New Order - Technique

 

I bought Technique shortly after it was released, and thought it was the best New Order album up to that point. Although the use of electronics, programming, sequencing etc continued to increase, there was still plenty of indie dance/pop, and the tunes were consistently good. It was hardly a surprise it was a number 1 album in the UK.

"Run" was my favourite track and I was puzzled to later read the New Order had been sued by John Denver's Estate for similarities to "Leaving On A Jet Plane".

Listening to "Technique" again over 35 years later, I noticed a distinct split between the traditional guitar and bass indie tracks, which in places now tended to sound like The Cure and the electronica, which sounded like The Pet Shop Boys, with the Balearic club/acid house "Fine Time" an outlier.

Side One opens with "Fine Time" which I didn't like much at the time and it is still my least favourite track on the album. Heavy with electronic bass, drums and synths and a ridiculously deep "sex-god" vocal.

Fortunately "All The Way" goes back to their  traditional guitar and bass orientated indie pop with bass, drums and strummed guitar and a nice melodica motif before the second verse and again in the outro. There is a hint of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven". "It takes years to find the nerve to be apart from what you've done. To find the truth inside yourself and not depend on anyone" Hint of Just like Heaven..

"Love Less" is one of the highlights on "Technique". A mellow song with more melodic bass and rhythmic acoustic guitars, it's another song that could be The Cure. "Can't you see? Why don't you look at me? It's not your right to be so much my enemy".

"Round And Round" is back to the sequencing and electronic music but it now sounds like The Pet Shop Boys. Despite that, it is quite hypnotic. "The picture you see is no portrait of me. It's too real to be shown to someone I don't know. And it's driving me wild, it makes me act like a child".

"Guilty Partner" is another proper song with great driving bass and here the drums sound real. It has a Spanish guitar style solo. "I'm not some kind of foolish lover. I couldn't take this from no other. You're not being cool with me 'cause I always know you'll come back to me. Yes, you'll come back to me".

"Run" starts Side Two and remains my favourite song on the album. I still don't see much similarity to "Leaving on a Jet Plane" apart from perhaps the guitar solo between verses at a stretch could be vaguely similar to Denver's verse ? If that is the basis of the out of court settlement and Denver getting a song-writing credit, then just about every song could be sued by somone, music only has eight notes ! Anyway, I love the slow synth break and drums before the bass and guitars join in for the big finish.   "Answer me, why won't you answer me? I can't recall the day that I last heard from you. Well, you don't get a tan like this for nothing so, here's what you've got to do. You work your way to the top of the world then you break your life in two".

"Mr Disco" is dominated by the bass and electronic noise but has quite a decent tune. The electronic hand-clapping sounds are a bit cliched but I quite like them ! It's another one that could be The Pet Shop Boys. "I can't find my peace of mind because I need you with me all of the time. I used to think about you night and day, I used to feel what language cannot say". "Ibiza, Majorca and Benidorm too, these are the places I never found you".

"Vanishing Point" is another disco track with electronic bass, drums and synths. I like the rising piano and bass leading into more Pet Shop Boys synths and vocals. "My life ain't no holiday. I've been through the point of no return. I've seen what a man can do. I've seen all the hate of a woman too".

The album closes "Dream Attack" starts with strummed guitar and heavy drums, then there are some lovely guitar lines before being joined by the bass and then the vocal comes in. There is a nice piano break after the first verse and the chorus. "I don't belong to no one but I want to be with you. I can't be owned by no one what am I supposed to do?  I can't see the sense in you leaving, all I need is your love to believe in".

In summary, despite now recognizing that some it sounds like other bands, "Technique" remains a fantastic album.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Fine Time
2. All the Way
3. Love Less
4. Round And Round
5. Guilty Partner

Side Two :

1. Run
2. Mr Disco
3. Vanishing Point
4. Dream Attack

Released 1989
UK Chart Position : 1

Singles :

Fine Time ( No 11 - 1988 )
Round And Round ( No 21 - 1989 )
Run ( No 49 - 1989 )

New Order - Substance 1987

 

This compilation of 12 inch singles or re-recordings was my way into discovering New Order. I had previously purchased the "Shellshock" single but that was the only track I knew apart from "True Faith", which was released at more or less the same time as Substance 1987 ( and I also bought ), and the mega-hit "Blue Monday". Embarrassingly, I had not heard the rest before, despite nearly all of them getting into the charts !

