On this day in 2007.....

Today, August 10th marks the six year anniversary of the death of Tony Wilson, The legendary founder and manager of The Hacienda nightclub and the co-founder of Factory Records. Both extremely legendary themselves. So culturally significant in fact that he would be dubbed Mr Manchester. Besides, any label that can say they have Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays all on their roster is a fine one. Even then, that's just the tip of the iceberg regarding Factory Records acts. I'd have to say Tony Wilson's life has made an indelible impact on my music taste. I investigating Factory Records two years ago and you could say I've become rather enamored, to say the least. I've become a huge fan of Factory Records and then consequently Manchester music in general. Not only that but I've got this very big dream that one day I'll hopefully have an impact on Northern Ireland even a tenth of the size that he had on Manchester. Such a goal will almost certainly never happen, but hey I can dream. And what also won't happen is my love for Factory Records music dying off either. RIP.

New Order order (ahem) is here.

So, my other Amazon order arrived yesterday but I couldn't post it last night because I had to take care of some personal business. It's also a few days late because the postal service wasn't operating here for a few days. In any case, I'm just glad they've arrived. They're the Retro boxset and the newly released Live At Bestival 2012 album. I've been itching to get Retro for a while and I streamed their Bestival performance as it happened last year and absolutely loved it. I was utterly thrilled to discover they were releasing a live album. Also it's important to note that all the profit made from the album goes to charity, so it's definitely a worthwhile purchase for New Order fans. I'll be back later as I want to do a proper review post before I go out for the day (Thursday being my busy day and what have you).

Yesterday's Purchases

I was working on this post last night, alias I was tired and went to bed. Anyway, last night I said that I didn't just get Electric, so here's all that I got. Left to right from top they are Pet Shop Boys - Electric, New Order - Lost Sirens, Goldfrapp - Black Cherry, Fleetwood Mac - Tango In The Night, David Bowie - Low and New Order -Movement (2CD Special edition). Originally my plan was to get Delta Machine by Depeche Mode but they only had the regular edition in stock (I always go for special editions). I just left it and that's how I ended up with Black Cherry and Low. I actually ended up with more albums for less money - Head is a fantastically priced record store. Even Electric only cost £9 which for a new album on release day is pretty good. Although the fact that there's no deluxe edition accounts for that I'd say. I'm so pleased that I finally got Tango In The Night as I've wanted that for ages, and I've finally got all of New Order's studio albums at long last!

Great concerts I watched last night

So last night I wanted to listen to some electronic music, preferiarably in a live context. I couldn't make my mind up what to watch, I had considered performances by a host of artists before deciding on fairly recent sets by New Order and Foster The People.

Anyhow - the first I watched was New Order in Berlin last year. It's a recording of a concert which Electronic Beats hosted (the same company that was responsible for Pet Shop Boys Elysium launch concert in Berlin). The concert itself took place on June 24th at the Tempodrom in Berlin. Much like the Pet Shop Boys Elysium launch show, it was a brief performance - 44 minutes in all. It was however 44 minutes of pure brilliance, just as I was expecting. I had streamed two of their festival appearances live last year and I feel that New Order have never been better as a live act so expectations for this were very high. I was actually due to attend their Belfast show here (they were headlining a festival) last year but unfortunately the whole festival was cancelled. Anyhow back to Berlin - as usual, they delivered. 586 in particular is positively blistering in these new performances - I'm so pleased they unearthed that criminally overlooked track. Interestingly they also performed Joy Division's classic Transmission - which I know they've done before - but I can't recall them performing that at either of the two festivals I streamed. As usual they ended the show with the ever anthemic Love Will Tear Us Apart. I did find it interesting they didn't perform Bizzare Love Triangle considering it's one of their most popular songs, but to be honest it doesn't hurt to rest the classics from time to time. It was another stellar performance though that just makes me that little bit more desperate to make it to one of their shows!

