adicarter's Full Review: Retro [Box] by New Order (UK)
New Order’s back catalogue has been subject to a series of compilations over the last decade or so. From the sublime collection of “Substance” through to the decidedly patchy “Best Of” in the mid nineties through to the recent “Singles” which served to redress the balance of its predecessor. What has to be said is these collections have more or less intended for the more casual New Order fan who has picked up a liking for the bands material on their journey through late twentieth century popular music.
“Retro” differs from these collections in the sense that it is a four-disc compilation and seems intended for the more dedicated fan taking in the different facets of the band and their cultural influence along the way. Unlike many box sets of this nature the band have taken a back seat in the selection process. Instead leaving the choices for the most part to other people who have been involved with the band at various levels over the years.
It is this approach that makes “Retro” such an enjoyable listen, allowing a band to raid their own back catalogue in this fashion can often lead to somewhat predictable results. The hits make obligatory appearances for whatever reason other material often beloved by the fans can sometimes be passed over. I can assure that’s not the case here.
“Retro” comes packaged in the obligatory box set style with brand new artwork by Peter Saville and an accompanying booklet with anecdotal tales from the band covering their views on remixes (which in itself has played an important part of their career), playing live, and of course some of the stories behind the songs. The text is sufficiently informative and some of the quotes are often funny and it does serve to alleviate the myth that the band is little more than dour Mancunians with sequencers.
The first disc is entitled “Pop” and has been selected by Miranda Sawyer, a long time friend of the band and a respected pop journalist in the UK and in fairness to her choice brings her pop sensibilities to the fore. Not all of the tracks on her disc have been hits but they all share something in common. They represent what was at the time bleeding edge pop music and no matter how times and trends have changed there is something in nearly all of the songs on this collection that can still brace its back and stand firm in the light of today’s pop offerings.
Starting with the Ibiza fuelled ecstasy drenched “Fine Time” this is the band embracing what was then the emerging house music scene of the time and twisting it with a little northern flavour. It makes a strange bedfellow sat next to the original version of “Temptation” which shows the band at the other end of the time scale, still learning and still raw with more than a hint of Ian Curtis’s ghost stood behind them as they stepped out of the wreckage of Joy Division. The original performance is nervous and edgy and in many ways amateur but that’s its appeal. It would have been the easiest choice to go for the re-recorded version that was significantly tidier but kudos to Sawyer for sticking with this version.
The anthemic “True Faith” couldn’t have been left off this collection. Once again bouncing to the other end of the band’s musical history this is the band in assured form with confident lyrical and musical prowess, it also represents one of their best-known songs. At this point there is a certain duality to Sawyer’s choices becoming evident. The selections move back and forth through the band’s history with scant regard for whether a particular track is represented in its most gleaming incarnation. But then again pop music doesn’t always have to be shiny to be good.
This is displayed in the criminally underrated track “The Perfect Kiss” which is represented here in a slightly scrappy but comfortably familiar edited version (for me this song is always best heard in its entirety) but there is still enough here to allow the quality of the song to shine through and just by being included the song has been done justice.
“Ceremony” once again represents the band in their infancy and on this disc is perhaps their most Joy Divisionesque moment. Guitar driven and almost clutching at the last embers of the British punk with its D.I.Y sound, Barney’s vocal ability is still something of an unknown quantity, with more than a passing resemblance to Curtis in its delivery, yet it is the barely restrained energy of the performance which grants it entrance to this collection.
It sits nicely in antithesis to “Regret” possibly the best track from the maligned Republic album. Which shows the band at the other end of the scale with a tight mid tempo guitar pop performance and a wistful yet accomplished vocal. Sawyer’s choices from this point onwards take a slightly more conventional yet no less interesting route. We have the return to form single of “Crystal” in all its polished glory mated with “Bizarre Love Triangle” in its less familiar yet no less entertaining darker album version.
