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

  

New Order - Brotherhood

 

Brotherhood was New Order's fourth studio album and at the time I thought it was the best they had released. The sticker shows I paid £6.29 for the LP but it is not clear from where I bought it.

I liked every track on the album as the band moved away from the dance-rock hybrid of "Power, Corruption & Lies" and towards "post punk", but with their strongest collection of melodies. 

The only song I had heard before was "Bizarre Love Triangle" as the 12 inch version was on the "Substance 1987" compilation, although I was unaware it had been their breakthrough single in the USA as I had not heard it when it was released as a single in the UK and got no higher than 56 in the UK chart. The song was subsequently used in the film "Married To The Mob", which starred Michelle Pfeiffer.

It was sometime after that I discovered that side one was supposed to have the "post punk" material whilst side two was "electronica". To me though, the only significant difference was perhaps the drums on side one were real but electronic on side two ?

"Paradise" opens side one with some crisp drumming then a synth bass line. The chorus has a lot of uncharacteristic "Sha-la-la-la-la"s which makes it quite catchy. "If we left this town we could walk the Earth together. If you let me down I will live in you forever".

The uptempo "Wierdo" is dominated by thrashy guitar  "Just like the ocean or the sea. Just like the blood that burns in me. Someone like you cannot be free. Just like a lock without a key"

However, the pace changes with "As It Is As It Was" which begins with a slow acoustic guitar intro, then the drums and bass come in. "I've kept my head against the wall, I've been this way for so long now. You weren't exactly falling over yourself when last I saw you. Well I always thought we'd get along like a house on fire, until you told me that I'd have to go. How can someone like you, work that slow?"

The post punk vibes return with "Broken Promise" which has an urgent bass and guitar intro. "And I never could believe it, and I never could be true. For the things that mean so much to me, don't mean that much to you"

Heavy drumming gets "Way Of Life" under way and around the two minute mark there is a killer guitar solo after which the bass and drums take over. "Who do you think you're talking to? When I look at you I know you're lying. All you say and do seems to fall apart and leave you crying".

Side two starts with "Bizarre Love Triangle", in which electronic beats and synthesized strings dominate.

"All Day Long"is a pretty but sad song, with Wagnerian style synths and then a lovely guitar break. "This is a song about an innocent who died at the hands of a desperate man. He trusted those who he thought he knew. He trusted those who he looked up to".

"Angel Dust" is perhaps the weakest song on the album. There's a simple one note at a time piano break, and dramatic synth strings. It's a decent track, but simply pales in comparison with the rest of the album.

The album finishes with "Every Little Counts", which is my favourite track. Starting with bass and cymbals not too dis-similar to Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side", Bernard Sumner burst out laughing when trying to sing "I think you are a pig". However, the song continues and has some gorgeous guitar and synth strings. The guitar break plays the melody and a great synth motif comes in near the end. The track then the sound of a record being scratched by the needle to finish.

Having heard "Brotherhood" for the first time in over thirty years, it remains a fantastic album.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Paradise
2. Wierdo
3. As It Is As It Was
4. Broken Promise
5. Way Of Life

Side One :

1. Bizarre Love Triangle
2. All Day Long
3. Angel Dust
4. Every Little Counts

Released 1986
UK Chart Position : 9

Singles :

Bizarre Love Triangle ( No 56 - 1986 )

 

New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies

 

As written in the review of "Movement", I first started to get into New Order around 1986 when they released the single "Shellshock", which I bought, and then the 1987 compilation album "Substance". I then subsequently worked backwards until I got to their 1983 release "Power, Corruption & Lies", which was their second album.

Frankly, it was a record that I struggled to relate to. Whilst I took an instant like to the outstanding "Age Of Consent" I struggled to really like too much of the rest, and now only vaguely recall "Your Silent Face" and "Leave Me Alone".

I subsequently learnt that the album was highly acclaimed, with its heavy use of synthesizers, being a definitive break from their Joy Division past, and pioneering the dance-rock hybrid music of the 1980s. Not that I knew this at the time. It was released at more or less the same time as "Blue Monday" which became a huge hit worldwide, but was a song I was ambivalent about when it was released in 1983, but liked it on the "Substance" LP four years later.

The album cover was confusing, with no name, title or track listing, which were only circularly written on the disc and not easy to read, so you were reliant on recognizing it by the flowers on the front.

