Cun't agree less. The single version of TBTHOG was awesome, especially in Arthur Baker's 12" full glory; live it sounded pretty tacky though at least they once introduced it as something about getting pulled off. When I first heard the BBC live version I thought it was a crap way to start the gig (I later discovered it wasn't the first song but that's another story). The vid was a cheap sht and honestly, taking the piss outa rawk bands is about as orginal as Cornflakes. It's hard to imagine Bon Jovi taking the mick outa Hooky for Hendrixing Hague or the Other Two for being the least charismatic pair in music. The only remarkable thing is the director got Gillian to move a whole step. Well done.

Skullcrusher and Fine Time reviews now up.

...and the NewOrderTracks blog is now 1 year old and has breached the 6,000 visitors / 50,000 hits mark - many many more than I ever envisaged. Thanks mainly to you lot (!) and the Singularity site. Nice one - cheers.

At this rate I've got at least another year or more to go - so stay with me & keep your feedback coming.

Cheers
D

Edited by user 22 February 2017 19:40:34(UTC)  | Reason: typo

Was interested to hear your opinions on All The Way. To me it's a New Order classic though it's rarely mentioned when the debate is about New Order's greatest songs. It was an undoubted stand out for me when I first listened to Technique and still is.Wonderful lyrics with a great message from Bernard, lovely melody , instrumentation and production.

Round and Round was got me into the band via TOTP - then it was Technique, singles and PCL... After that it was nearly all downhill but I needed a hobby. Awesome track and awesome mixes, esecially the so called 12" on the CD which in classic NO style is, well, awesome, but now harder to find than a virgin on the stage - while balls like O2AndU or RTP are free for alls.
Trainspotter fact: One of the reasons VP was on Best Of was it was originally considered as the 94 trailer single, and mixes exist but were never released. I don't think it'd work as well as Round outside the album context.
VERY late follow up cos - well, no one cares why: I used to like Vanelli's 1963 vocal mix, but only cos I was a superfan and desperate for newbies. This was the closest I could get, i.e. a mix with both totally different music AND the full lyric.

Round & Round- I was sometimes or maybe even always torn between the album version and the 7" Hague version ( prob in a minority on that Hague 7" version) The album version is great but the Hague 7" flows into the chorus better IMHO and i always loved the outro fade on it too.The album version despite its awesomeness kind of stops for a moment or jars before the chorus for me.Maybe i'm just a sucker for radio friendly versions.The flow into the chorus on Hague's 7" just brings an optimistic vibe ( it has an optimistic vibe with lyrics like that???) when the chorus hits ,more than the album version anyway.The 12" vinyl version has a great intro i'll say that. I recall back in the day 1989 staunch anti New Order friends i knew remarking how they had to admit they did like the song and particularly the chorus.It really was a great melodic chorus/lyric.I recall watching NO's performance of it on Top Of The Pops at a mate's house and his sister remarking "pwhoarr he's alright!" at the sight of Barney in his bling and cool haircut.Not sure she was as impressed with his live vocal though.Hey ho.



Love Less i always remembered as Loveless, like , without love.Where as Love Less seems to be encouraging you to not love as much, hold back.Whatever.An ok song but with great lyrics by Barney, it has its moments and i always actually liked the "town called liberty" line.Though the line i liked more was "There was a time i call before when all i knew was what i saw". A really good lyric.Thinking about the lyrics now it brings vague distant memories of those days back in the mists of time in the 80s when for some of us of that "doom laden" 80s generation where Sumner's lyrics in every single line or even word contained a message or pathos or an inspiration.

Edited by user 17 March 2017 15:17:47(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Best & Marsh and Guilty Partner reviews now up.

Apols for delay... been enjoying the new Goldfrapp album, and not enjoying the new Depeche Mode album.

/DR

Guilty Partner is awesome and like Turn, it shows how strong a songwriter Bernard is when he can be arsed. Apparently it was shite live though (98).

MTO was worthwhile IMO (this is English for YES). A downbeat, vague and weird delve into house minimaliasm, and for the retard that I was in 1992 getting a curio and locating samples from both Fine Time and Bizarre Love Triangle was the most fun I could have without the use of Susannah Hoffs and a shower attachment.
Run 2? The single tightened up the original but the extended mix was total shite.

Mr Disco and Vanishing Point reviews now up. Back to back brilliance.

DR

I'm always bemused how NO fans find levels that are lost on me. The 'awesome' instrumental breaks on Mr Disco strike me as padding cos 9 tracks is the least they could get away with (there was a great BS quote on getting so many songs written for Sirens: It was strange cos normally we'd just do enough to fill the album and then fuck off down the pub). Gillian's 'understated elegance' I always read as 'Fuck, fuck, fuck, they're pointing a camera at me and I still can't hack it.'
According to new sociological research, men buy pornography to express a universal need traditionally associated with guilt and transpose it to one of euphoria. Far from constituting a threat, the user aims to purge himself of baser instincts so as to present a healthier public persona and contribute to a safer environment. Paradoxically, his urge is to reassert the superiority of the female form, which may act as a trope or broader feminist emancipation: Consider the rising number of female employees in mass media. He further provides income to those lacking means and qualifications which our society wrongly takes for granted... Wow. I thought I just like wanking.

I've been asked to take all the swearing out of my act. Good night.
What happened to Hooky in Dream Atttack? Check out the live versions - lovely!

Jumpin' the gun slightly but I guess the next one is Dream Attack, one of their best ever, so I expect a glowing review... My only whinge is that Hooky almost totally disappeared from the final mix! Listen to the 89 / 93 live takes and while they're less polished, there's a LOT of bass and it adds to the melncholia and wistfulness. The opening is almost reminiscent of 'Decades'...

Dream Attack + The Happy One reviews now up. Technique era completed.