What was the idea behind the Art of Noise image? Obviously the theatre with the masks and stuff…
David Smart: “To be honest I can’t remember where it all started but the first Art of Noise cover… it started with the masks on the very first single I think.”
AJ Barratt: “‘the AON think’ is Swiss Cottage library, London. ‘AON blame themselves’ was a picture I took inside London Zoo… ‘AON dance’ was a CND rally in London and I think it’s Waterloo Bridge (taken with Infra red film fact fans!).
artist: Art Of Noise title: Into Battle with (the) format: Cassette design: XLZTT photography: A.J. Barratt cat. no: CTIS 100 date: unknown art of notes: The use, or not, of ‘The’ before Art Of Noise continues. The front cover omits it but the spine and cassette body don’t. The cassette is number 10 in the incidental series. It’s uncertain exactly when the cassette was released, no promotional adverts mention it and the inlay also contains critical praise for the contents and details of the ‘Beatbox’ single which was released March ’84. This suggests that the cassette version of ‘Into Battle…’ was released later in 1984, the same as the ‘Relax’ and ‘Dr Mabuse’ cassettes.
5 Responses
This is one of those rarities that I would love to have but have simply never seen. I can’t pretend I’ve been on a crusade to find one but it’s still remains the only FGTH, AON, Propaganda and Act singlette to elude me.
Of course, many of those early ZTT albums were notable for the contents being slightly different on each format…
indeed, this is one of the reasons I love the label design so much, each format was thought about individually rather than as a resized version. As a result the cassette was as worthy as the vinyl. When I think of some of the other ‘cassingles’ I bought back in the 80’s with basically the A and B side of the 7″ on them and a basic card inlay… no one could touch ZTT cassettes, they are objects of beauty much like the Factory ones.
Kevin, you’re right, it was released quite a long time after the initial 12 inch single, in 1984 (as was the Relax cassingle). I remember buying it (the Into Battle cassette) one school holiday in 1984, almost certainly the Easter one, so c. March or April of that year, and it was featured prominently in a display at the HMV for, if I remember correctly, £1.49.
Irk, I remember the Relax and Two Tribes cassettes being released together mid summer 1984, possibly around the time the Carnage mix came out