I feel so extraordinary somePoll's got a hold on me: NEW ORDER artist poll #37 (RESULTS thread)

hey man -- go! Sumner would!

He wakes up every night on the stairs waiting for the dawn to come

I bet Sumner at the tail end of the '80s into the early '90s was a fucking blast to party with.

the only time he was cute too

...the way they throw so much into some songs (e.g. the frog noises in 'The Perfect Kiss', hey sure why not).

I remember reading something about when they got their first Emulator, they spent their first day with it sampling their farts.

I love the way you guys all write about New Order, this poll has been such a joy to read. I am so excited for this top five!

Happy Birthday Bee!

hey this long version of The Perfect Kiss I downloaded still isn't right! The intro is shorter than the video one! I'm so mad.

Thanks for sterling work and enjoy yr birthday, Bee.

The video version is a live performance, that's why! :D

The long version of 'The Perfect Kiss' you want is the one that's on the 2-CD deluxe edition of Low Life, the long version they included on Substance unforgivably shaves about a minute off the end.

ah, thanks! The video must be the best live-in-studio music video I've ever seen, I love the tense seriousness.

A degree of nerves too... you can see Stephen Morris' hands shaking as he plays those painfully simple keyboard lines!

I'm biased cuz I live in Miami but the Shep Pettibone remix of "Bizarre Love Triangle," like, never went away.

When I was 16 I went on my last family holiday - to Disneyworld in Orlando, my first time in America. My younger sister and I were left in the underage disco for an hour or so and the only song I remember dancing to was Shep's BLT mix. In that context Bernard's voice felt like the most English thing imaginable. It was so potent.

20+ years later I went to the V&A's postmodernism exhibition, where the last thing you see on your way out is the BLT video, and it choked me up in an entirely different way - "why can't we be ourselves like we were yesterday?"

Interesting claim about BLT on Wikipedia:

The one country where it was a sizable chart hit was Australia, where it reached No. 5 (and No. 1 in the Victoria state chart), initiating a string of five consecutive Top 20 hits.

It certainly did felt massive in said state. Was definitely my introduction to the band (though I subsequently realised I'd heard "Shellshock") and felt like I'd come slightly late to what all the cool, slightly older kids had decided was the song of the (southern) summer.

Actually just found my cassette dub of my then neighbour's copy of the 12", and "Bizarre Dub Triangle" is reminding me how ridiculously durable this thing is in any configuration. I could conceivably have given it more points really.

BTW, I'm not sure Frente deserve disdain for their "real" version of the song. I recall them saying it was their favourite song, just as it was seemingly just about everyone else's, and they merely performed it in their usual acoustic style, as a b-side.

Er, "certainly did FEEL..."

frente's version was just a retread of even as we speak's acoustic version from several years earlier (that they were definitely aware of)

bizarre love triangle not in the top 5 feels... bizarre!

0 Number Ones and made it to 7

― Bee OK, Saturday, 1 June 2013 03:34 (12 hours ago)

if i voted in these things age of consent would be #1

BLT is Doulgas Coupland's favourite song apparently

Love for Bizarre Love Triangle was legion at my high school, so for a time you would see ?♥∆ written on every available surface... walls, book covers, folders, backpacks, the soles of shoes, wrists, on the windows of dirty cars, etc.

I've never really felt The Perfect Kiss love that much, Barney's vocal is too strained for the track in a way it isn't on other New Order bangers.

TPK is all about the arrangement, the way everything careens off the tracks in the last few minutes.

My prediction for Top 5: 'Regret', 'Bizarre Love Triangle', 'The Perfect Kiss (long version)', 'Blue Monday' and 'True Faith'... in any order.

― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Saturday, 1 June 2013 00:35 (17 hours ago) Permalink

Ceremony, Temptation, TPK, BLT, Blue Monday - that's the top 5. Order is anybody's guess.

― brotherlovesdub, Saturday, 1 June 2013 00:52 (17 hours ago) Permalink

Looks like between us we're both right: 'Ceremony', 'Temptation', 'Regret', 'The Perfect Kiss' and 'True Faith' yet to come... still very surprised that 'Bizarre Love Triangle' came 6th... I vastly prefer it to both 'Ceremony' and 'Temptation'. I love how people shorten it to BLT, too... it makes me hungry!

TPK is all about the arrangement, the way everything careens off the tracks in the last few minutes.

― 乒乓, Saturday, June 1, 2013 5:57 PM (25 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^ otm.

I love the way it slowly builds into the song, reaches a climax with the lengthy jamming at the end and then just falls to pieces at the end. The video captures the way the song ends so perfectly... the descending bassline followed by a crashing sound, and then silence (so you can reflect on the 9 minutes of genius you've just witnessed, naturally).

HOW good was that Crystal video. more bands should do that replace-themselves-with-a-younger-model kind of thing. i recall REM did something similar too but that was rubbish. i guess The Cure did it first?