Side One opens with the fantastic bass riff of "Age Of Consent". I love the soaring synths that come in around 1 minute 40 followed by the guitar break. The drumming is also impressive. It's an almost perfect track.

The pace and mood changes with the "We All Stand". Starting with a slow jazz/funk bass line and synth motif before a gloomy vocal. It could have been on Joy Division's "Closer". "Three miles to go"

"The Village" has an upbeat bass and keyboards, and by New Order's standards is almost happy. "Our love is like the flowers, the rain, the sea and the hours".

"5 8 6" has a very Kraftwerk intro before morphing after nearly two minutes into virtually a copy of the riff from "Blue Monday". "I see danger" & "I heard you calling". It slows down and splutters for the finish as if running out of power.

The side two opener "Your Silent Face" has more nice synths over a hypnotic electronic beat. The bass plays the synth lines for the instrumental break then the guitar takes over before then the synths return. There is also some whimsical melodica. "You've caught me at a bad time, why don't you piss off".

"Ultraviolence" has funky bass and drums and a computerized dance beat in the vein of "Blue Monday".

"Ecstasy" has a robotic Kraftwerk type encoded vocal, think Space Lab, over throbbing bass and drums. Otherwise its virtually an instrumental.

"Leave Me Alone" is a great closing track. It has another great bass line intro with some pretty guitar playing and a lovely melody. It is both beautiful and sad, and  reminded me a little of "Every Little Counts" from Brotherhood.  "But from my head to my toes, from my knees to my eyes. Every time I watch the sky, for these last few days leave me alone. But for these last few days leave me alone, leave me alone".

I have to say "Power, Corruption & Lies" was so much better than I remembered it to be. I liked all of the tracks except for maybe "We All Stand".

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Age Of Consent
2. We All Stand
3. The Village
4. 5 8 6

Side One :

1. Your Silent Face
2. Ultraviolence
3. Ecstasy
4. Leave Me Alone

Released 1983
UK Chart Position : 4

 

New Order - Movement

 

I first started to get into New Order around 1986 when they released the single "Shellshock", which I bought, and then the 1987 compilation album "Substance". I then subsequently worked backwards until I got to their 1981 release "Movement", which was first album in their new guise after the demise of Joy Division.

Three singles, "Ceremony", "Procession" and "Everything's Gone Green" had been previously been released and been minor hits, and I was familiar with "Ceremony" and "Everything's Gone Green" from the Substance album, but none of these were included on this album. Indeed, none of New Order's first eight singles were include on any of their albums at the time of their release.

The sticker on the cover shows I paid £6.49 in Our Price records, but looking at the track listing I don't remember a single song ! I can't even recall what I thought of the album at the time I bought it.........

Side one begins with "Dreams Never End", which is sung by bass player Peter Hook, with the vocal low in the mix and sounding a lot like Ian Curtis. The music though is the style New order would move to later in the 1980s. The intro has a twangy lead bass melody and is then joined by the guitar, before launching into the driving main part of the song at just under the one minute mark. A Post punk sound, it could have been a single. It's a really good song, and I am disappointed with myself in that I had no recollection of it !

"Truth" is sinister, with yet another fantastic bass line and haunting oriental style synths, and an occasional burst of guitar. It sound like a Joy Division song.

"Senses" can perhaps be described as post punk funk but this time it's Bernard Sumner who sings like Ian Curtis.

The fairly danceable "Chosen Time" closes side one although I can't say I really liked what appear to be video game sound effects in the overlong outro.

"ICB" opens side two, with the initials widely believed to stand for Ian Curtis Burial. There's another bass intro, with the drums generating a marching a beat but overall it's a bit of a dirge. There are also some more fairly pointless sound effects, clearly someone had been given a new toy to play with !

"The Him" starts with slow tribal drums and the bass line. The pace increases in the middle before returning to the slow bass line and the drum patterns and the mournful vocal. Just when you think the song has finished it continues with some pacy thrashy guitar with the drums and bass.

"Doubts Even Here" is the second track sung by Peter Hook., sounding again like Ian Curtis. Gillian Gilbert has some spoken lines towards the end of the song but it is difficult to hear what she is saying.  It's another gloomy song that again wouldn't have been out of place on Joy Division's "Closer" as a filler.

