I was turned onto the Durutti Column some 15 years or so ago by an over-eager clerk at Wax Trax in Denver. I was looking for something new and, rattling off the music I was already a fan of, said clerk latched onto the name Robert Fripp.
“If you like Fripp, you’ll like Durutti Column,” he said.
Well, I wouldn’t necessarily have put it that way. I bought two Durutti Column albums that day and have never bought another.
It’s not that I don’t like Durutti Column, it’s just that I’ve never been able to figure out if I like them, either.
There is some interesting guitar playing on them – Vini Reilly can certainly play – and, as a plus, the two albums I have are primarily instrumental but they can be a little heavy on the 80’s drum machine side and the compositions rarely hook me.
One exception is the song highlighted here. I am particularly fond of the line in the chorus from whence the track got its title – wish I could let you hear it.
When the World
Durutti Column – The Guitar and Other Machines
We’re coming close to sunrise
Lights burn red in your streets
Stay faithful
I’m sure of these feelings
[chorus]
When the world is no longer watching
When the world is no longer watching
Stay faithful to your drug
People sell themselves
There’s a fashion to their smiles
You often need comfort
Raising my eyes to you
When the world is no longer watching
When the world is no longer watching
Stay faithful to your drug
© Vini Reilly
