NewOrder thread

[DarrenEdward]

They're a strange band - technically average yet recognised for their brilliance and innovation.

I think Hooky's one of a kind
Bernard was a lucky boy
Gillian was over-worked and under-rated
Who was Steven?

And you...?

 

[The_Draize_Train]

I'm quite a fan of New Order, and I have to disagree with you that they're average, I think they're technically innovative and you need only closely listen to their music to understand why. Peter Hook is definitely an excellent bass player, one of the best of his generation

 

[Camilla]

OMG, I love New Order and right now I'm going through like a big New Order phase. Thursday I came home so tired from tennis pratice and I put on their music and it just made me soo happy and it literally gave like an energy boost.

 

[anon x]

Who was Steven?

A rather lovely unassuming guy with a big chin and one of the best drummers around.
ATMOSPHERE !!!

 

[9 x Fined]

I got heavily into New Order around the time Technique came out. That album is phenomenal. I love practically everything they've released, except for...

"Jetstream Lover, Ooh Ooh Ooh"

 

[DarrenEdward]

I'm quite a fan of New Order, and I have to disagree with you that they're average, I think they're technically innovative and you need only closely listen to their music to understand why. Peter Hook is definitely an excellent bass player, one of the best of his generation

I've heard Bernard say in interviews he has had to improve over the years and only really did so when he started working with Johnny (he says "I had to!")

Hooky's a unique bass player and the lack of people copying his style suggests it's far from easy.

I like NewOrder enormously and wouldn't genuinely criticise them. I'd say it's a sign of how intelligent they were as a band that they created the sound they did.

And Steven's not a bad drummer at all - he and Gillian did call themselves 'the Other Two' though!!

 

[DarrenEdward]

I got heavily into New Order around the time Technique came out. That album is phenomenal. I love practically everything they've released, except for...

"Jetstream Lover, Ooh Ooh Ooh"

My brother loves 'Jetstream' - why they didn't release 'Dracula's Castle' instead is beyond me...

 

[9 x Fined]

To be honest I don't care too much for that whole album come to think of it.

 

[Maverick]

I love New Order - they are right up there in my top 5 favourite bands of all time.

I have every album - plus Electronic's superb (well, the first 2 albums anyway) output.

Barney Sumner is a great singer. And 2 great albums this decade proved they still had / have it.

I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them.

 

[McLovin]

I also like the depth of emotions in their music as well. I know they arose from the ashes of Joy Division, and so that depth shouldn't be too shocking, but it still is because of the style of music they play.

 

[DarrenEdward]

I love New Order - they are right up there in my top 5 favourite bands of all time.

I have every album - plus Electronic's superb (well, the first 2 albums anyway) output.

Barney Sumner is a great singer. And 2 great albums this decade proved they still had / have it.

I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them.

I actually think we may have done - Barney and Hooky have fallen out apparently and Hooky has said he won't play with them again.

I love 'Raise the Pressure' - great record


I think the last two albums were good in places but not a patch on some of the 80s/90s stuff.

 

[Have-A-Go Merchant]

I love, love, love New Order and think they are far from technically average. Whilst I think Peter Hook is a great bass player I just don't like him much in interviews and on Tv and think he's a bit of a dick. I'm a Bernard fan out of the two.

 

[LegalTender]

My favorite songs of theirs are Your Silent Face, Thieves Like Us and Dreams Never Die.

 

[Hidden By Rags]

I just got done reading Unknown Pleasures, part of the 33 1/3 series. I had more of an appreciation for the band (not to mention a better understanding of Joy Division's music). They really were innovative, but not the first to venture into that territory. They were a soundtrack to my life in their early years.

I personally think Stephen trademarked their sound.

 

[9 x Fined]

Actually Martin Hannett highly influenced Stephen's playing, guiding the whole sound of the band.

 

[Abrahan]

fav dance tracks: Perfect Kiss and BLT.

 

[nugz]

New Order > Joy Division

True Faith, FTW.

 

[oye terence]

They have always been a bit patchy,some great songs and some rather horrid songs.It is probably for the best if their last album was their last one, it was terrible.The previous album would probably get the same rating if not for 'Crystal' which I think is one of their best ever tracks.

 

[I am a Ghost]

JD for me

 

[Worm]

They're a strange band - technically average yet recognised for their brilliance and innovation.

I think Hooky's one of a kind
Bernard was a lucky boy
Gillian was over-worked and under-rated
Who was Steven?

And you...?

Such a critique-- listing each band member and his/her strength-- only reaffirms the inscrutable "strangeness" you mention in the beginning. They are a strange band. So were Joy Division. Their success is a mystery. Listing their individual talents is kind of useless, even if basically correct.

Detailed accounts of New Order's writing and production methods are scarce but not so with Joy Division's. I've just been reading Paul Morley's book on JD and the conclusion you have to come to is that, to some degree, luck was involved with their music as was an uncanny and unreproduceable mix of personalities. You only have to read about the back-and-forth with Martin Hannett to realize that so many factors other than their skills as songwriters and musicians went into the genius of "Unknown Pleasures" and the rest. Then you hear things about New Order, such as "Blue Monday"'s epoch-shaking beat being the result of taking a sequencer out of a box and "accidentally" hitting a button to load a program from a floppy disk (or however the story goes; it changes in all respects except for the one central characteristic of dumb luck).

That's not to take away from them as a band, merely to say that "strange" is about the best and only way to describe their success. New Order and Joy Division are my favorite bands aside from Morrissey/Smiths.