New Order - Music Complete

Apart from 'Lost Sirens', they never lost their form to begin with - so Music Complete is just another great NO album, period.

Sumner lost form circa Republic. He managed to climb out of that dip to a point, but not to the level of the '80s work.

Most of the 80s albums are patchy as hell, though

Tooti
FROO.TI.

I still love Music Complete. Great album.

yes

should have voted for it in the albums poll tbh.

About to see these guys live and Hookless, but if losing him means losing Regret from the setlist, I just as soon they wouldn't bother. My expectations are conspicuously in check.

Don't they have a ringer?

Two!

Saw them do "Regret" sans Hook in San Francisco in 2014 and it was great so I doubt that is the reason for it being dropped from the set. They seem to be playing more from the new album on this tour. Wish I was seeing them again.

Ok, the dude playing Hook is having a blast.

They've added a second bassist? That sounds both hilarious and an actually good idea

Still not really sure what Gillian does, but it's nice to see her up there.

Xpost no, just a bassist and extra guitar, sorry!

Would love if they had two bassists!

she plays synths and mimes guitar, what do you want

they just announced a few dates in Sydney with an orchestra which sounds interesting but a bit strange.

I guess that's the Vivid second announcement

and extra guitar

if you mean Marionbloke, he was in the band with Hook for six or seven years

It's always disjointing to have triggered female backing vocals when the one woman on the stage never sings. But she's cool, love Gillian.

Yeah, Tom Chapman and Phil Cunningham. Forget which was in Bad Lieutenant.

But previously he was subbing for Gillian. Now he's just extra.

Temptation killing it tonight. True Faith was pretty ace too.

Forget which was in Bad Lieutenant.

Both played with Bad Lieutenant, actually.

pretty sure it's Phil playing with Electronic in this live Vivid clip from TFI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ux2AIFFEZE

If you're criticising *Gillian Gilbert's* musical competence in a band that also contains Bernard Sumner, (Sumner, one of the most inept guitarists to ever have a career), all you are doing is displaying your chauvinism. Leave it out. It's deeply tedious at this point.

They're both really, really good at playing New Order songs after many years of practice, but you wouldn't want either one teaching musical technique in schools.

Who said anything about competence? One of my favorite thing about the band is that everyone except Stephen is really to some degree of rudimentary. But she doesn't move, and while she did add a third guitar to Ceremony, her keyboard is always set up so that I literally have no idea what she is doing. I mean, I know she's triggering some stuff, but there were times when Stephen and Phil were doing that, too, and l couldn't discern what she was adding. Like Fletch in Depeche Mode, but even more hidden. Doesn't hurt the band, but it's strange to see a group with an added member and the return of a longtime member that sounds exactly the same as before. Maybe they are just all doing less, and she didn't do much before?

how do you know Stephen and Phil weren't playing stuff either?

Judging from videos she's usually playing one particular synth part with the rest being additional sequencers or backing tracks. It's not surprising it'd be hard to tell which one though, especially when a few of them are on keyboards.

Gillian doesn't have to sing, does she?

Xpost I could see them playing. Phil's rig is turned to the side, and Stephen is hitting everything in sight. But you're right, it's possible no one was doing anything! Hence the genius of New Order.

And no, she doesn't sing. Can she?

Anyway, it reminded me of when I saw the Beach Boys a few years ago and 7 people on stage were holding guitars.

I know she's on "Ceremony" single, and she does sing a lot on The Other Two records.

No, it's because of someone saying about the triggered female backing vocals..

Yeah, that was me. It's weird to hear female vox and they're not coming from her. Not that I expected them, but it's conspicuous.

Anyway, it reminded me of when I saw the Beach Boys a few years ago and 7 people on stage were holding guitars.

If this was the Brian-band+others 50th anniversary reunion Beach Boys, Al Jardine was low in the mix apart from a wee solo or two, but was playing when he actually had a guitar, Mike's bandleader guy was there for his vocals, but was playing, David Marks was v obviously there for solos and additional leads as nobody knows who he is and you could hear him scrobbling away over the top of the rockier songs, and Brian's multi-instrumentalists played as and when.

But if you're talking about mysterious deceptive stage keyboards, Bruce Johnston's electric piano was at most appearing in his own foldback, and may have been made of cardboard.

(If you mean Mike Love's Contractually Legal Beach Boys Band, I can't imagine he'd pay anyone to tour who wasn't playing 99% of the time, and possibly driving a truck as well.)

(Well, there's that thing again: Mike Love being right about dropping the "real" beach boys, but boooo anyway)

I actually might give this another listen later on and give it another chance.

Hray!

I think I've actually warmed to it a little this go-round, but mostly on the more electronic tracks rather than the guitar-led ones. I still don't think it's anywhere near Technique or the first Electronic album, and I still think the best of Get Ready and Waiting For The Sirens' Call are better than the best on this. But, the first half of the album (well, actually from 'Singularity' to 'People On The High Line') and 'Superheated' didn't sound all that bad to me this time around. Weirdly, I quite enjoyed 'Academic' the most of the guitar stuff... that one just passed me by when the album first came out.

'Restless', 'Stray Dog', 'Unlearn This Hatred' and 'The Game' all had me reaching for the skip button, tbh.

I already forget what new songs they played last night, besides "Tutti Frutti." I do know they played pretty radically remixed versions of "Waiting for the Sirens Call" and "True Faith," the former sort of in line with the stuff on the new album.

They also renamed "Blue Monday" "Green Thursday" and passed around a silly plastic St. Patrick's Day hat.

I like the relentlessness of "Academic," as if it wants to prove its title right. It doesn't change temp.

I love "Unlearn This Hatred". "Nothing But A Fool" is a forgotten favourite, I don't like the start but once it gets going I get into it. Nice wee "Everything's Gone Green" nod at the end and as clunky as the lyrics can be this one has a little personal relevance at the monent.

'Nothing But A Fool' has a nice ending section, it just seems to take an eternity to get there!

I still have no idea why 'Academic' completely just went by me without leaving any kind of impression months ago, but this time around the opening guitar lick just drew me in. I've just had to listen to it again!

I think the nice ending section is a reward for patience.

The extended mix of Academic turns it into a long-lost Technique classic. It's improved in the remix, in my opinion.

post it

I'm surprised it's not on youtube.

I'm really struggling to imagine what 'People On The High Line' would have sounded like with Hook on board. It sounds like the kind of track they couldn't have made with him, or if they had it would have sounded very different.

TOOTI

FROOTI

Stumbled across this thread tonight: as a fan since Power, Corruption, & Lies, I would say that there's one 10/10 song here in Tutti Frutti, which would have sat proudly on Technique. Plastic might be another great song if they had dispensed with its coda: most of the songs here would benefit from editing - for example, Nothing But A Fool could say everything it has to say in 3 or 4 minutes instead of 7. Still, as someone said above, when a band has been part of your life for decades, you're just glad that they made a new record with one great song on it.