“Confusion” shows up in its original form as well. Even the downright messy vocals and the crude by today’s standards drum sounds can’t deter from this New York inspired electro style offering. Once again there are cleaner version available to choose from but somehow the dirt and grime under the nails of this version helps it to fit in just nicely.
“Round and Round” shows the band in a somewhat slick almost transatlantic pop mode. Taken from the Technique album this is one of the finer cuts from the album and one of their lower profile singles, yet once again a strong vocal, good lyric and hooks place it well in the collection.
“Blue Monday” of course had to be included and I daresay would be a standout track in any popular music collection anywhere. Represented here in all its sublime original glory, the track remains as timeless as ever right from the ever familiar opening beats right through to the euphoric ending that carries the song to its conclusion. One of the most influential songs of its genre even as it approaches thirty years old it still maintains an almost regal air in the annals of dance music.
“Brutal” is up next and its not a track that I’m overly familiar with even as a fan and does serve to slow the collection down a little. However there is an overall darkness to the production that does it give it a certain appeal. “Slow Jam” and “Everyone Everywhere” represent some of the better tracks from New Order’s latter day albums and in truth they are salvaging the better songs from otherwise less than sparkling collections.
The second disc is entitled “Fan” and represents a more intimate look at the band’s history. Forsaking the more obvious pop sensibilities that Miranda Sawyer’s represent this time journalist and more importantly fan John McCready picks his favourite tracks from the back catalogue.
His fan credentials show in evidence as well as he kicks off his collection with “Elegia” an instrumental from the band’s Brotherhood album. Long considered to be a fan favourite by many with its melancholic approach with the stark repetition of its chiming synth lines and doom-laden drums. This could almost be the soundtrack for crossing the river Styx but nonetheless it’s a beautiful piece all the same.
“In A Lonely Place” is one of the earliest tracks on offer in this collection. Delivered in a pitch-black mood and showing the lasting influence of Joy Division on the second incarnation of the band. This is quite possibly one of New Order’s bleakest musical landscapes and could quite easily be construed as a song about the lead singer the band lost. It’s the musical equivalent of despair (and I don’t mean that in a bad way).
“Procession” maintains the run of earlier material but with a slight rise in spirits. This is Barney finding his own voice and the band clearly establishing their own sense of identity with the prevailing use of synthesisers to create a backwash of sound for the scratchy insistent guitar riffs that punctuate this track. This is a song I hadn’t heard in quite a long time and it was nice to revisit. It almost possesses a garage band mentality with its rawness.
“Your Silent Face” moves forward in time to the point where they had achieved a real sense of musical competency as New Order but before they achieved the “slickness” of later releases. The recording is better quality in terms of musicianship yet still shows some of Barney’s earlier devil may care (almost slapdash) approach to wordplay. Yet it’s this nonchalance that always seemed to work so well for so many of the album tracks. There is evidence here of the dramatic builds that the band would go on to include in so many of their later material (and it does contain the classic line…”you’ve caught me at a bad time, so why don’t you p*ss off”, unexpected but funny in the context of the song).
“Sunrise” is another hidden gem, once again an intermingling of moody synths and urgent guitar lines especially with Peter Hook’s bass work. The vocal is perhaps in a higher range than Barney should normally visit for long periods but this all serves to deliver a real sense of nervous energy to the track with its edgy diatribe against God. This could almost have been single material back in the day with its highly dramatic guitar riffs and post punk rhythmic drumming.
This is my first experience of “Let’s Go” in its vocal format, having only previously only encountered its instrumental brethren on the Salvation soundtrack. This represents one of those tracks that could have/should have been a single. An almost jaunty straight up and down guitar pop track with Barney on good vocal form and in suitably bitter song writing form. Very much cast in the same vein as material from the Brotherhood album and that’s no bad thing. “Broken Promise” comes from the aforementioned album and represents the band on tight guitar form and its only at this point I start to wonder if this particular aspect of the collection might have been mined a little too tightly from one seam of the bands collection, but then its important to consider this is one fan’s particular choice of favourite and this is one disc in the collection that no New Order fan is necessarily going to agree upon.
