One record at a time: 273. New Order - Republic

Here I am playing a 2015 repressing of New Order's sixth studio album "Republic". This record has great sound reproduction but is let down by the terrible graphic design and the frustrating nature of the music. Things start promisingly enough with the classic track "Regret" which somehow straddles the genres of rock and pop whilst delivering an infectious melody. "World (The Price of Love)" is much better than I remember it being, but the Korg T3 piano and breakbeats sound pretty old fashioned today.

Things go downhill with "Ruined in a Day" which is a bit lacklustre and uses a drum loop that sounds totally out of place on a New Order record. The Sly & Robbie dub mixes included on the single must surely win the prize for worst remixes of 1993 (which is quite an achievement when you consider the DJ Pierre remixes of Pet Shop Boys "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" were also released in that year). "Spooky" is a more upbeat track but it will never be amongst the band's best. "Everyone Everywhere" sounds more akin to old school New Order and its rhythmical complexity marks it out as superior to large chunks of the first side of this record.

"Young Offender" sounds like an early nineties dance anthem trying to burst out of a pop song - a phenomenon that is curiously enjoyable. "Liar" has a great rhythmical intro but it turns into a weird nineties pop song that I could easily hear a talentless boy band singing. There is another stab at dance music with "Chemical" but it sounds confused and antiquated. In fact, some of the songs on this album are so poorly executed it's easy to forget that they were produced by the illustrious Stephen Hague.

As another annoying breakbeat introduces "Times Change" you could be forgiven for thinking things can't get much worse. Yet, when Bernard starts rapping I find myself lifting the needle and skipping to the next track. Having endured a few decidedly iffy moments my tolerance is at an all time low and the final two tracks don't make much impression on me. In terms of vinyl, this is where New Order and I part ways. I dislike "Get Ready" and I don't enjoy "Waiting for the Siren's Call" or "Music Complete" enough to justify the cost. 2/5

One record at a time: 272. New Order - Technique

"Technique" was first released in 1989 and has gone on to become regarded as both a fan favourite and a classic of the decade. Here I am playing my copy which is a 180g repressing from 2009 that sounds nearly flawless to my ears.

"Fine Time" is an amazing dance track and was a brave choice for a single back in 1988 as it doesn't employ a traditional song structure and is largely instrumental. Put quite simply, this is a classic of the New Order canon and essential listening for anyone with a interest in electronic dance music.

"All the Way" is a more traditional rock number but has a strong melody and just enough synth for me to enjoy it. "Love Less" is another enjoyable guitar based track that reminds me of Cocteau Twins with its high chorused bass and floaty melody.

We move back to electronic music with the orchestra hits and Roland D-50 of "Round & Round". This track is another prime slice of late eighties electronic music where the dance floor was inspiring and rejuvenating pop. Whilst I am probably more accustomed to the tighter and punchier single version of this song, the mix on the album is still excellent. I've always liked the strange programming of the percussion and the agogô pattern almost sounds like it was lifted straight from Pet Shop Boys (it wasn't). The final song on this side is "Guilty Partner" which takes off a bit in the chorus but is otherwise a standard rock album track.

One of my favourite songs on here is "Run". This is surprising as it isn't a electronic song but driven by an acoustic guitar and prominent bass work from Peter Hook. The backing vocals and guitar work are excellent and when the Melloton like strings come in towards then end, things take off again in the most brilliant way. "Mr Disco" prophesies the sound of Bernard's  "Electronic" project and is the equal of anything he would go on to produce with Mr Marr. The excellent "Vanishing Point" rumbles into life with a mix of heavy synth bass, TR-909 snares and Roland D-50 Fantasia. This is another one of the high points of the album for me and I used to love hearing this song when it was used on the TV show "Making Out". The album ends with "Dream Attack" which is rescued by its synth bass but is otherwise unremarkable. A great album but would need less guitar and rock tracks to achieve a higher score from me. 4/5

One record at a time: 271. New Order - Substance

I think I own a version of this compilation on CD somewhere, but this new vinyl edition only came into my possession in 2023. Like many albums that have been repressed recently, it was released to capitalise on consumer demand that was driving second-hand prices of the original record ever upward. Whilst fairly costly, this double LP is an essential purchase as it brings together all of the band's 12" singles released between 1981 and 1987; many of which were not included on albums. In typical New Order fashion, the true nature of this release was confused by including re-recordings of two songs, edits of a handful of others and mixing up the names of two of the b-sides included on the cassette and CD editions.

