Electronic finally materialised in 1988, when the New Order frontman suggested Marr add guitar to a solo album he was planning - this was quickly abandoned when the idea of joining forces for a full-time group emerged. The band were inspired by contemporary dance music like Italo house and acts such as Technotronic (Sumner remixed Technotronic’s Rockin’ Over the Beat single in 1990), their initial concept was to release white label records on Factory and remain an anonymous entity, in contrast to their considerable reputations with The Smiths and New Order. The track Lucky Bag and the name Electronic itself are two of the vestiges of this initial approach.
In 1989, when Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant heard of their budding partnership through sleeve designer Mark Farrow he suggested a collaboration. The fruits of this union became Getting Away with It, Fac 257, Electronic’s debut single which was released in December 1989 and sold around a quarter of a million copies. It was a Top 40 hit in America the following spring, and after a support slot for Depeche Mode in August 1990 their chances of anonymity soon vanished. Instead, Sumner and Marr took a more commercial direction, blending synthesizers, guitars and analogue technology whilst retaining the template of modern alternative rock. As well as its fusion with rock and pop, Electronic continued their interest in dance music by inviting DJs to remix their singles and album tracks; this was a trend that continued throughout their career.
Fac 257 Electronic Getting Away With It
The sleeve for Getting Away With It was designed by Peter Saville Associates and is notable for the fact that this was the first time Saville had used stock photography for a sleeve, in this case, an image of a tumbler of whiskey. The cover employs the visual language of modern print advertising with the title and name of the band positioned as a caption would appear. This ironic selling of a ‘supergroup’ as a product or commodity is interesting in the context of Factory, given that when the label was established, overblown seventies supergroups such as Emerson Lake and Palmer, were a prevailing trend that the label - and punk in general - were reacting against.
