One of my favourite pieces of music is Sketch for Summer from the Durutti Column. It’s been used countless times as incidental music on news reports and documentaries, but is rarely heard on the radio save for occasional plays on the likes of BBC 6 Music’s always excellent Gideon Coe programme.

The band (named for Spanish anarchist Buenaventura Durruti) have never really been what you’d call successful – recording album after album of great music, it seems that only those ‘in the know’ actually buy them. Bit of a shame, this, since guitarist Vini Reilly is a genius. And it’s not just me who thinks so – The Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ guitarist John Frusciante once said that Reilly is ” the world’s greatest guitarist”.

The track Sketch for Summer appears on the band’s debut LP entitled The Return of The Durutti Column and was produced by the late Martin Hannett. It’s an odd sounding production – Hannett was always ahead of his time as a producer.  The LP originally came in a now-legendary sandpaper sleeve. The idea was that it would destroy the other records in your collection. Not so much a Situationist ploy as a slightly daft idea, then. The LP now changes hands (if included with limited edition free flexidisc 7″) for upwards of £100. I own the £4 Cd reissue, obv.