This vinyl only contains the twelve a-sides and, as it moves in chronological order, the re-recording of "Ceremony" starts us off. I think it is fairly well known that this song began life as a Joy Division composition and it is sounds predictably atmospheric and moody; pop music this is not. The New Order back catalogue is not easy to navigate and the inclusion of "Everything's Gone Green" could be based on any number of factors. Yet it is important this song is included as, not only is it very good, but it is clearly a moment in which New Order emerged from the shadow of Joy Division. "Temptation" has a very distinctive vocal that seems to be perfectly complimented by the rattling guitars and the synth sequences - I like this track very much and it fully justifies its seven minute length. Next up is the classic "Blue Monday" that I don't have to describe here - suffice to say this track was a seismic shift in electronic music and we wouldn't be where we are today without it. 

"Confusion" on the other hand is not a track I enjoy. The vocals are terrible, the melody is naive and the production a cliche. Everyone is trying too hard on this song and it ends up sounding manufactured and artificial. Normal service is resumed with the majestic duo of "Thieves Like Us" and "The Perfect Kiss" which would surely be on any 'Best of" mix tape you might feel compelled to make. "Subculture" and "Shellshock" are disappointing and sound a little insipid for me. "State of the Nation" is OK but the real highlights are the last two tracks "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "True Faith". 

I first heard "True Faith" when the video was played on a TV programme I was watching. This track sounded perfect to my ears and my sole reason for borrowing the cassettes of "Substance" in 1987 was to hear this song. But when I played the album I didn't have the patience to wade through tracks with guitar and out of tune vocals to get to the big prize; so I gave up. When I did finally go back to New Order in the early nineties, I realised that some of these tracks are cornerstones of electronic music and this is an essential album. 4/5

One record at a time: 270. New Order - Brotherhood

"Brotherhood" has somehow come to be regarded as an illustration of the two sides of New Order: the rock and the electronic. This is a recent common or garden repressing that has a cheap flimsy inner bag and average sound quality, but it is still sold at a premium price.

Opening track "Paradise" is reminiscent of the band's early singles where their post-punk sound incorporates enough synths and melody to be really exciting. Unfortunately the second track "Weirdo" leans more towards a traditional rock sound and is a bit dull as a result. I can almost see Hooky grinning in the studio as I listen to this. "Broken Promise" has a pulse but no real melody and "As It Is When It Was" has neither. The more effervescent "Way of Life" finishes off a competent if slightly dull side one.

As the familiar synth bass of "Bizarre Love Triangle" kicks in, I instantly feel more comfortable in a world of glossy synth-pop driven by sequencers and drum machines. The infectious melody and disjointed (but strangely inspiring) lyrics combine to create a classic in the New Order back catalogue. The next song, "All Day Long" can only be described as epic. One of the elements that sets this album above its predecessors is Bernard's improved vocals because not only are they increasingly in tune, but as this song demonstrates, they are also better timed to compliment the strict rhythm of the TR-808 beat. 

After two appealing and largely commercial songs, New Order seem compelled to indulge the intrusive voices that tell them to create noisy, meaningless rock (far be it from me to pick sides and imply there was one particular member of the band that drove this) with "Angel Dust". The final track, "Every Little Counts" is a seemingly light weight ditty where Bernard begins laughing towards the end of the song. When I first heard this album in my youth the laughter felt a bit like the band where mocking their own material and it didn't sit well with me. Thankfully I am a little more accepting now and overall, this album is better than I remember it being. If "Angel Dust" and "Paradise" could swap places this would allow me a clear run at one side of the record and an option to pick up the 'rock' side in the unlikely event I wanted to hear it. Like many New Order albums this record swings between mediocre compositions and electronic finery, you just have to take the rough with the smooth. 3/5

One record at a time: 269. New Order - Low-Life

The original pressing of this record came with a semi-transparent "onion skin" sleeve that allowed the owner to swap the image showing on the front. Alas, a great many of these original sleeves are now torn and a good second hand copy is hard to come by. As a consequence of this sleeve fragility, I am playing a recent repressing with a standard cardboard sleeve and a flimsy inner bag that I was given as a Christmas present.