"Denial" has a rattling drum intro, then the guitar riff before the joining the bass increases the tempo. However, its a pretty dull track although the synth lines towards the end are quite nice.

"Movement" is clearly the work of a band unsure of what direction to be heading in, and in many parts sounds like the next Joy Division album rather than the first New Order LP. With the tragic loss of their vocalist, they didn't have a ready made front man and for the want of not knowing anything better or yet having their own style, the vocals either attempt to sound like the late Ian Curtis, or are very low down in the mix.

In playing the album I did not remember any of the songs, and I am sorry to say only the vaguely commercial "Dreams Never End" and "Truth" are probably the only ones I would want to listen to again. The rest aren't bad but there is nothing as remotely interesting as say "Atrocity Exhibition", "A Means To An End" or "The Eternal" on "Closer".

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Dreams Never End
2. Truth
3. Senses
4. Chosen Time

Side One :

1. ICB
2. The Him
3. Doubts Even Here
4. Denial

Released 1981
UK Chart Position : 30

Morrissey - Viva Hate

 

I was a big fan of The Smiths, having six albums and quite a few singles so it was a sad day when they split up. Still, Morrissey had gone solo and "Suadehead", his first single, had been pretty good and a top 5 hit, and the the follow-up "Every Day Is Like Sunday" was even better, although it wasn't quite as successful but still reached the top 10.

At that point I purchased the album, but my memory is that although there were some good songs on "Viva Hate", it wasn't nearly as good as any of The Smiths albums I had. Despite that, it was a number 1 album in the UK.

I remember that "Bengali in Platforms" drew a lot of flak, with the line "life is hard enough when you belong here" being pounced on by the anti-racist brigade, but I thought it was more of a song about an outsider trying to fit in, which was something Morrissey could associate with. I thought it was one of the best tracks on the album, and was actually quite sympathetic and tender.

Looking at the track listing now, the only songs I recognised were the two singles, plus "Bengali In Platforms" and the seven minute plus magnum opus "Late Night, Maudlin Street".

Side One opens with  "Alsatian Cousin" which has a screeching guitar intro and also throughout most of the song. It sends a clear message that this isn't the joyous, uplifting guitar playing of Johnny Marr even if the lyrics could have been written for "Hatful Of Hollow". A bit of melody breaks out from the lyrics, but it's mostly noise.

"Little Man, What Now ?" then comes as a bit of a surprise with heavy, almost military drumming and the sad nostalgia of a forgotten TV star. "Friday nights 1969, ATV, you murdered every line. Too old to be a child star, to young to take leads, four seasons passed and they axed you". "Oh but I remembered you". It's less than two minutes long, but is really very good, and I was surprised I had forgotten it !

"Every Day Is Like Sunday" is a glorious tune, with a nice bass and breezy synth strings. In some ways this song has parallels with a lot The Smiths' material with a some miserable lyrics, in this case about a decaying seaside town, combined with some beautiful music. "This is the coastal town they forget to close down. Armageddon, come Armageddon, come Armageddon, come".

"Bengali In Platforms" is another of the stronger tunes, with a gentle acoustic guitar and a great riff under the "life is hard enough when you belong here" chorus. Musically it reminded me a little of "Well I Wonder" from "Meat Is Murder"

"Angel, Angel Down We Go Together" has some dramatic strings and has a vibe comparable to "Eleanor Rigby" or "Matthew and Son".

"Late Night, Maudlin Street" closes side One and features agreeable drumming/bongos, acoustic guitar and piano and becomes more hypnotic the longer it goes on. The ending is a bit disappointing though as the track just fades out when it deserves a big finish.

The big hit "Suedehead" opens side Two, with the bass and drum rhythm being the closest to take in the Smiths although the guitar is very different.

"Break Up The Family" is slow but has a pleasant refrain. "I'm so glad to grow older, to move away from those awful times. I'm in love for the first time, and I don't feel bad".

"The Ordinary Boys" has a slow piano intro, but is a bit of a dirge and easily the least interesting song on the album. It is hard to believe the cult mid-2000's band "The Ordinary Boys" took their name from this ordinary song !

"I Don't Mind If You Forget Me" has a buzzing guitar, then heavy drums before launching into a 1960s boppy tune. It's another good song I had completely forgotten..........

"Dial-A-Cliche" has pleasant, serene electric guitar playing over acoustic guitar, but personally, the "Dial-A-cliche" lines are a bit grating.