“Dreams Never End” is as much a curiosity as anything as it highlights Peter Hook on vocals whereas “Cries And Whispers (Mesh)” is another example of the band finding form. Both tracks however I suspect might not necessarily be of particular interest to the casual fan. “All Day Long” however does show the band taking the long route to their pop sensibilities, albeit in a somewhat grandiose fashion yet once again with a dark lyrical twist (the subject matter in this instance being about abuse).
The next three tracks are from the bands early to mid history (“Leave Me Alone”, “Lonesome Tonight”, “Every Little Counts” ) and while the former two are not in any way bad tracks they don’t represent (for me at least) the quality of the rest of the collection. The latter track does offer a little humour into the selection though with Barney’s barely contained laughter during the opening verse. “Run Wild” is the obligatory track taken from the band’s latest releases and once again for me is one of the weaker points of this disc. A mild acoustic track delivered with polish that the band seem to have adopted in their latest incarnation. It’s not a bad song, a little syrupy for my liking in the lyrical department and one of those tracks that might given time get under your skin.
The third CD of the collection is “Club” and as you’ve probably deduced addresses the dance floor aspirations and subsequent conquest the band have achieved over the years. This collection is compiled by Mike Pickering who is well known as a DJ in the UK (as well as being a member of M People but we won’t go there…). I wondered if there was perhaps a better person to make this selection in the world of dance music. But credit where its due Pickering was present in the days when these tracks were doing the rounds and he was part of the Hacienda history and its subsequent impact on dance music and its culture. This collection gathers together some of the best remixes of New Order material in Pickering’s opinion.
Starting with Koma & Bones respectful breakbeat reworking of “Confusion”, completely with a re-recorded vocal this mix is one of the newest on here and keeps enough of the original while adding a suitably modern flourish to the track. Robert Racic’s remix of “Paradise” is up next, the ingredients of this mix tell me this track should have dated but for some reason its all still perfectly acceptable. It doesn’t sit in any way shape or form as “up to date” but its still a good mix that takes a good album track one step further. It’s also something of a rarity I believe so it’s a good opportunity to locate one of those hard to find tracks.
Andrew Weatherall’s Sabres mix of “Regret” is up next and as was the case with much of his material from the time its suitably down tempo and dubby with plenty of broody bass and echo chamber effects. Barney’s vocal sits high in the mix with ghostly effect. One of the more adventurous directions a New Order mix has taken in my opinion.
Shep Pettibone’s bright and chattery remix of “Bizarre Love Triangle” is up next. One of the band’s best remixes in my opinion bringing up some of the hidden delights that the album mix chose to keep hidden. This mix is just so damn bright if it was something you looked at it would hurt your eyes and for me still has that certain something that should fill a dance floor. John Robie’s mix of “Shellshock” follows with its somewhat epic introduction and clattering eighties style drum patterns. It’s sequenced to high heaven which gives the backdrop of the track seem incredibly busy but strangely not all that danceable. Still quality though.
Steve Hurley’s production on the Silk Mix of “Fine Time” gives the track a real authentic mix of Chicago house and euro pop, not the most radical reworking of a track but there’s been enough work on done on the drum track to give the track a real dancefloor flavour.
Arthur Baker’s version of �” softens the track somewhat (I’m surprised this didn’t show up in the fan collection actually). In no way is this a dance track but instead this version only serves to accentuate the lyrical/emotional gravity of the track (and it’s the best version of the otherwise appalling 1995 cash in remixes). “Touched By The Hand Of God” shows up in its single version, suitably heavyweight in its execution this is one track that for many slipped under the radar and for me never needed any additional tampering. “Everything’s Gone Green” also makes an appearance in its original format, but works well here on account of its dance floor sensibilities if not for the sounds that comprise it. It’s sequencing might not be state of the art but it has enough inbuilt drive to hold its own on this disc. Alas the Manuela Mix of “Blue Monday” throws things out a little, despite some promising piano stabs on the intro this heads into super cheesy hard house territory and although some of the pan and filter work is subtly impressive it kind of tramples over the original in an almost disrespectful way. The Subuteo Mix of “World In Motion” also hasn’t dated that well either, its still floor friendly enough and keeps enough of the original version to be recognisable. However the sounds used in the mix just don’t seem to hold up that well.