"Love Vigilantes" is a bizarre opening track that sounds like a pub band playing John Denver. The lyrics could be considered naive at best and the delivery is almost laughable. And yet, you can't help continuing to listen with the same morbid fascination that drives people to watch a car crash - we're intrigued to see just how bad things turn out. We instantly jump from the ridiculous to the sublime with the introduction of lead single "The Perfect Kiss". This track is fantastic eighties synth-pop and is head and shoulders above everything else on this record. The lyrics are nonsensical and I know purists bemoan the fact that the album version is heavily edited from the original; but for the more casual fan like myself, this still hits the spot. "This Time Of Night" is fairly standard indie/dance fare which is nice enough without really setting the world on fire. There's some overly long post punk rock in the form of "Sunrise", but it's not one I enjoy.

On the flip side we have instrumental "Elegia" which is a sombre tribute to former band mate Ian Curtis. As the track plods along in a fairly skeletal fashion, it is easy to tell it was intended to accompany visuals where it would have benefited from some added stimulus. "Sooner Than You Think" recycles the sonic palette used on "The Perfect Kiss" and sounds pretty good despite Bernard's best efforts to scupper it with inept vocals. The version of "Sub-Culture" presented here is far superior to the slightly kitsch disco versions John Robbie created for the single release. I think a good part of the reason I don't like this song is because I have always been more familiar with the single remixes where everything sounds forced and disjointed. The the album version is better as its raw energy sounds honest and less contrived. Things finish off with "Face Up" which seems to have set out to be a hi-energy stomper, but as Hooky and Bernard are playing and singing in completely different keys, things turn out as a real mess. 2/5

One record at a time: 268. New Order - Power, corription and Lies

My first experience of New Order was listening to a borrowed cassette of "Substance" in 1987. At first I was struck by the 'indie' nature of the music and disappointed it wasn't the slick synth-pop of their latest hit single. In fact, I struggled to find the new single on either cassette as there were no track names that sounded even vaguely like: "I used to think that the day would never come, I'd see delight in the shade of the morning sun". 

The style of the music on "Substance" was inconsistent and everything sounded vaguely out of tune to my young ears. At the time I felt New Order were just too enigmatic and they clearly weren't a band for me.

Over the next few years I had various brushes with New Order but I didn't purchase any of their music until 1994 when "The Best Of " was released. By this time I was earning a meagre wage and felt I could afford to take a punt and finally work out what this band were all about. Thirty years later I still don't think I fully understand New Order, but I have a much greater appreciation for their music and have gone on to purchase a good chunk of their back catalogue.

"Power, Corruption and Lies" is the second album released by the band in 1983 and I purchased this modern repress in 2021. I may have mentioned previously that one of my pet peeves is record labels that don't clearly state which side of the record you are looking at. This particular record is guilty of this offence and, as I lay it on the platter, I make a mental note to deduct half a point for the infraction.

Compared to their first album (which was recorded in a very particular set of circumstances) the music on this record is slightly less morose. Whilst "Age of Consent" and "We All Stand" still rely on Hooky's distinctive bass and Stephen's manic drumming, everything feels buoyant and spirited. 

The first substantial use of electronic instruments comes on "The Village" which has a brilliant Moog Source bassline bubbling under Bernard's vocal, along with loads of other synth arpeggios and textures. "5 8 6" starts as a weird experimental piece before suddenly bursting into life with a very familiar sound.

The best track on the album is "Your Silent Face" which features the immortal line "You've caught me at a bad time. So, why don't you piss off?". The synth lines on this track are almost perfect and it matches contemporaneous masterpieces like "Temptation" in quality. "Ultraviolence" mixes snippets of DNA from "Blue Monday" with the maudlin sensibilities of Joy Division to good effect. "Ecstasy" is a largely instrumental piece that uses an electronic bassline and some nifty vocoder to encapsulate the change of direction this album represents. Final track "Leave Me Alone" sounds more like one of the traditional band recordings we heard at the start of the album. It's not a bad song, but as the album has gradually progressed into an electronic sound, it feels a retrograde step to end up exactly where we started.

