New Order - Drop the Guitar Live in Chile 2014

New Order have previewed their first new track since 2005's Waiting for the Siren's Call. Played live in Chile as part of Lollapalooza Chile on the 30th March 2014. The song is the first new material since Peter Hook left the band. Although Hooky is no longer a member the song has the familiar bass rumble, a spidery guitar part that is very mid period (circa 1985) New Order and a Barney vocal that is prime New Order. It sounds more like New Order than the recent Bad Luienent stuff although the only difference live is Stephen Morris. Sound like a return to form to my ears.



More information here:

Fact Magazine - http://www.factmag.com/2014/03/31/new-order-unveil-first-new-song-in-nine-years-listen-here/

Slicing Up Eyeballs - http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2014/03/31/new-order-new-song-drop-the-guitar-santiago-video/

Consequence of Sound - http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/03/watch-new-order-debuts-drop-the-guitar-their-first-new-song-in-nine-years/

Happy Birthday New Order's Technique - 25 Years Old Today

On the 30th January 1989 New Order released their LP Technique on cassette, compact disk, record and digital audio tape! Released on Factory Record with the Factory Number - FAC 275. 

Recorded partly in Ibiza (although very little of the Ibiza recordings made the final record), where the band spent the time partying, crashing cars and soaking in the emerging Acid House/Balerica Beat club culture. The new club sounds clearly influenced the band and bleed through to the LP. You can hear them in the indie acid of Fine Time to (the first single) to the general sun dappled production, upbeat melodies and rhythmic thrust. The shift from the band debut LP Movement in 1981 with its heavy Martin Hannett production and difficult lyric and deep vocals couldn't be more marked. If a year is a long time in politics then eight years is generation in musical terms. They simply don't sound like the same band at all, the only clue that links the bands is Hooky's melodic bass and the brilliance of the drumming. 

I remember buying at the time on cassette from Our Price in Woolwich. It is one record that has really stuck with me through the last 25 years, it arrived at a rather difficult part in my own personal life and I have bought it on CD a number of times as I have lost or damaged them across the years. It always brings a smile to my face and is an uplifting listen. 

 "It begins. It thumps with glee, it swirls with lackadaisical  intensity. "You're much too young to be a part of me, you're much too young to get a hold on me." And never have veterans sounded so

brilliantly arrogant, masters so eager. Jesus. "Technique" is so

effortlessly GREAT, so languidly heroic, so vibrant and thrilling

despite itself, that one wishes one could weep....."

Chris Roberts 

A can remember Chris Roberts review in Melody Maker at the time and it can viewed here 

http://www.new-order.net/terminal1.demon.co.uk/NewMM1-89album.htm

A great review from Ian Wade at the BBC website from 2008

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/nxbd

Rate Your Music Page on Technique

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/new_order/technique/

The LP reached number one in the UK Album charts, the singles released were Fine Time (11th), Round and Round (21) and Run 2 (49). It would be the last LP the band released on Factory before the label went bust and the band moved to London record for the release of Republic in 1993. 

Happy birthday Technique you are still a joy to listen to.

Cool as Ice - Be Music Productions (New Order) Spotify Playlist

Have just found this little gem on Spotify. The LP Cool as Ice collects various New Order Productions as Be Music between 1983 and 1984. This was just as New Order were dancing headlong towards electronic music and away from the Martin Hannett  Joy Division production template.




The LP collects the various members of New Order as they produced other Factory Record acts (no doubt Tony Wilson hoping that some of that chart bound magic could be sprinkled on other artists).

The Be Music productions were divided into three teams:

• Barney and Donald Johnston of ACR (aka DoJo)
• Hooky
• Stephen and Gillian 

Section 25, Marcel King (Shaun Ryders favorite ever Factory track) , Paul Haig and Quando Quando (including future M People main man Mike Pickering) were produced by Barney and Johnston, Nyam Nyam and the Be Music Theme are the work of Hooky and Life, Thick Pigeon and 52nd Street by Stephen and Gillian.

The two Section 25 tracks are wonderful, full of the fragile grace and brittle melodies that also marked out New Order at this time. They could be out takes from Movement or Power Corruption and Lies. The Looking From a Hilltop 12" Megamix is a real lost factory classic all bleeping bass, interweaving male and female vocals and a great synth string part. 

The Be Music Theme has shades of the New Order track murder in its mix of sampled(?) speech, tribal drumming and keyboard washes. Fate/Hate by Nyam Nyam is with is chugging baseline and midi synth parts is beautiful. The New Order pair of Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert also played on the Nyam Nyam record and went on to produce and play on the LP Too Crazy Cowboys released by Factory in 1984.