The Extended Instrumental of “Here To Stay” still works well though (it is fairly recent) and the Chemical Brothers used their working time with the band to create a track that I don’t think they have come close to touching on their own recent releases. Some nice effects on Hook’s bass give it a real ghostly flavour and the absence of a vocal doesn’t impede the track either. It’s a hands in the air track. The disc closes with Lee Coombes mix of “Crystal”, breakbeat and moody with some dark synth work. It kind of makes the track into an alternative anthem in places.
Disc 4 is “Live” and as you can expect contains favoured live versions of some of New Order’s back-story. This time the band have been involved but with the help of Primal Scream’s front man and long time band friend and occasional collaborator Bobby Gillespie. New Order as a live act have been known to be patchy at times. Often the problem for a band that has come to rely on technology so much is reproducing that sound live. Synths and sequencers away from their cosseted studio environment often lose a great deal in performance and can sound like pale imitations of their counterparts.
In this instance however Gillespie/New Order have chosen a good number of tracks that are guitar led such as “Ceremony” and “Procession” and these recordings shown them in fine fettle. The live mixes are occasionally muddy on some of the older recordings but everything is perfectly passable. The band may have to sacrifice some of the technology on stage but the energy of the performance is something that is retained. For example “Everything’s Gone Green” might sound a little thin in places but the track still maintains its drive. Tracks such as “Elegia” also work in a live environment mainly because they represent what for the most part “you can hear a pin drop” moments (although there is some annoying s*it in the audience who you can hear talking throughout the performance).
Tracks such as “The Perfect Kiss” and “Fine Time” hold up well in the face of the technological adversity I mentioned earlier. The crowd are evidently pleased as you can hear from the pick up on the mics. Tracks such as “World” and “Regret” represent that have toured extensively and honed their craft and tightened their live sound. There’s an amusing intermission from Alan Wise which leads to a storming version of “Crystal” before two workmanlike performances close the disc in the shape of “Turn My Way” (with Billy Corgan) and “Temptation”.
Finally (yes I know I’ve taken up too much of your time already but this is a five CD set after all), there is a bonus disc that contains some rarities and oddities that the dedicated fan should appreciate. A clean and bright re-recording of “Temptation” from 1998 (very nicely done). A live version of Joy Division’s “Transmission” (again very nicely done, with Barney not trying to copy Curtis’s vocal style too much). “Such A Good Thing” , “Best & Marsh” which are now hard to find the first being a touch throwaway, the latter being a half decent electronic instrumental from the Technique era. An instrumental version of “Let’s Go” from the Salvation soundtrack (excellent).
There’s an unreleased mix of “True Faith”, and versions of “Run Wild” and “The Perfect Kiss” which to be honest are only of curiosity value. And to close things there is an eighteen minute version of “Elegia” which is frankly too long.
Phew…
All in all what you have here is a box set for the dedicated fan that I think will always serve to divide opinion. Sawyer’s pop collection is right on the money and thinking about it she did have the easiest task. A ripe collection of pop classics that pretty much selects itself. The fan disc is a personal thing and while I don’t disagree with much of what is present my choices would have been different. The club disc is a good snapshot of what was happening in the world of dance while New Order have been loitering in it, again though there was the odd howler in the collection which I would have replaced. Finally the live and bonus discs are solid enough with the former representing a good catalogue of material and preparing to show some of the warts and all aspects of a New Order performance. The latter disc is pretty much for the die hards but then I suspect that’s who will be buying this disc to be honest.
The First Career-spanning 4-CD Boxed Set by this groundbreaking & influential band. The 57 tracks include many unreleased live tracks and versions una...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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