And so New Order week continues apace at TVV.
The LP ‘Brotherhood’ left many NO fans a bit cold at the time of its release in 1986. It wasn’t that it was a particularly duff record – but it was a huge let-down after the quality of ‘Low Life.’ Maybe it was the pressure of financially propping up the newly opened Hacienda that caused the band to suffer an obvious dip in form. The release of ‘State of the Nation’ – the poorest single they recorded in the 80s – was another disappointment (Mind you, I quite like the different mix that was on the flip side – ‘Shame of the Nation.’)
But in an effort to make more and more money, the band began to appear on TV far more often than before – inevitably performing live with varying degrees of quality. I’ve got a few appearances from those days on video, and I will at some point get round to transferring them all to DVD and then onto ‘You Tube.’ One such clip is from 1985, on ‘The Whistle Test’ on BBC-TV live from the Hacienda. They played this song, although this particular version is from a Japanese concert:-
As It Is When It Was – New Order (You Tube clip)
I love how Barney has always found it a struggle to sing and play lead guitar at the same time – this clip is great illustration of his difficulties. And gawd, he was awfully young once (but weren’t we all?)
The release of the compilation LP ‘Substance’ followed in 1987, but it did seem that the band was running out of ideas and creative energy. But then came the majesty of 1989’s ‘Technique’. If you must own an original New Order album, it has to be this one. Every song is a belter. And my own particular favourite changes on every listen. I pulled a number out of a hat, and this came out:-
Love Less – New Order (mp3)
Tonight’s cover is a dreamy and gorgeous offering by The Arrogants. Fronted by the angelic voice of Jana Heller, this is a band who have released three very enjoyable records since 2000 – two EPs and one full- length CD.
Shellshock – The Arrogants (mp3)
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