Entertainment For Lively Minds
New stuff from Not New Order, but does anyone need it?
The first track from former New Order frontman Bernard Sumner's new outfit Bad Lieutenant has been posted on their mysapce site http://www.myspace.com/badlieutenantmusic.
Its reasonable enough with a polished production and a quite catchy tune. But its exactly what you'd expect of him. In fact, they needn't have bothered going to all the trouble of recording the song.
A press release saying "It's one of those medium paced, four chord, guitar based things with bloody awful lyrics as usual. You know, the sort of thing I've been churning out in my sleep for the last 20 years" would have done just as well.
With both Joy Division and New Order, Sumner has been responsible for some of the most innovative and influential post-punk music ever released, and I am a big admirer of both bands.
But judging by this effort, he no longer has anything to say (and don't you just hate bands that lift their names wholesale from films or books? How lazy is that). He's had a good run, sold a lot of records, but maybe its time to hang up the guitar.
The Young Marbled Giants got it right when they made one album and split up. I wish other musicians would have the guts to follow their example.
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When to quit?
Morrissey has been churning out exactly the same record for years now: "nobody loves me, my life is awful, etc. etc." The biggest disappointment is that he's never moved on and said something interesting about getting older; he's stuck in that curious man-boy phase forever. Yet he plays to sold-out arenas, so he's not going to stop.
I imagine it's similar for anyone who's had a decent career - I really like The Smiths/ Joy Division /New Order, but even their most dedicated fans can't hold out much hope for the latest offerings from former members of said groups.
Can anyone think of a popular musician/band who simply said enough is enough? Has anyone been very successful and just walked away, having said all they're going to? I know John Squire's had it with music, but it seems to be more that his stuff just wasn't attracting much interest.
Didn't Bill Withers...
...quit while he was still successful?
age shall not
whith.....
How do you turn
a duck into a soul singer?
Put it in the microwave
until its...
Isaac Hayes?
Fred Neil
Quit while he was very ahead to go and work with dolphins... so he walked the walk as well.
I agree most musicians just churn out the same thing over and over; there are exceptions though, those who are on some kind of never-ending journey of discovery rather than developing a style and then just repeating it ad-infitum a la Bernie Sumner. Examples for me would be Julian Cope, Bowie, Mike Scott, Roy Harper, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel... not saying everything they've done is great but they are clearly not content to just repeat themselves.
You'd need
an Aga for that
Er - that was in reply to Stimpy rather than post above.
Incidentally great list above - to which I'd like to add david Byrne
Agreed
Yes of course I forgot Byrne. Might as well stick Eno in there as well.
What else would he do?
I'd pretty much agree that what Bernard has put out in recent years - via whatever forum - hasn't been his best work, but let's be fair, how many others can we level that accusation at? Pretty much anybody who's recorded more than three albums - there are very few exceptions. At the end of the day, they are musicians, and this is how they make a living (ok, I know there's currently more money in touring, but you know what I mean).
Particularly with New Order you have to be aware that they probably never got to see much of the money they were due from when they were big sellers - Factory Records and the Hacienda seeing to that.
If we're not so keen on what our former heroes are doing, then we should just look away, and go back and listen to 'Technique', or 'Let it Bleed' or 'Desire' etc. It's us with the problem, not them.
Easier said than done, though, I know: http://thelibertyship.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/new-order/
The big question
But the big question surely is, will it be "Bad Lef-tenant" or "Bad Loo-tenant"...?
Exactly
my first thought. I don't know what that says about us.
Although 'Getting Away With It' did pop up on my iPod this morning on the train, so 'Bernard Sumner's other projects' i clearly the theme of my day.
I'm hoping..
The band get back together to record some fresh stuff. Then I can get it from Amazon. And they'll send me an email about my New New Order Order.
It's a hot day, so no coat to get..
alright, own up, young man...
how long has that been in your 'drafts' pile?
You don't want to know.
There's still plenty more just waiting for the right thread..
I didn't need old New Order
let alone new New Order
They sound like what they are - a backing band. And not a very good one either
that's frankly
nonsense I'm afraid
They lost
the one man who transformed them from also-rans to contenders. The only one with anything resembling charisma or vision.
JD were, courtesy of Ian Curtis, genuine ground-breakers. The notion that NO were is laughable.
Ask yourself this question - would NO have achieved prominence without the springboard of JD?
I have a nostalgic affection for NO and I play them from time time when a group of us is gathered and we're having a gay old time - to remind us of those days and the people we used to be.
The music itself is ok - but inessential - and oddly dated
Joy Division
were dreadfully dull too. Half a tune stretched to three minutes and sung by a Thunderbird puppet.
I would argue
that NO were substantial electro-dance pioneers in the 1980s, particularly coming from their original rock context. Songs like Temptation, Blue Monday and Everything's Gone Green were innovative and influential, even if perhaps some of the subsequent stuff such as Confusion, State Of The Nation etc. was more 'of its time'.
I don't think it's fair to try and seperate the elements of JD - the music and lyrics/voice were together integral to the group's identity. Without the chemistry/interaction of those musicians, Curtis might have just become a poet. Seems a bit pointless to speculate about NO in relation to the 'springboard' of JD; such a group wouldn't have existed as we know them. Would George Harrison have become famous if he hadn't have met McCartney? If Morrissey hadn't answered the door to Marr, would we all be miserable now?
Abba pretty much quit
when they were on the top of their game, and absolutely no sign of any re-union, and no sign of,literally, in the case of agnetha
good
my ears can remain free of their insipid inanities.
Benny & Bjorn, bk?
The natural successors to Lennon & McCartney's pop crown? Insipid and inane? Surely not?
Dancing Queen / Waterloo / Mamma Mia
they have committed more crimes than Abu Hamza in a puppet show
The Winner Takes It All/Knowing Me, Knowing You/
The Day Before You Came.
I think they have been pardoned.
Can't
stand them
Amen Sheev
.
Definitely not!
Insipid?, Oh dear some people eh! Abba are one of the greatest pop bands ever.
I was looking at
Hooky's Freebass page today.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendi...
Let's hope The Tower isn't representative of their work.
Never
saw the appeal in their supine, anaemic euro-pop drivel.
Are you talking about Abba
Are you talking about Abba or New Order?
New Order
unfortunately, utterly weedy boneless and soulless lyrically banal cack. Sorry. Pointless. I'd much rather listen to fish blinking.
That thing that Peter H did...
...with his bass - legs apart, back arched in most uncomfortable looking position, stretching down to play an invariably annoying single-string bass motif high up the neck... It wasn't big, it wasn't clever and it was very annoying in lots of ways. And that nasty tinny 'boinnng' sound he got from the thing.... Boy, thank goodness the 80s are over...
I wouldn't normally say this....
...but it looks like I'm in good company here.
Thing is, both JD and NO have some outstanding tracks. No question.
But there's also a huge amount of very average (and worse) filler. I always found it mildly puzzling that NO could come up with something as wonderful as Blue Monday or True Faith, and also produce many a yawnsome track.
Not that I'm complaining, really. That's why God invented playlists.