You can purchase the LP in CD and Vinyl formats here:

http://www.ltmrecordings.com/cool_as_ice_ltmcd2377.html

New Order Melbourne 27th November 1982 Full Show

A great video of an early New Order perform in Melbourne Australia from the 27th November 1982.Although the quality of video isn't great the performance itself is a joy. Early versions of songs, some great backing vocals for Gillian and a performance of the never official recorded or released Chosen Time.

It includes the first ever live outing of Blue Monday with full vocals.

Full track listing is as follows:

• Ceremony
• Ultraviolence
• Chosen Time
• Dreams Never End
• We All Stand
• Truth
• Your Silent Face
• Temptation
• Denial
• Blue Monday

Thanks to whoever uploaded this to youtube.

New Order - Live Woolwich April 1987

New Order - Live Woolwich London April 1987

This was the first time I ever saw New Order live and in my home town, well my part of London. It was a warm up gig I believe for a bigger date in London the following week.

I bought a copy of the gig on tape from a small ad in the back of the Melody Maker. My first proper gig and my first bootleg rolled into one. I lost the tape years ago and have been attempting to track in down online for ages.

At last I found a copy of it here :

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=80620&highlight=Bizarre+Love+Triangle

Its a recording from the crowd and as I listened to the gig for the first time in best part of 20 years I could still remember the between song banter. Barney being rather cutting about South East London, the great ad lib in the middle of Face Up, the storming version of Temptation.

It was an great gig and New Order encored with a version of Atmosphere when they never did encores of played Joy Division songs.

To top it off they then played a rare Velvet Underground song "

Do The Ostrich" one of only seven times they played the song.

1 Ceremony

2 Paradise

3 Shellshock

4 Way of Life

5 Your Silent Face

6 Every Little Counts

7 Subculture

8 Face Up

9 Temptation

10 Bizarre Love Triangle

11 Sunrise

12 Atmosphere

13 Do The Ostrich

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100 Greatest LP's Since I Was Born

My Favorite 100 LPS since I was born.



My Top 100 LPs since I was born!
1. American Music Club – California
2. New Order – Low Life
3. The National – Alligator
4. Momus – Tender Pervert
5. Tricky – Maxinquaye
6. Pixies – Surfer Rosa
7. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
8. Burial – Untrue
9. Portishead – Dummy
10. PJ Harvey – Rid of Me

11. The Human League – Dare
12. My Bloody Valentine – Isn’t Anything
13. Band of Holy Joy – Manic, Magic, Majestic
14. Galaxie 500 – On Fire
15. The Smiths – Meat is Murder
16. Belong – October Music
17. Talk Talk – Laughing Stock
18. Jens Lekman – Oh Your So Silent Jens
19. Disco Inferno – D.I. Go Pop
20. Art of Noise – (Who’s Afraid of)The Art of Noise

21. Prince - Parade
22. Mark Eitzel – Sixty Watt Silver Lining
23. William Basinski – Disintegration Loops
24. Antony & The Johnsons – I am A Bird Now
25. The Caretaker - Theoretically Pure Anterograde
26. Blue Nile – Hats
27. Underworld – NodubbasswIthmyheadman
28. Bjork - Debut
29. Arctic Monkeys – My Favourite Worst Nightmare
30. The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow

31. The Cure – 17 Seconds
32. Arab Strap – The Week Never Starts Round Here
33. Stone Roses – Stone Roses
34. Depeche Mode – Black Celebration
35. Lilly Allen – Alright Still
36. Jesus & Mary Chain – Psychocandy
37. Vic Chesnut – West of Rome
38. This Mortal Coil – It’ll End In Tears
39. Tom Waits – Rain Dogs
40. Billy Bragg – Workers Playtime
41. Pet Shop Boys – Please
42. PIL – Metal Box
43. Tim Hecker – An Imaginary Country
44. Bob Mould – Work Book
45. Richmond Fontaine - The Fitzgerald
46. Cowboy Junkies – Caution Horses
47. R.E.M. – Document
48. Morrissey – Vauxhall & I
49. Primal Scream – Screamadelica
50. Galaxie 500 – Today

51. Talk Talk – Sprit of Eden

52. Junior Boys – No Exit
53. Joy Division – Closer
54. Michael Jackson – Off The Wall
55. Yellow Swans – Drift
56. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
57. Burial – Burial
58. The The – Soul Mining
59. Kraftwerk – The Man Machine
60. Soft Cell – Non Stop Erotic Cabaret
61. Robert Wyatt – Rock Bottom

62. New Order – Technique
63. Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen
64. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
65. Nick Cave – The Boatmans Call
66. PJ Harvey – White Chalk
67. Vic Chesnut – Drunk
68. Big Black – Atomiser
69. American Music Club – United Kingdom
70. The Cure – Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
71. Beach Boys – Surfs Up