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/5658_10151672000649273_991937459_n.jpg

i'm up

xpost:

I recall Queen doing it for the video to 'The Miracle' too. Anyhow, it's not a video that does all that much for me, really... was kinda pleased that it didn't make the Top 10 New Order vids. Just seems pretty average compared to the likes of 'True Faith', 'Touched By The Hand Of God' and 'The Perfect Kiss' which have that kinda New Order aesthetic to them. The video to 'Crystal' could have been a video by anybody by comparison.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-usjiLYhoSCY/Uao_myQhGcI/AAAAAAAAAeo/ipCRlU5RjUo/w640-h320-no/5+Regret.jpg

5. Regret
From: Republic
Released: 5 April 1993 (single) and 3 May 1993 (album)
1149 Points, 36 Votes, 4 Number Ones

kinda bummed that "Krafty" didn't place; top 10 for me, itchy beat, all about the beat really

"Regret" has just 15 more points than "Bizarre Love Triangle." BLT had no number ones while "Regret" had four which pushed it past BLT.

thought about a #1 for "Regret", settled for #2. such a classic.

xxxpost:

I suppose it may have been more effective if the "younger models" actually looked like the members of New Order, but they end up looking like, I dunno, the fucking Vines or something.

The 'Boys Don't Cry' video worked because of the looming shadows of The Cure in the background, and because of Tim Pope who undoubtedly has his own unique style, thus making the video feel more in keeping with the rest of the videos he made for them. The "younger models" in the video are far more convincing too. Queen's 'The Miracle' works because the kids have managed to emulate the movements of the band pretty well, and it doesn't harm it that the band themselves make a cameo appearance at the end.

Just wait 'til tomorrow.
I guess that's what they all say... just before they fall apart :/

What can I say about 'Regret' that hasn't already been said? It's an absolute classic, in my eyes... it may not be as strong a chorus as 'Bizarre Love Triangle', but it has that brilliant guitar riff throughout and has never failed to make me feel the same sort of uplift that it did when I first heard it. Beautiful song.

Also, I think 'Regret' is the last truly great song of Bernard Sumner's songwriting peak, which to me began with the 'True Faith' single, and lasted throughout Technique and the first Electronic album, and then closed here in fine style (that's not to say that there wasn't great things before then and after then, but I think if I were to pick a 'best' Sumner period 1987-1993 would be it). It was always going to be difficult for the rest of Republic to follow something as good as 'Regret', and lo and behold it doesn't.

In fact, I don't even think they've come close to matching 'Regret' since then in any form. 'Crystal' is okay and all, but as good as this? No way.

i think i'm fine with regret beating out BLT

Great mixes by Pete Heller, Terry Farley and Andrew Weatherall.

such a beautiful 12" cover as well

Republic era artwork is the worst of their whole career.

I think the Technique-era stuff was the worst.

That guitar riff is one of those things that is so ludicrously simple and so perfect that one wonders why it took so long for someone to find it. Thank god New Order did and turned it into this, though! I used to hear 'Regret' a lot soundtracking the football highlights back in the '90s. This and the guitar lick from 'Mysterious Ways' by U2.

"Regret" didn't make my Top 40, it was like 41 or 42. was thinking that it might make the Top 10 for this poll, was really surprised that it jumped to number five.

The Republic-era art mostly has this kinda "looks like it could be off the front of a pack of jonnies" vibe to it.

The limited edition Republic CD was so great though! You could throw it in the pool!

thought about a #1 for "Regret", settled for #2. such a classic

Also, I think 'Regret' is the last truly great song of Bernard Sumner's songwriting peak, which to me began with the 'True Faith' single, and lasted throughout Technique and the first Electronic album, and then closed here in fine style

both otm, though I'd begin the peak a little earlier (and have World in Motion at the summit)

Now it looks like any old collage done in Photoshop but I think it was a little more unique in 93. Definitely marks the end of Peter Savilles best work. He has some highlights post 93 but nothing as special as the 79-88 run.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v0kYU-tTBpk/UapHlCI-KaI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/gjCKWVNqy7w/w640-h320-no/4+The+Perfect+Kiss+2.jpg

4. The Perfect Kiss
From: Low-Life
Released: May 1985 (single) and 13 May 1985
1168 Points, 38 Votes, 4 Number Ones

Lasting nearly 9 minutes, the full 12" single version of the song is longer than even "Blue Monday." This version also appears on the vinyl edition of Substance, with the CD pressings deleting 44 seconds of the climatic finale, due to time limitations of the CD format in 1987 (future remasterings of Substance did not restore the missing 44 seconds, even though newer CDs would allow for it). The full version was eventually released unedited on the 2-disc deluxe edition of Low-Life, marking its first appearance on CD.

The version on the original Low-Life and all post-Substance compilations is a 4:48 edit that omits the third verse (the one that mentions the song's title) and fades out before the climax. This version is present on the A-side of the 7" single from the Philippines; most 7" issues from other countries have on the A-side a version that is further edited to 4:24 (in some or all cases without the percussion introduction). The UK 7" promo release on Factory Records is a rarely-heard edit cut by Ivan Ivan which compresses most of the elements of the full, 8:46 version (including the ending but not the third verse) into 3:50.

There is also a live studio recording which corresponds to the music video; it is available on the bonus disc included with some editions of Retro and on various promotional vinyl releases.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

BOOOOO that's it I'm outta here.

so people were thinking this should be higher?