"Margaret On The Guillotine" is a dream about Margaret Thatcher being executed. The music is suitably dreamy despite the subject matter,  with gently strummed electric guitar to begin and plucked Spanish guitar for the outro. I can't say I sympathise with the lines "when will you die ?" and "make the dream real" but if I ignore the lyrics the music is melancholic.

Overall, "Viva Hate" sounded quite a lot better that I remembered it to be, and there were only two tracks that wouldn't want to listen to again.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Alsatian Cousin
2. Little Man, What Now ?
3. Every Day Is Like Sunday
4. Bengali In Platforms
5. Angel, Angel Down We Go Together
6. Late Night, Maudlin Street

Side Two :

1. Suedehead
2. Break Up The Family
3. The Ordinary Boys
4. I Don't Mind If You Forget Me
5. Dial-A-Cliche
6. Margaret On The Guillotine

Released 1988
UK Chart Position : 1

Singles :

Suadehead ( No 5 - 1988 )
Every Day is Like Sunday ( No 9 - 1988 )

 

Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers 'Live'

Following the chart success of the singles "Roadrunner" and "Egyptian Reggae" and the "Rock n' Roll With The Modern Lovers" album making the top 50 of the album charts and getting some critical acclaim, Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers toured the UK in 1977, and their record label decided to quickly cash in on their new found fame by releasing an album from their gig at the Hammersmith Odeon. I bought the LP not too long after its release and purchased an ex-jukebox copy of the single "Morning Of Our Lives" after it had left the charts.

I remember "Modern Lovers Live" getting panned by the New Musical Express, which was a little surprising given the positive review they gave to "Rock n' Roll With The Modern Lovers" but it merely emphasized that different critics like different music.

The general critique was along the lines of it might all have made perfect sense on a Saturday evening at the Hammersmith Odeon but made little sense in the comfort of your living room on a Sunday morning, and a comparison was made with William Blake's "Songs of Innocent and Experience".

On this live album Richman continued to give his playground vision of life, thinking he is an airplane, then a dinosaur, talks to insects, sings to his little Kookenhaken and goes on endlessly about the Ice Cream Man. The NME critic was clearly fed up by all of this, but I thought that they were quite nice tunes, as long as you didn't think too deeply about the lyrics.The album also includes several minutes of Richman's repartee with the audience, which again is mildly amusing the first time you hear it but you don't particularly want to listen to it time and time again.

"Modern Lovers Live" included three tracks from "Rock n' Roll With The Modern Lovers", two of the instrumentals, "Egyptian Reggae" ( where the guitar now sounded more akin to that from a spaghetti western ) and "South American Folk Song", plus an 8 minute version of "Ice Cream Man" with plenty of "one more times" leading to increasingly frantic repeats of the chorus, lapped up by the crowd. Just when you think they have finished, they start again..........

Other children's songs were the toe-tappers "I'm A Little Airplane" with a frenzied 1950s guitar solo and " I can fly late at night, it's OK I got my little red light", and the twee "I'm A Little Dinosaur" where everyone is happy when the Dinosaur returns after going away.

"Hey There Little Insect" & "My Little Kookenhaken" are either sweet, or an overdose of saccharine, depending on your disposition to Jonathan Richman.

The final two songs are more mainstream, with "New England" retreading some of the ground of "Roadrunner" in praise of the North-East region of the USA which includes Massachussets. With a chorus of "Dum-de-dum-de-dum-dum-da-dum-day, Oh-oh, New England" its quite catchy, but not to be confused with the Bill Bragg/Kirsty MacColl song !

Side two closes with "The Morning Of Our Lives" which lyrically is a song trying to cheer up someone who is feeling down, along the lines of "You've Got A Friend". It has a strong melody and is the outstanding track on the album.

Although the playing and production is much better than "Rock n' Roll With The Modern Lovers", it isn't nearly as much fun, despite trying really hard to be.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. I'm A Little Airplane
2. Hey There Little Insect
3. Egyptian Reggae
4. Ice Cream Man

Side Two :

1. I'm A Little Dinosaur
2. My Little Kookenhaken
3. South American Folk Song
4. New England
5. The Morning Of Our Lives

Released 1977
UK Chart Position :-

Singles :

The Morning of Our Lives ( No 29 - 19787 )
New England ( - 1977 )