The other performance I watched was Foster The People's set at last years Reading & Leeds festival. This was actually my first experience watching a Foster The People live show, which is shocking really because I've had their Torches CD for at least a year and I love it, its a fantastic album. I have heard very high praise about their live performances also so once again my expectations were very high. I have to admit they blew me away! Mark Foster is a brilliant front-man - totally comfortable on stage but yet vibrant and full of energy. Not only that, but his vocals were fantastic. He sounded just as great as he did on the record. The rest of the band were on top form musically too. Sadly though, this wasn't the complete set they performed. I watched the BBC broadcast which (as usual) omitted three songs. These being Waste, Houdini and Call It What You Want. I was disappointed that it wasn't the full set as Call It What You Want is probably my favourite Foster The People song and Houdini would be up there too. Although every cloud has a silver lining and they did show their spellbinding performance of Broken Jaw. If the name doesn't sound familiar it's because it was a bonus track that wasn't included on Torches. I haven't the foggiest notion why though because it's a terrific song, it's now become another one of my favourites thanks to this great performance. The only other downside for me - which isn't to do with the band itself - was the crowd. About three or four songs in the crowd began chanting for their chart smash Pumped Up Kicks. They didn't seem to care two figs about the other songs which I think is a bit of a joke in all honesty. It's very hipster-esque and not only that - I don't feel Pumped Up Kicks is close to their best song. Yes, it is a great song but to simply want to hear that song and nothing else does a disservice to the very considerable talents of Foster The People. It would actually be one of my least favourites on Torches (and no I'm not saying that because its their biggest hit). Nevertheless this is another excellent performance that is well worth checking out: although I want to find a full uncut broadcast if possible!

So, all in all a very good way to spend around an hour and twenty minutes of my time. I'm not sure what I'll watch tonight: I'm considering the new performance of Pet Shop Boys in Argentina that's just been uploaded and maybe a recording of Depeche Mode on their Singles Tour from Cologne. Then again, I also need to get stuck back into the first season of Dexter. If I do watch anything though I'll be sure to share it here!

Collection: New Order

(L-R roughly): Power, Corruption and Lies, Lowlife, Brotherhood, Technique (all 2CD Special editions), Republic,Get Ready, MOJO Magazine from 2012, Waiting For The Sirens Call, The Best of New Order, Total, Substance, Power, Corruption and Lies (Covers CD that came with MOJO), New Order Story DVD, Fine Time 7”, New Order Live in Glasgow DVD, New Order Live DVD, Joy Division/New Order NME Special from 2012, New Order: From Heaven to Heaven book, old 90’s NME with Bernard Sumner on the cover.
What’s not in the picture: two tickets for New Order’s cancelled Belfast gig in June of 2012, Blue Monday 12”

I absolutely love New Order, one of my favourite bands ever most definitely. I first heard of them when I was about 12 when my dad told me listen to Blue Monday, but I only became a fan of them (and Joy Division) two years ago. I’ve got quite a bit of New Order material but - completest that I am - I still have a few bits I want. The big thing I’m missing is the 2CD edition of their debut album Movement. I’m also missing two more DVD’s and some various other CD’s like Peel Sessions and what not. I'm particularly desperate for their In Sessions CD - its rare as sin though so goodness knows when (if ever) I get that

Rarest item I have: Almost without doubt the From Heaven to Heaven book. I got it for Christmas 2012 after it remained in the same shop for a year, my copy is a numbered first edition though that was signed by the author and came with a genuine unused New Order ticket from a Birmingham show. The best part is that I didn't even realize it was a rarer edition until i got it! The old NME wouldn’t be the easiest to find now either though I’d imagine.

On this day: New Order performs Round & Round on TOTP

The clue is in the title really. On this day in 1989 New Order performed the Technique single Round and Round on Top Of The Pops in one of a number of appearances they made on the show. I love Round and Round, its one of their most overlooked singles I think. Its also not lip-synched which was really quite unusual for an 1980's Top Of The Pops appearance. Many New Order appearances on Top Of The Pops were live though. Keep an eye out as well for Bernard Sumner pulling some awkward shapes (although not as bad as the Fine Time appearance) too!

