New Order

New Order are an English rock group formed in 1980 by the surviving members of Joy Division following the suicide of singer Ian Curtis. Early New Order was reminiscent of Joy Division, but they quickly evolved their own distinctive sound, and are often cited as an important and influential electronic dance act.

History

Morris, Hook and Sumner were members of Joy Division from 1978 to 1980. The group had formed a creative and influential body of work, often featuring heavy production input from producer Martin Hannett. Joy Division's singer Ian Curtis committed suicide in 1980, just prior to the release of the band's second album, Closer. Intending not to let the band disappear with Curtis, the group toured, recorded with singer Kevin Hewick, and added Gillian Gilbert, as keyboardist.

Related Topics:
Joy Division - Martin Hannett - Closer - Kevin Hewick

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Early on, each of the group's members took turns at singing, but ultimately the band chose the singer according to the ease of playing an instrument while singing. Because the guitarist could more easily accomplish this Sumner got the job, though Hook sang on two songs from their first album Movement.

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As Joy Division, the band had agreed not to continue under that name should any one member have left the group. The late Rob Gretton, the band's manager for over 20 years, is credited for having found the name "New Order" in an article in The Guardian entitled "The People's New Order of Kampuchea". The band adopted this name, despite its previous use for ex-Stooge Ron Asheton's band The New Order.

Related Topics:
Rob Gretton - The Guardian - Kampuchea - Stooge - Ron Asheton

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New Order initially started on a similar route as their previous incarnation, performing melodic, dark songs, albeit with an increased use of ethereal synthesizers, showcased on Movement. Soon, however, they found their own sound, less gloomy and far more danceable, exemplified by the single "Temptation" and the album Power, Corruption & Lies. Two steps farther in this direction, was the electronically sequenced, four-on-the-floor single "Blue Monday" Their 12"-only release "Blue Monday" is the best selling 12" single of all time, though because the packaging of the first pressing was so elaborate, resembling a large 5¼" floppy disk, the band was said to lose a small amount of money (around £0.20) on each copy sold. The hip hop tinged single "Confusion" (released in 1983 and co-produced by Arthur Baker) firmly established the group as a dance music force, inspiring many musicians in subsequent years. It was a crossover success on the club scene, and set a precedent for remixes of rock or pop songs which has now become a key part of music marketing.

Related Topics:
Power, Corruption & Lies - Blue Monday - Hip hop - Arthur Baker - Remix

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Still, the group did not pigeon-hole themselves as a dance act; instead they lead two simultaneous and sometimes overlapping lives, one guitar-based and one dance-oriented. In 1984 they followed the mostly synthesized single "Thieves Like Us" with the heavy guitar-drum-bass rumble of "Murder." The Low-life album (1985) refined and sometimes mixed the two styles, while Brotherhood (1986) divided the two approaches onto separate album sides. New Order's Substance compilation (released in 1987, followed by a 1988 Joy Division Substance compilation) showed the band's singles' progression from mostly guitar-based to slick techno-pop. Technique (1989) showed a heavier acid house influence on a number of tracks and a lighter indie rock sound on others.

Related Topics:
1984 - Low-life - 1985 - Brotherhood - 1986 - Substance - 1987 - 1988 - Substance - Technique - 1989 - Acid house - Indie rock

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The quality and innovation of the group's art earned them the status of icons in the alternative community, and have shown considerable longevity. They have heavily influenced techno, and were themselves influenced by the likes of Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire and Donna Summer.

Related Topics:
Alternative - Techno - Kraftwerk - Cabaret Voltaire - Donna Summer

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Both New Order and Joy Division were among the most successful artists on the Factory Records label, run by Granada television personality Tony Wilson, and partnered with Factory in the financing of the Manchester club The Hacienda.

Related Topics:
Factory Records - Tony Wilson - Manchester - The Hacienda

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Unusually for such a major group, New Order never had a formal contract with their label. (This was in fact Factory's standard practice until the mid-1980s. According to Wilson, "All our bands are free to fuck off whenever they please".) Because of this, the group (rather than Factory Records) legally owned all their own recorded material. This has often been cited, not least by Wilson himself, as the main reason London Records' offer to buy the ailing label in 1992 fell through.

Related Topics:
London Records - 1992

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Each member of this band has been involved with other bands: Sumner partnered with former member of The Smiths, Johnny Marr and with Neil Tennant from The Pet Shop Boys in Electronic and collaborated with the Chemical Brothers on a track from their album Surrender; Hook formed the bands Revenge and Monaco; and Morris and Gilbert formed the aptly named The Other Two.

Related Topics:
The Smiths - Johnny Marr - The Pet Shop Boys - Electronic - Chemical Brothers - Revenge - Monaco - The Other Two

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Their music has largely been heavily synthesized, like other dance acts, and among more well-known songs are the singles "True Faith" (1987), and "Bizarre Love Triangle" (1986). On recent albums they have showcased a more traditionally rock-oriented sound on some tracks.

Related Topics:
True Faith - 1987 - Bizarre Love Triangle - 1986

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New Order recorded the official song for the English football team's 1990 World Cup campaign, "World in Motion," under the ad-hoc band name Englandneworder. The song, co-written with comedian Keith Allen, was a number one UK hit.

Related Topics:
1990 - World Cup - World in Motion - Keith Allen

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In recent years New Order have become more comfortable with the Joy Division era of their repertoire, often performing live versions of classics such as "Transmission" and "Isolation." Joy Division and New Order were portrayed in the film 24 Hour Party People, which depicts the rise and fall of their infamous record label Factory, along with its bands and owners.

Related Topics:
24 Hour Party People - Factory

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Their 2001 release Get Ready was a departure from their more synthesized style and is more focused on the guitar. According to Sumner, "Get Ready was guitar-heavy simply because we felt that we'd left that instrument alone for a long time".

Related Topics:
2001 - ''Get Ready'' - Guitar - Sumner

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In 2002, Q magazine named New Order in their list of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die", although this was as part of a sub-list of "5 Bands That Could Go Either Way".

Related Topics:
2002 - ''Q'' magazine - 50 Bands To See Before You Die

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The band released a new album on March 27 2005, entitled Waiting for the Sirens' Call to good reviews. According to Peter Hook, during the sessions for Waiting for the Sirens' Call, the band also wrote and recorded most of the material for yet another album.

Related Topics:
March 27 - 2005 - Waiting for the Sirens' Call

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At the 2005 NME awards, New Order were presented with the award for 'Godlike Geniuses', their equivalent of a Lifetime Achievement award. Previous winners include Ozzy Osbourne, The Clash, and Factory labelmates the Happy Mondays.

Related Topics:
2005 - NME - Ozzy Osbourne - The Clash - Factory - Happy Mondays

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