When discussing this album, the elephant in the room is the omission of "Blue Monday". Not including one of your biggest hits and a seminal moment in electronic music on the album is the kind of illogical thing many artists did in the eighties. Yet, it is probably for the best that it isn't on here as "5 8 6" and "Ultraviolence" have strong similarities and would have paled in comparison. Even the best songs on this record like "The Village" and "Your Silent Face" might not shine as brightly if the 'biggest selling 12" of all time' was included; so lets accept the album as it is. 3/5

One record at a time: 267. New Order - Movement

I saw a television programme recently in which Peter Hook described "Movement" as, "A Joy Division album sung by New Order". There's no doubt that New Order's debut is a transitional piece that ploughs the same furrow as Joy Division rather than offering us something new. 

Here I will be playing a copy of the 2016 repressing which is visually unremarkable, but seems to win universal praise for how it sounds.

The opening track "Dreams Never End" is a relatively primitive band recording involving bass, acoustic drums and guitar. The vocals are provided by Peter Hook as the band hadn't decided who was to be the new singer when it was recorded. The song is relatively upbeat and has some nice melodic elements, but I can't say I enjoy the strange double tracked vocal.

"Truth" is a maudlin drawl that features some primitive synth sounds and a drum machine alongside the usual guitar and bass. There's a four on the floor kick drum to open "Senses" and a rumbling synth that suggests this is going to be something more lively. Stephen's trademark roto-toms come rattling through before we hear Hooky's distinctive high basslines. For me this is one of the first songs that points to the sound the band would later develop. "Chosen Time" is surprisingly rapid in tempo but somehow manages to sound brooding and sullen at the same time. 

"ICB" and "The Him" are reflective pieces but the latter sounds naive in its realisation and I am growing very tired of Stephen's insistent toms by this point. Hooky returns on vocals for the disappointing "Doubts Even Here" and the slightly more upbeat "Denial" finishes things off. The trouble with this album is that it gives me the feeling of what it is like to be a goldfish: thirty seconds after a track has finished I can't remember anything about it. Everything sounds fairly similar with rattling toms, choppy guitars and largely indistinguishable vocals buried in the mix. The real New Order were yet to emerge from the shadows of Joy Division. 2/5

One record at a time: 102. Electronic - Electronic

If you were to ask me, "What is your favourite album?" the answer would sometimes be Electronic's eponymously titled debut. 

I have two copies of the vinyl: an original pressing from 1991 and the 2015 180g version. Whilst both sound good, I prefer the original. This preference is not only due to the quality of the audio but also because the original presents the album in the way the artist intended. All subsequent pressings of the LP include "Getting Away With It" and this track was most definitely not on the album when it was released. Adding non-album singles retrospectively might give the public the hits they crave, but it also bastardises the album a little for me.

"Idiot Country" is a great opening track and one that I have always appreciated. One reason I admire this song so much is that it manages to use the "Jamisen" preset from a Roland D-110 and make it sound good: this is no small achievement. There's no dip in quality as the pounding TR-909 kicks combine perfectly with Johnny's guitar in "Reality". In my youth I didn't appreciate "Tighten Up" as its featured so much guitar that it sounded a bit "indie" to me, but in the intervening thirty years I have grown to like it. 

Whilst Pet Shop Boys collaboration "The Patience of a Saint" isn't as successful as "Getting Away With It", it still remains an impressive track. I'm not a massive fan of the weak Roland CR-78 drum samples or the pad sound Chris uses for the chords but there is a great melody. Side One finishes with the majestic "Gangster". Personally I find it unfathomable that some people regard this track as the low point. How can you resist a line like, "I don't need a doctor telling me I'm full of juice"? Yes, some of the orchestra hits sound a bit dated but the TR-909 beat is amazing and I love almost every second of the backing track.