New Order - Sugarcane

So, this is my personal highlight from the relatively new release of New Order's Lost Sirens outtakes set. The set has been met with a relatively lukewarm reception from both fans and critics, although I personally feel its been viewed too harshly. That said, I think this is the best song of the compilation. First thing's first: I think this is a terrific song but its not hard to see why this was left off Waiting For The Siren's Call, its very generous on the synth side of things and frankly wouldn't fit. To this listener at least it sounds (and feels) more like a Bernard Sumner song as opposed to a Peter Hook song if that makes any sense? Hooky's base has no obvious part to play in the track but synthesizers can be found in abundance (which was always more Bernard Sumner's thing I think). For me I prefer New Order when they're electronic led as opposed to rock so that just suits me down to the ground. Lyrically as well this is one I can't make a lot of sense of. It seems to discuss celebrity culture or something but frankly I think the lyrics in this play second fiddle to the arrangement. And the vocal line, I love the vocal line here too. I pay more attention to that than the lyrics really. For me though, it's all about the arrangement in this one. And what an arrangement! The opening seconds of the track make it sound like a relatively acoustic number. I'll be honest, when I heard it for the first time I heard Lost Sirens I thought to myself "Oh lord its going to be an album of pretty much rock based stuff". Then the synths came in and completely took me by surprise. From then on in the track never looks back, and I just love the disco-esque guitar. The thing I love most about Sugarcane is its balance of old and new: vintage disco guitar mixed with a very modern synth. It's a theme for the track really. Near the 3 minute mark the track then has an instrumental breakdown where strings are prominent (it reminds me of the outro to Electronic's Getting Away With It from the 80s) and then pianos playing standard 90's house chords come in.... it has a much tighter sound than I'm describing though. It doesn't sound as messy as it should really. My only criticism? That the strings didn't last just a fraction longer. Like I said earlier its easy to see why this was left off Waiting For The Sirens Call as it wouldn't fit in on the album. Honestly, it is quite far removed from the cold icy feel of some of New Order's best known work. I can't think of a poppier New Order track to be quite honest. For that reason fans seem to be divided on it. Lyrically its no masterpiece, but the arrangement for Sugarcane is so exciting and ever-changing it demands repeated plays from me at least. Not like usual New Order material but if you approach it with an open mind you may just enjoy it. I certainly do.

Happy Birthday Blue Monday!

New Order’s classic Blue Monday was released on this day 30 years ago. An iconic song (with gorgeous sleeve artwork), backed up by a sublime B-side in The Beach. Also the best selling 12” of all time. Its not hard to see why: its a utter masterpiece of electronic music. Happy birthday Blue Monday!

New Order - Live at Irvine

I found this a few hours ago, its a great little find so I thought I would show it to any fellow New Order fans who haven't yet discovered. This was uploaded on Youtube a few weeks ago but I've only stumbled across it now. It's a bootleg of a show in California as part of the 1989 Technique Tour. I've never actually heard a Technique show in full so I was very excited to find this because Technique is one of my favourite New Order albums. I have to say as well that it has absolutely superb sound quality. Easily one of the highest quality New Order bootlegs that I've heard in terms of sound quality if I'm honest. It's also quite unusual to see a New Order set that doesn't contain Blue Monday although given how overplayed that song is it may be no bad thing. It's certainly a treat to finally hear Mr Disco performed live as that's one of my personal favourites. I really recommend checking this out!

Bernard Sumner NME Issue.

In a slightly more unusual purchase, I found this again thanks to a friend in Big Bang. I do read the NME magazine a lot as they feature many of my favourite artists very often like Blur, Stone Roses, Oasis etc. This one is a vintage one from 1993 and features Bernard Sumner of New Order as its cover star. Its fascinating to see how the magazine was different all those years ago, as it was done in a broadsheet newspaper style, very different from the smaller and much more colorful look of it today. It also contains a lot of other artists I'm interested in like 808 State and Happy Mondays. I'm hoping to even discover a smaller artist that I've never heard of from reading this issue too maybe! For £2 I couldn't resist!

