New Order
NEW ORDER
Rising from the ashes of the legendary British post-punk unit Joy Division, the enigmatic New Order triumphed over tragedy to emerge as one of the most influential and acclaimed bands of the 1980s; embracing the electronic textures and disco rhythms of the underground club culture many years in advance of its contemporaries, the group's pioneering fusion of new wave aesthetics and dance music successfully bridged the gap between the two worlds, creating a distinctively thoughtful and oblique brand of synth pop appealing equally to the mind, body, and soul.
New Order's origins officially date back to mid-1976, when guitarist Bernard Sumner (formerly Albrecht) and bassist Peter Hook - inspired by a recent Sex Pistols performance - announced their intentions to form a band of their own. Recruiting singer Ian Curtis and drummer Stephen Morris, they eventually settled on the name Joy Division, and in 1979 issued their landmark debut LP, Unknown Pleasures.
After completing sessions for Joy Division's sophomore effort, Closer, Curtis hanged himself on May 18, 1980; devastated, the remaining trio immediately disbanded, only to re-form soon after as New Order with the addition of keyboardist Gillian Gilbert. With Sumner assuming vocal duties, the new group debuted in March 1981 with the single "Ceremony," a darkly melodic effort originally composed for use by Joy Division.
The LP Movement followed a few months later, and when it too mined territory similar to New Order's previous incarnation, many observers were quick to dismiss the band for reliving former glories. However, with its next single, "Everything's Gone Green," the quartet first began adorning its sound with synthesizers and sequencers, inspired by the music of Kraftwerk as well as the electro beats coming up from the New York underground; 1982's "Temptation" continued the trend, and like its predecessor was a major favourite among club-goers.
After a year-long hiatus, New Order resurfaced in 1983 with their breakthrough hit "Blue Monday"; packaged in a provocative sleeve designed to recall a computer disk, with virtually no information about the band itself - a hallmark of their mysterious, distant image - it perfectly married Sumner's plaintive yet cold vocals and abstract lyrics with cutting-edge drum-machine rhythms ideal for club consumption. "Blue Monday" went on to become the best-selling 12" release of all time, moving over three million copies worldwide.
After releasing their brilliant 1983 sophomore album, Power, Corruption and Lies, New Order teamed with the then-unknown producer Arthur Baker to record "Confusion," another state-of-the-art dance classic, which even scraped into the American R&B charts. The group's success soon won them a stateside contract with Quincy Jones' Qwest label; however, apart from a pair of singles, "Thieves Like Us" and "Murder," they remained out of the spotlight throughout 1984.
Heralded by the superb single "The Perfect Kiss," New Order resurfaced in 1985 with Low-life, their most fully realized effort to date; breaking with long-standing tradition, it actually included photos of the individual members, suggesting an increasing proximity with their growing audience. Brotherhood followed in 1986, with the single "Bizarre Love Triangle" making significant inroads among mainstream pop audiences.
A year later the group issued Substance, a much-needed collection of singles and remixes; it was New Order's American breakthrough, cracking the Top 40 on the strength of the newly recorded single "True Faith," which itself reached number 32 on the U.S. pop charts. The remixed "Blue Monday 1988" followed, and in 1989 - inspired by the ecstasy-fuelled house music that their work had clearly predated and influenced – New Order issued Technique; their most club-focused outing to date, it launched the hits "Fine Time" and "Round and Round."
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After recording the 1990 English World Cup Soccer anthem "World in Motion," New Order went on an extended hiatus to pursue solo projects; Hook formed the band Revenge, long-time companions Morris and Gilbert recorded as the Other Two, and, most notably, Sumner teamed with ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and Pet Shop Boys front-man Neil Tennant in Electronic, which scored a Top 40 hit with the single "Getting Away with It."
New Order reconvened in 1993 for their biggest hit to date, Republic, which earned the band its highest charting American single ("Regret") and fell just shy of the U.S. Top Ten, despite charges from long-time fans that the band had lost its edge. A major tour followed, although rumours of escalating creative conflicts plagued the group; refusing to either confirm or deny word of a breakup, New Order simply spent the mid-'90s in a state of limbo, with Sumner eventually recording a long-awaited second Electronic LP and Hook mounting another new project, Monaco.
"Brutal," the first new effort from New Order in a number of years, was featured on the soundtrack of the 2000 film The Beach, and the full-length Get Ready followed one year later. By this time, Gillian Gilbert had left the band to care for her and Stephen Morris' children, and Marion guitarist Phil Cunningham had been added to bolster the line-up. Dedicated touring followed the release of Get Ready, and New Order recorded a follow-up for release in 2005, Waiting for the Sirens' Call. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Source: http://www,artistdirect.com/
Discography:
Movement, Factory, 1981
Power, Corruption & Lies, Factory, 1983
Low-Life, Factory, 1985
Brotherhood, Factory, 1986
Technique, Factory, 1989
Republic, Centredate/London, 1993
Get Ready, London, 2001
Waiting For The Siren's Call, London, 2005
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
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A LIFELONG FASCINATION WITH GUY EVANS
If the later seventies and the eighties saw musical shifts arising from the development of the synthesizer, the sixties and early seventies heralded the rise of the drummer in importance. Rival for drumming GOAT Stephen Morris (Joy Division/New Order) represented the shift from acoustic drumming to the ubiquitous drum machine of the eighties by creating the sound acoustically.
