used an increasing amount of electronics throughout the '80s to become more of a dancefloor-oriented band, much like Factory labelmates
. The group (whose name is a pointer to a
later joined as the drummer.
to his fledgling Factory label and became their first manager. In 1979,
released the drummerless "All Night Party"/"The Thin Boys," their debut single, and recorded the studio and live sides that were released the following January as
The punk and industrial grind of
ACR's early live shows soon became more danceable and funk-inspired -- second single "Shack Up," a
Banbarra cover, even reached the American R&B Top 50. The proper debut album,
To Each..., appeared in 1981 and was produced by the band and
Martin Hannett. The following two albums,
Sextet and
I'd Like to See You Again (both 1982), expanded
A Certain Ratio's sound further, encompassing Latin and jazz elements. But
Tilson left the band in 1982, and
Topping opted out a year later, leaving vocal duties to
Kerr and
Johnson. Also,
Andy Connell joined the group as keyboardist, replacing
Peter Terrell, yet he left within three years to form
Swing Out Sister.
Frustrated with its lack of commercial success, the group recorded just one more album for Factory, 1986's
Force, though the company released a singles compilation (
The Old and the New) around the same time. The next year brought
Live in America (on the independent label Dojo) and a major-label contract with A&M, where they fared no better; the full-length
Good Together was released in 1989, while
ACR:MCR followed one year later, and neither release left much of a commercial impression. The band moved to old friend
Rob Gretton's label, Robs Records, which issued
Up in Downsville in 1992. Creation Records later acquired the rights to
ACR's back catalog and released a remix album, 1994's
Looking for A Certain Ratio, with help from Manchester alums
Graham Massey,
Electronic,
the Other Two, and
Sub Sub, among others.
After a five-year hiatus,
A Certain Ratio returned in 1996 with
Change the Station. Although the band did not release another studio album for over a decade, much of its discography was reissued throughout the early 2000s on the Soul Jazz and LTM labels.
Mind Made Up, technically the band's ninth studio release (counting
The Graveyard and the Ballroom), was released in 2008 on the French label Le Maquis. As funky as any of their prior releases, it featured the vocals of longtime collaborator
Denise Johnson on three songs. The band took a similarly funk-infused approach -- again featuring
Johnson on some tracks -- with 2010's
Mind Made Up.
–
John Bush & Andy Kellman, Rovi