Side two opens with the short instrumental "Soviet" featuring Roland JD-800 piano, strings and not much else. "Get The Message" features amazing guitar work which is underpinned by a driving double bass. The catchy chorus meant this was always an obvious choice for single release. "Try All You Want" sees the TR-909 brought front and centre and we are treated to something that could have been included on "Technique Part II". Whilst the dance beats continue, "Some Distant Memory" is a little more wistful and even features an oboe 'solo'. The final track is the immaculate single "Feel Every Beat" which is the perfect combination of melody, groove and vocals. A rave piano is given a good workout as Bernard doffs his cap to the emerging house sound. An immense album. 5/5

Lost gem: New Order Wainting For The Siren's Call (Planet Funk Remix)

On listening to the latest New Order album "Education Entertainment Recreation" I was blown away by the version of "Waiting for the Siren's Call" the band played. I remember buying the parent album,"Waiting for the Siren's Call" on the back of hearing the single "Krafty" and thinking, "Meh." What I don't remember is hearing one of the greatest song/remix combinations ever. 

I don't claim to be a New Order completest so the remixes of the single "Waiting for the Siren's Call" completely passed me by in 2005. This it seems is a very big oversight on my part. I can't explain just how wonderful I think this remix is. It's the perfect recipe: great sleeper song, terrible 'band' type original production and brilliant electronic remix that lifts it beyond perfection.

As I listen to this remix, I can't think why it wasn't issued as a single. The band clearly like it and it is in a different universe to the original. Maybe Hooky wasn't into it? Maybe the record company were deaf? Who knows. But I'm so glad it exists and it easily goes into my top 10 greatest remixes ever made. I'm just sad I didn't know of it sooner.

Electronic "Especially Bad Edition"

There have been many poor “remastered” CD’s issued by increasingly desperate record companies in recent years. The New Order “Deluxe Editions” of 2008 remain the pinnacle of record company ineptitude and stupidity.

But there has emerged a challenger to New Orders crown with the release of the “Special Edition” of Electronics’ eponymously titled debut.

Why would you include a second CD with new edits of songs that are completely unrelated to the original album and exclude the rare and unreleased single edit of “Tighten Up”? Why add alternative versions of tracks recorded eight years later and omit remixes of “Getting Away with It” which have never been released on CD in the UK? Why label “Feel Every Beat” as the “2013 Edit” when it is in fact the DNA remix from 1991?

The release of this CD is a mercenary act that has been conducted by people who are completely ignorant. If you were to be generous to EMI records, you would describe this collection of music as ‘eclectic’. If you were feeling evil you would say it is a complete mess not worthy of a single penny of your hard earned cash.

If a CD is worth reissuing as a “Special Edition” surely it is worth getting right? This lazy ‘scatter gun’ approach to track selection is pathetic. I guess we should be grateful nothing on these two CDs has been taken from a vinyl source (unlike the afore mentioned New Order releases) and the uninspiring packaging does at least contain some new sleeve notes.

Personally I think it should be relabelled as the “Especially Bad Edition” and I encourage everyone to steer clear of it.

The worst remastered CD ever.....

Now from my last post you will note my disappointment at the quality of reissued or remastered CD’s issued by my favourite bands. With the arrival of the first of the New Order ‘collectors editions’ I have found a new low in quality. 

Having placed my bonus disc into my rather expensive Marantz CD player I immediately removed it and checked it for dust and dirt. I ripped the CD into my computer at a high bit rate and assumed the pops and crackles were due to a poor rip. I tried every CD player I had and the result was the same. To make matters worse, the original album sounds little different to the original CD I own. Before I wrapped the faulty CD up to return to sender, I decided to check the last bastion of specialist knowledge: the official website forum. 

Here you will find many heated debates raging around the subject. I could not help but raise a smile as member after member threw their hat in the ring with lost tempers and childish antics abound. It reminded me of when my favourite group the Pet Shop Boys reissued their back catalogue. The rants we fans entered into were ferocious enough to be commented upon by Neil Tennant in a radio documentary, much to our equal delight and shame. But at least the Pet Shop Boys reissues were consistent and sourced from the master recordings. The New Order collectors editions are poorly mastered, include poor vinyl transfers and even feature the same track on more than one of the bonus CD’s! They are a shambles from start to finish and I have since cancelled my orders for the remaining four albums. I cannot condemn them highly enough. Avoid at any price.