Hi. I feel obliged to reply to this insipid victimisation of me as not only are there hits on the website from this page, but with New Order well on the Manchester International Festival bandwagon this year, I feel obliged to reply, rather than 'defend myself'. Your accusations are obviously stupid. I've been a socialist since Hannett educated me about such in 1980 - so that's my politics. The tapes have had various claimants declaring they belong to them, but the fact is they belong with the copyright owner and in the case of the Joy Division copymasters the rights lay with Warner Music.
The took me to court along with Joy Division members and estates. I had no representation as there's no help for cases such as this. I do have a very strong claim on ownership of the tapes (this is different from being the copyright owner of the material on the tapes). More than 3 solicitors have said as such.
Although there's a gagging order in place about the court case, I am allowed to discuss it with interested parties, of which you and this forum/website are clearly one. Warner had very aggressive lawyers, who I believe run the Warner office in UK. The courts voluntary legal assistant (there to help the court cases go swiftly for those without representation) noticed the clear case of ownership I had and approached Warners before the court commenced to discuss this. He came back visible shaken saying he had never been treated so rudely and that they had broken many codes of conduct in that discussion.
I lost the case as Warners said I was a bootlegger amongst other things.
Anyway there were no financial transaction of any sort, not even for costs to get to London for the hearing. I've had many folk tell me otherwise, but these are the facts.
I was a sound engineer at Strawberry and Yellow Two studios in Stockport which is why I knew about the tape library being thrown away. Web page about it here
http://www.invisiblegirl.co.uk/archive/1984.htmlThere's an exhibition about Strawberry Studios on at the moment, worth checking.
https://www.facebook.com...awberryRecordingStudios/Just heard 'True Faith' by New Order on 6Music - snare just isn't quite the same, is it, without Hannett.