I adored this album and played it a lot, leading me to start acquiring several of New Order's earlier albums.

"Ceremony" was a Joy Division song that has a bass intro, great guitar and drums. The vocal is low in the mix and I've only recently seen the lyrics. I had always thought it was "While I break them down on the seashore, heaven knows it's got to be bedtime", but it is actually "Oh, I'll break them down, no mercy shown, heaven knows, it's got to be this time" !

"Everything's Gone Green" features bass, drums, sequenced synths and electronic noises and the rhythm is not too dis-similar to Blue Monday. For some reason it was only released as a single in Belgium but was available on import. Listening to it now I found it fairly dull.

I had read that The Cure had been jumping New Order's train, which I didn't understand at the time but hearing "Temptation" I could see that the intro was "borrowed" by The Cure for "In Between Days" but instead played on acoustic guitars. "Up, down, turn around, please don't let me hit the ground. Tonight, I think I'll walk alone, I'll find my soul as I go home. Ooh, ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh"

There can't be many people who haven't heard "Blue Monday" but it continues to grow on me after not particularly liking it much when it first came out.

"Confusion" is a plodding electro dance track, heavy drumming, electronic beats, funky bass. I thought the backing chant was "Future" but it is actually "Confusion" !

"Thieves Like Us" has a slow synths and drums intro before leading into a Human League style synth lines. The vocal isn't the greatest, perhaps they should have invited Phil Oakley to sing it !

"The Perfect Kiss" has a jerky bass intro, drums, then the electronic beat before finally a glorious synth line. I love the lengthy outro with mesmerising synths, artificial sounds of croaking frogs, then hypnotic bass. "Then I knew it from the start this friend of mine would fall apart. Pretending not to see his gun I said, "Let's go out and have some fun".

"Sub-culture" is an Ibiza style disco/club anthem with soulful female backing vocals. "In the end you will submit. It's got to hurt a little bit".

"Shellshock" has another great intro with synth lines and an electronic beat before launching into the melody and a great chorus "Hold on! It's never enough. It's never enough until your heart stops beating. The deeper you get, the sweeter the pain. Don't give up the game until your heart stops beating"

The intro to "State Of The Nation" has synths, electronic beats and bass and the bass, synth and guitar all take their turns in playing the melody as solos in the extended outro. Along with "Confusion" its a relative rarity in that the song title actually features in the lyrics.

"Bizarre Love Triangle" is an extended version of the song on "Brotherhood", with a lot more electronic sounds, more drum parts, a lovely synth break and decoded vocal part.

"True Faith" was their breakthrough single in the US and their highest charting single in the UK up to that point, and is an almost perfect combination of dance pop and electronica. The accompanying video of costumed men slapping each other was highly acclaimed.

In summary, I would categorise nine of the twelve tracks as astounding, with "Everything's Gone Green", "Confusion" and "Sub-culture" in the OK category.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Ceremony ( 1981 - No 34 )
2. Everything's Gone Green ( 1981 - )
3. Temptation ( 1982 - No 29 )

Side Two :

1. Blue Monday ( 1983 - No 9 )
2. Confusion ( 1983 - No 12 )
3. Thieves Like Us ( 1984 - No 18 )

 

Side Three :

1. The Perfect Kiss ( 1985 - No 46 )
2. Sub-culture ( 1985 - No 63 )
3. Shellshock ( 1986 - No 28 )

 

Side Four :

1. State Of The Nation ( 1986 - No 30 )
2. Bizarre Love Triangle ( 1986 - No 56 )
3. True Faith ( 1987 - No 4 )

 

Released 1987
UK Chart Position : 3