Fine Time 7"

I found this the first time I had gone into Big Bang, but didn't buy it until my second visit were I got DJ Culture by Pet Shop Boys etc. This is Fine Time on 7", which is a strong contender for my favourite New Order song but its probably one of my favourite songs ever full stop! In all honesty, the cover is a little bit more battered compared to the other vinyls I know, and because its in a protective wallet in that picture, it does actually look a bit worse in real life. Still, for £2 I can't complain!

Unexpected gems

I found a great little store in one of the area's of Belfast city center that I'm not usually in. Its a collectable's store that sells comics, vinyl, VHS tapes and some CD's. I didn't find any Pet Shop Boys records, but I did see about half of Morrissey's albums in the CD part for about £3 each. I also seen some George Michael singles. I didn't have a massive look in the vinyl section (I'm small, and couldn't even see the top shelves) but I did see Erasure - Two Ring Circus, Prince - Parade and Saint Etienne - Avenue in the vinyl section though. I didn't buy any of them, I don't buy vinyl unless its something I really desperately want that costs about £3. They also had Blur - Parklife and a VHS tape from a Madchester era band called The Farm that I really like but like vinyl, I don't collect either VHS nor cassette. I eventually settled on Grace Jone's most recent album and two Madonna singles from the 90s.

When I went into the only proper record store in city center they had a massive sale on. They were selling various albums in their 2 for £10 deal that I really wanted so I had a hard time choosing. They had greatest hits by The Cure, New Order, Kate Bush, The Farm and I'm pretty sure there were others too (I had to rush around HMV because my dad and me had two hours to get out of town and we were pushing it) I eventually settled on The Farm and Kate Bush's greatest hits, but I'm hoping to go back in there sometime this week to have a proper look

I did order some things online too, New Order - Waiting For The Sirens Call arrived on Saturday and I've just ordered Madonna - American Life. So after 6 years of being a fan I've finally got all her studio albums! I'm ordering a few other bits and pieces this week too, so I'll post more when they get here!

New Order - Fine Time (Updated 22nd March 2012)

Fine Time is the lead single off New Order's 1989 album Technique and was originally released in 1988. It is number FAC223 in the Factory Records label catalogue. I'd have to say this is my favourite New Order song, but also one of my favourite songs ever in general! The song was recorded in Ibiza and was inspired by a night in Amnesia (Internationally reknowned club in Ibiza that New Order went to several times during the Technique recording sessions) The Ibiza recording sessions weren't fruitful however, Fine Time was one of only two songs they recorded when they were out there. The title of the song originated in a slightly strange way, band member Stephen Morris' car had been towed away and he needed something to remind himself to pay the fine. He wrote fine time on a piece of paper in order to do this, and thought to himself that it seemed a good idea for a title. I would say it rivals Blue Monday in terms of being the bands most dance oriented track.The song is acid-house influenced and signifies the influence that the legendary Hacienda nightclub was having on the musical direction of New Order, who actually had a massive part in financing the club. To this day, bassist Peter Hook owns the Hacienda name and trademark.Interestingly, on the US 12" vinyl, the way beats are structured within the song actually creates a swirl effect in the vinyl. This doesn't occur with the albums B-sides though, which is particularly interesting I think given that one of the B-sides, Fine Line, is actually the A-side except Bernard Sumners vocals have been removed. The second B-side, Don't Do It is a completely different song however. Although I love the beat I do feel that Bernards vocals just add to the song, they've got this brilliant scornful sound in the track that I love.  I seriously love this song and think its the perfect opening to Technique, which is a great album. It only reached 11 in the UK Charts which I feel is criminal, for me this is one of the best songs of the 80s!