BEST EVER SPORTS SONGS PART 2
A week in to the World Cup and football fever has spread across the nation. With that in mind, we are pleased to bring you part 2 of the best sports songs countdown to get you hyped overthe competition. Here is the top ten.
10. Rock And Roll (The Hey Song) - Gary Glitter (Ice Hockey, American Football)
THE KILLERS
If you asked the average person on the street, they could probably have their own favourite song from the Las Vegas band. Formed in 2002, Brandon Flowers (lead singer, piano), Dave Keuning (guitar, backing vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass, backing vocals), Ronnie Vannucci Jr (drums, percussion) are heavily influenced by 1980 iconic bands such as New Order, David Bowie and Joy Division among others. They have gone from strength to strength by selling out venues such as the legendary Royal Albert Hall and headlining festivals all over the world.
Their first album ‘Hot Fuzz’ was released in 2004 after The Killers agreed to sign for UK label Marrakesh records and US label Island records. The album included the singles ‘Mr Brightside’, ‘Smile Like You Mean It’, ‘Somebody Told Me’ and ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’. The album itself has been influenced by 80s rock and is regarded by many as one of the best records of the decade with songs released from ‘Hot Fuzz’ being placed respectfully in the top ten of the best songs of the decade. ‘Mr Brightside’ received the accolade for best song of the decade from Xfm. In 2009, young British artists were brought together to form Young Soul Rebels, covered the song ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ to raise money for the charity War Child Group.
Bouncing from the success from ‘Hot Fuzz’, The Killers released their second album ‘Sam’s Town’ in 2006. The album was not as successful as the first and received mixed reviews. However, ‘Sam’s Town’ includes the singles ‘When You Were Young’, ‘Read my Mind’, ‘Bones’ and ‘For Reasons Unknown’ which are hits in their own right. The self titled song on the record was not released as a single to the annoyance of their fans. By the end of the year, The Killers won Best International Group and Best International Album at the BRIT awards. They also headlined Glastonbury festival in 2007.
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A B-side collection of the band was released in 2007 named ‘Sawdust’. The album saw the release of the single ‘Tranquilize’ and saw the legendary Lou Reed collaborate to create the song. The Killers also cover the songs ‘Shadowplay’ (Joy Division), ‘Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town’ (Kenny Rodgers and The First Edition) and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (Dire Straits) as a mark of respect for the bands they admire.
2008 saw The Killers release their third album ‘Day & Age’, produced by Stuart Price, includes the singles ‘The World We Live In’, ‘Spaceman’, ‘A Dustland Fairytale’ and the number one classic ‘Human’.
The Killers are heavily linked to the charity group ‘Project Red’ as they have released a Christmas song every year since 2006 with all of the profits going to the charitable organization. The singles include ‘A Great Big Sled’, ‘Don’t Shoot Me Santa’, ‘Joseph, Better You Than Me’ (collaborated with Elton John) and ‘Happy Birthday Guadalupe’.
The accolades keep coming for the American indie band with NME giving them Best International Band for the years 2005, 2008 and 2009 and they have received seven Grammy nominations.
Recently, the Daily Telegraph reported Brandon Flowers hopes The Killers will be bigger than U2 in the future. If they continue to create more number one albums, it looks like that could be the case.
Albums:
Source: Dean Woodhouse
HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT THE KILLERS MERCHANDISE HERE
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
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Joy Division Cult Heroes
Joy Division
Originally known as Warsaw, this Manchester post-punk outfit is widely regarded as one of the most important bands of their era. Joy Division comprised of Ian Curtis (vocals), Bernard Sumner (guitar/vocals), Peter Hook (bass) and Stephen Morris (drums). Curtis, Sumner and Hook had formed Warsaw in April 1977, with Steve Brotherdale on drums. By the following March, with Morris already on board, they had emerged under their new title, borrowing their name from the prostitution wing of a Nazi concentration camp.
After recording a regionally available EP, 1977's ‘An Ideal For Living’, they were signed Factory Records and placed in the hands of producer Martin Hannett. Their 1979 debut, ‘Unknown Pleasures’, was a dark and disturbing affair, with Curtis at his most manically arresting on the insistent ‘She's Lost Control'.
By the time of the single ‘Transmission', the quartet had already established a strong cult following, which increased after each gig. Much of the attention centered on the charismatic Curtis, who was renowned for his neurotic stage presence. By the autumn of 1979, however, Curtis’ performances were drawing attention for a more serious reason, having suffered from blackouts onstage.
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On 18 May 1980, the eve of Joy Division's proposed visit to America, Ian Curtis was found hanged. The verdict was suicide. A note was allegedly found bearing the words: "At this moment I wish I were dead. I just can't cope anymore".
The UK Top 20 single, ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, was later released, probably the finest of the year, a haunting account of a fragmented relationship, sung by Curtis in a voice that few realized he possessed. The attendant album, ‘Closer’ followed shortly, showing a maturity in the bands work. The following year, a double album, ‘Still’, collected the remainder of the band's material, most of it in primitive form.
Within months of the Curtis tragedy, the remaining members sought a fresh start as New Order.
In 1995 Curtis' widow, Deborah, published a book on her former husband and the band, while a compilation album and a re-released version of ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart' were back on the shelves on the 15th anniversary of his death.
Carly Page
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
