— Toby Anstis
At one point when I was still on Twitter, a scan of Neil Tennant's review of New Order's supposedly seminal 1983 album Power, Corruption and Lies in Smash Hits did the social media rounds. Though he wasn't overly complementary in his analysis, he didn't completely slag it off either. (A score of 6½ out of 10 isn't quite in 'shitting all over it' territory, is it?) His main criticism was that while New Order were capable of crafting sublime singles, their albums tended to leave a lot to be desired. While Power, Corruption and Lies happened to be just their second LP, he somehow happened to be looking ahead to the many patchy albums they'd record in the future. (Technique is probably the only one that is strong from top to bottom)
This didn't sit well with some on music Twitter. Many seemed to think that because the Pet Shop Boys were inferior to New Order that Tennant shouldn't judge. While they're tastes are wrong, even granting them the premise is flawed. By their logic only The Beatles and Miles Davis are in a position to evaluate the musical worth of anyone else. What's more, if other (future) pop stars have no business knocking others than what of the rest of us?
The one minor problem I have with Tennant's point is that it overlooks the fact that not every New Order single hit the mark either. Early records like "Procession" and "Thieves Like Us" are nothing special. "State of the Nation" is forgettable and "Touched by the Hand of God" is really only saved by the priceless video. And then there's "Ruined in a Day" and "World", neither of which could have hoped to adequately follow the brilliant "Regret" even if they both weren't so wretchedly ordinary.
I bought the Republic album during the spring of 1993 having not heard even a snippet of any of its eleven cuts. Nevertheless, I felt obliged to purchase it, even if I had to pause when I noticed A NEWORDER RELEASE emblazoned at the top of the cover. ("So, this is New Order album, right?") "Regret" instantly made it all worthwhile but getting through the remainder of it proved to be more of a slog. "World" was its second track and I wasn't overly fond of it, especially the backing singers who I felt would have been more at home on a Jason Donovan record. I listened to the first side of Republic and wasn't grabbed by any of it. It was only with side 2 opener "Young Offender" that I could hear a potential second single, something which wouldn't have mattered to the old New Order who seldom bothered including 45's on their LP's.
I wasn't to know it at the time since I seldom purchased singles and disliked most of the 12" mixes I'd heard but "World" did have an ace up its sleeve. The Perfecto mix which would later appear on the 1995 compilation The Rest of New Order turned out to be something of a banger. Revamped by legendary English DJ and producer Paul Oakenfold, it was very much the same song only with more polish and a little more muscle during the instrumental breaks. "This is how it should have sounded all along," I said to myself the first time I put it on. This is no mean feat for a remix: around the same time the Pet Shop Boys put out retooled cuts of both "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Think" and "Yesterday, When I Was Mad" from their Very album both of which ended up sounding far too cluttered and messy compared to the originals. DJ's like to leave their mark but more often than not it's best if they enhance the record they're tasked with remixing rather than altering it beyond recognition.
This expertly done Perfecto mix highlights the fact that the world no longer needed New Order. This was something that virtually everyone who still remained from the heyday of eighties' synth-pop had to come to terms with in 1993. Depeche Mode accepted the new reality and recorded a messy, grungy alternative album Songs of Faith and Devotion (a favourite among those who prefer the indie side of the Basildonians to their pop sound; suffice it to say I am not one of them) while the Pet Shop Boys doubled down with a work that was them in all their arch-pop glory (it was said to have been 'Very Pet Shop Boys'). Meanwhile, Erasure became even more insufferably serious than they already were. Notably, the only one who didn't have a number one album in '93 and '94 was New Order.
Although I was unaware of this at the time, New Order's days were numbered even prior to the recording of Republic. "World" indicates that this is a unit that was no longer able to coalesce the way they had so effortlessly on "Blue Monday" and "True Faith". Bernard Sumner had been working with Johnny Marr and noted New Order basher New Tennant and the lyrics and melodies he brought back with him sound like vintage Electronic. Worse yet, they sounded like vintage Electronic rejects. The democratic unity of old seemed to have been replaced by four individuals content to do their own thing, contributing only when it suited them.
There is so much to admire and like about New Order that it's actually quite easy to overlook their flaws. The sense that they seemed to think that they were above all this pop caper was annoying but it also reflected their inability to consistently put out magnificent records. While Tennant and Lowe soaked up influences particularly from various subgenres of dance music, Sumner and bandmates Peter Hook, Gillian Gilbert and Stephen Morris seemed incapable of appreciating anything remotely commercial. And then there's the word salad lyrics delivered by the pedestrian-voiced Sumner: while at times the nonsense words sung by a workmanlike vocalist could actually work it was always hit and miss.
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Also Reviewed This Fortnight
The Proclaimers: "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"
Previously a number eleven hit in the autumn of 1988, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" enjoyed an unexpected second wind up the charts after being featured in the Johnny Depp-Mary Stuart Masterson picture Benny & Joon. By "charts" I'm referring to the American Hot 100 and the Canadian RPM listing where it peaked at numbers three and four respectively. As for Britain, this re-release didn't even make a token appearance at the bottom end of the chart. But no matter since it would be back. The British would eventually take it to number one for Comic Relief while in North America it was used in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother as the cassingle that was stuck inside Marshall's Fiero. While Ted got sick of it on their roadtrip across the USA, it eventually came around again and he was once again singing along. It happens to all of us.
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