The track was so addictive, the first run of 60,000 copies sold out and the record was re-pressed as it caught fire and became the first 12” single to make the Top 10. Peter Saville’s arresting die-cut floppy disc sleeve was so expensive to produce that Factory lost money on every copy sold. This self-produced track clocked in at seven minutes and 29 seconds and the band specified that it should only be released as a 12” single (£20). John Lydon’s post-Pistols outfit, Public Image Ltd, were so influenced by reggae and dub that their second LP was initially released in 1979 as three, 45rpm 12” singles in a Metal Box so that the low-end frequencies and extended running time of the music could be properly heard by buyers, rather than compressed onto four sides of two 33rpm LPs.Īnother crucial waypoint in the UK came in 1983, when New Order unleashed their fifth single, Blue Monday. There was also a healthy business in imported 12” singles direct from Jamaica. Or, in the case of Sharon Little’s Don’t Mash Up Creation (1 Love, 1981, £150), just let the track burn beautifully for nearly 10 minutes. The 12” single was manna from heaven for all styles of reggae in the late 70s, as it allowed songs to be paired with dub versions on both sides. For example, there was a promotional 12” by The Cure – Grinding Halt/Meat Hook – sent out to journalists in the UK in 1979 by Fiction (£150) to promote their Three Imaginary Boys LP. But by 1977, the 12” was an accepted promotional and commercial format, not only for disco but other genres. This was par for the course when it came to early 12” singles, which were mostly pressed for DJ use. This six-minutes and 24 seconds was then pressed onto a 12”, given only to club DJs to try to break the song on the dancefloor. When French producer Jaques Morali went into Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia in October 1975 to tool up a disco version of the Ritchie Family single I Want To Dance With You (Dance With Me) the remix extended the original to twice its length.