72. Brian Eno – On Land
73. Suicide – Suicide
74. Buzzcocks – Another Music From a Different Kitchen
75. Big Star – Third/Sister Lovers
76. Nirvana – In Utero
77. Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska
78. Durutti Column – Vini Reilly
79. Malcolm Middleton - Into The Woods
80. Times New Viking – Born Again Revisited

81. This Heat – Deceit
82. The Go-Betweens – Tallulah
83. His Name Is Alive – Mouth by Mouth
84. Goldmund – Corduroy Road
85. The XX – XX
86. Matson Jones – Matson Jones
87. Wedding Present – Sea Monsters
88. The House of Love – The House of Love
89. A.R. Kane – 69
90. Scott Walker – Drift

91. Leila – Like Weather
92. Deerhunter – Microcastle
93. Nick Drake – Pink Moon
94. Billy Bragg – Lifes a Riot with Spy vs Spy
95. Liars – Drums not Dead
96. Bjork – Homogenic
97. Jack – Pioneer Soundtracks
98. Beloved – Happiness
99. Martyn – Great Lengths
100. Bon Iver – For Emma, forever ago.

New Order Doubts Even Here v Eraserhead

The New Order reissues have made me come to the releases with a fresh set of ears. I have never really listened to Movement in much depth but now have found that I love it more and more on each listen. Doubts Even Here is a real lost New Order classic, I tired to find a live version to put up here but I think this is much better.

Enjoy

Number 10 New Order Clips - In a Lonely Place

I love this so much. Marvel at how far New Order have moved on from the Shadow of Joy Division. Lyrics by Ian Curtis sung by Barney in his own voice, compared to the pale imitation of Ian on the recorded version.

If Joy Division are long rain coats and gloom, this is class A drugs, synths, sunshine and those nasty shorts.

Faster Steve, faster......

New Order - My Top 10

I am going to post up my favorite New Order tracks over the next few days with clips from you tube if I can find them.

First my review of the Singles Collection penned for Music OHM

New Order - The Singles

Genius. Simply, pure genius. No doubt, no hesitation. New Order kings and queens of disco melancholy. Rhythm, beauty, melody and bass. God like genius award from the NME. A trifle. You know that Pope Benedict is addressing the calls for their beatification as a matter of urgency. Touched by the hand of god, the perfect kiss, heaven in their hands.

Singles is the perfect review for New Order. All thirty singles, from the brittle sackcloth of Ceremony to the sleek surging Waiting For The Sirens' Call. See, they hail from a time when bands didn't release singles from LPs. Bursting with so many thrills and pills that they dropped faultlessly formed blasts of music on matt black 12" singles. Songs full of languid grace and thumping beats. The Manc fab four. Effortlessly cool and arty.

The shadow cast by Ian Curtis' death, the weight of the myth of Joy Division would have been enough to bury most bands. That New Order not only rose above and did not buckle as people but exploded in a riot of electro, programmed drums and gruff honest humour is a miracle. When U2 went all postmodern and swish they where attempting to ape New Order's jump from the ashes of the past. With U2 it always felt like a mask, a game, a ruse and now they are back grinding out rock music in 1000 shades of grey, with New Order it was a love affair, a taste for New York high life mixed with Manchester low life. The art of parties. It shows in the energy rush, the glee and vibrancy of the music.

Blue Monday is often labelled with inventing indie dance. Sure its huge success brought the sound out of the left-field and onto Top Of The Pops but you can hear the stirrings on Everything's Gone Green and the majestic Temptation. Bernard Sumner's Chic via Salford guitar playing on Temptation is the sound of their past being unstitched and shrugged off. The long overcoats of Joy Division crashing to the floor revealing (if not gold lame, that comes in the video for World In Motion) then reds and blues where once was only grey. In the "woah woahs" of the refrain you can feel the relief, the light at the end of the tunnel. Memories cleansed, the future imperfect

Enigmatic single, followed enigmatic single. Along the way they invented the blueprint for much of the mid 80s indie. The Cure, in hyper poppy style and Depeche Mode owe much to the trailblazing of New Order. Depeche Mode's Enjoy The Silence is New Order in fetish gear. The bassline is pure Hooky. Subculture is a Pet Shop Boy's wet dream. Their sound can be heard in artist such as The Killers (named after the fake band in the Crystal video) and Franz Ferdinand, who think making dance music with guitars is radical. New Order were doing that in 1982!

Not content with re-imagining the limits of pop music, they also provided the cradle for acid house, their club the Hacienda becoming the Northern Mecca for the first generation of ecstasy fuelled ravers. Their finger has always been on the club pulse, leading where others follow. True Faith is an ode to drug use that sounds like a hot air balloon ride to heaven. Fine Time is Barry White meets acid house in a crumbling canal side warehouse, Regret a comeback greater than Liverpool's in the Champions League.

If you have any interest in pop music then sell your soul to buy this. At that price it's a bargain.