In Praise of...Brotherhood by New Order

... this seems as good a time as any to advance my unpopular and discredited theory that the first electronic album is in fact a perfect companion-piece to "technique".

I won't disagree. The first Electronic album got met into New Order in the summer of '91.

ah, the summer of '91. bliss was it in that dawn to be alive ... actually, no, hang on, i was probably deeply mired in teenage angst.

still. great soundtrack for it.

"Everyone Everywhere" and "Regret" notwithstanding, nothing on Republic's as good as "Get The Message," "Some Distant Memory," "Tighten Up," "The Patience of a Saint," "Getting Away With It," or "Reaction."

Electronic played a set opening for Depeche out here in LA in 1990, a year before the album came out, and I'm pretty sure they did "Patience of a Saint" since Neil and Chris joined them on stage (they very definitely did do "Getting Away With It").

Son of a gun, they did do it -- here's the tracklist for that first ever show:

http://www.mdmarchive.co.uk/archive/showartefact.php?aid=537&bid=332

And yes I bought a T-shirt which I still have, with a big pink slanted star on the front and a bit on the back near the top saying it was Electronic's first show anywhere etc.

nothing on Republic's as good as "Get The Message," "Some Distant Memory," "Tighten Up," "The Patience of a Saint," "Getting Away With It," or "Reaction."

"reaction"?

also: regardless of whether or not i agree (i don't) ... where's "gangster", one of barney's most gobsmacking moments? :)

er, "Reality," not "Reaction."

So the question is -- has the sound been improved by the remaster?

Not that I can hear.

hear hear

Now this is an album I can get behind. Granted, I haven't heard it in 10 years. But it's one of those albums I bought the week it came out. (I can remember the local music press slagging it off as "New Order sell out" or some such nonsense.)

I can never decide between this and LowLife though.

Brotherhood >>>> Lowlife

25 years old today!

http://www.xfm.co.uk/xfm-25-brotherhood-by-new-order

worth listening to

Cool, thanks!

Never understood why even so many new order fans find this record somewhat mediocre, whereas I think it's their pinnacle. Listening to it again for first time in ages, when I got to this track, I started searching for the words to describe the effect this music has on me, without much success, although for some reason the phrase 'effortless grace' popped into my mind (during the wonderful last minute). Then I recalled there was an ancient ILM thread about Brotherhood, that I'd read once a decade ago, and reading it again, in reference to the very song Way of Life, I was amazed to see the following:

"Simple moments, simple songs but it all combines and recombines, and again, it's like...why NOT rock this way, with such grace and power all at once? So apparently effortless, like watching a massive airplane take off into the sunset with no extraneous noise and no exhaust."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahhx9MiHGmA

You told me about yourself,
How you once lived with someone else
The way of life that you had tried
The way they hurt you deep inside
That's the only thing about it
I can't find anyone to doubt it
That's the only thing about it
I can't find anyone to doubt it
Who do you think you're talking to?
When I look at you I know you're lying
All you say and do
Seems to fall apart and leave you crying

Their last great album IMO

Nonsense

Brotherhood is pretty underrated but Technique is mostly just an even better version of it

As i posted waaay upthread aeons ago - "Technique" is fine but too in thrall to house music and Ecstasy. Not a bad album but also not entirely the New Order I knew and loved up til then.

I wasn't really into rolling snare fills with my melodicas.

"Fine Time" is the only track that's really like that and it's an endearing mess but not my favourite

it has a similar guitar-based and synth-based split to Brotherhood, they're just all mixed together instead of being one side guitars and one side synths

i'll take "Round & Round", "Mr. Disco", "Vanishing Point" and "Dream Attack" over Brotherhood side two (even though that has "Bizarre Love Triangle") and "All The Way", "Love Less" and "Run" are far better than Brotherhood side one

Brotherhood would have a better reputation if its production values were as pristine as Technique's.

"Technique" is fine but too in thrall to house music and Ecstasy. Not a bad album but also not entirely the New Order I knew and loved up til then.

thanks Geirbot

how can the album be in thrall to house music and Ecstasy when five tracks are rock songs? Unless you meant house and Ecstasy brought them to their songwriting peak.

All Day Long is probably the best NO track in my dumb opinion. I haven't heard anything that sounds quite like that one.

"Your Silent Face" does something similar imo

very true

"All the Way" too.

"Technique" is fine but too in thrall to house music and Ecstasy. Not a bad album but also not entirely the New Order I knew and loved up til then.

thanks Geirbot

― The Very Fugly Caterpillar (sic), Tuesday, February 5, 2019 2:00 PM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Nice try but ... nah.

Alfred - I feel those influences blanded out their sound somehow. All the interviews I remember from that time talked of endless partying in Ibiza and the influence of the cool new stuff they'd been hearing when they went out to the island's clubs. I just heard - and hear - a glossy record missing the roughness and fire of the releases that led up to it. Sorry folks, I don't really like my New Order slick.

so you don't like slick and glossy?

Not with New Order, no.

the New Order albums i'm not down w/as much are Get Ready and WFTSC. Music Complete brought me back, moreso after seeing the songs performed live.

and they still are! Lots of them!

I have a strange relationship with this album. I think back when I got it I was aware that it was the highest Xgau rated New Order album besides "Substance" (maybe he gave it an A?), but it's probably the one I went back to the least when I had them all. Not bad, definitely a good record, sounds a bit like a computer built out of cardboard.

nah I love it and I love its rough sound; it wasn't deliberate, but it reassured the rockists worried that after PCL and LL they'd moved too close to the dance floor. It was the last classic-era album I bought in 1992, and it shocked me with its guitar-bass-drums base.

According to Wikipedia, Bizarre Love Triangle didn't chart in either the UK or the US - although my memory was that it was everywhere at the time!

In Miami the Shep Pettibone remix was a part of life from 1987-1993. Then after the Frente! revival I heard a different remix. But, yes, it was not an official single.

"all day long" >>>>>>

i think i really love this record now, it's great, singles band my ass

it's very closely their second best behind technique imo, so good

"All Day Long" was my favourite when it was new(-ish -- bought it shortly before "True Faith" arrived). The variations on the basic theme in the coda just sounded luvly to 12-y/o ears.

That was my first NO purchase and I was confused. Not much of it sounded like "Bizarre Love Triangle" and the lyrics seemed kinda half-baked, even to a Duran Duran fan. LOL. Took me a little while to realise that that was part of the charm and that most of their albums are a loveable mess. I have no idea how to rank them these days, though I guess I must have for that poll a few years ago.

"way of life"/"bizarre love triangle"/"all day long" is such a great sequence

I loved All Day Long. To me PCL, Low Life and Brotherhood were three perfect albums. I know Technique was also great but I think I had moved on by the time it was released

According to Wikipedia, Bizarre Love Triangle didn't chart in either the UK or the US - although my memory was that it was everywhere at the time!

It was definitely, quantifiably everywhere in Aus. Top 5 apparently, from the same source, and #1 here in Victoria. Certainly felt like everyone dug it that (southern) summer. My neighbour had the 12" with "Bizarre Dub Triangle" on the flipside and quite a few people enjoyed/endured my tape dub with several versions back to back.