Early Peels are great !

I've been listening to the two early peels a lot recently, the songs are great ! DNE is fantastic, Truth is becoming one of my favourites, I've begun warming up to the Movement versions as well, but the production lets them down. The songs are clear and honest, although Barney's shooting too high with his lyrical attempts at times. Too Late is top-should have been widely released. But Truth is wonderful, I want to hug Barney after listening to it (OK, Barney hugging impulses are common among the female NOOL contingent). The CD version even looks nice-not like the awful Strange Fruit EP covers. People shoould pay more attention to that whole period.

Funny you should start this thread. Last night I stumbled across the recording I made straight from the radio of the very first airing of the first N.O. Peel session (a session I haven't listened to for over 20 years) and I was blown away by how great ICB was ! Why did they water it down for Movement ?

Originally posted by KnownPleasures Funny you should start this thread. Last night I stumbled across the recording I made straight from the radio of the very first airing of the first N.O. Peel session (a session I haven't listened to for over 20 years) and I was blown away by how great ICB was ! Why did they water it down for Movement ?

Producer's fault ? Songs are great live too (when they didn't mess them up). They definitely weren't a pop band then.

Originally posted by Julijana Zitnjak > Originally posted by KnownPleasures Funny you should start this thread. Last night I stumbled across the recording I made straight from the radio of the very first airing of the first N.O. Peel session (a session I haven't listened to for over 20 years) and I was blown away by how great ICB was ! Why did they water it down for Movement ?

Producer's fault ? Songs are great live too (when they didn't mess them up). They definitely weren't a pop band then.

The first live version of ICB has to be heard to be believed - an instrumental, it sounded like Dead Souls for the first couple of minutes without the big guitar sound. Wish I'd been there to experience it !

The 'Movement' stuff always sounds amazing live - it's completely transitional, of course, but most of that LP is stunning: like JD in an endless draw haze..........

Originally posted by KnownPleasures > Originally posted by Julijana Zitnjak> > > > Originally posted by KnownPleasures> Funny you should start this thread. Last night I stumbled across the recording I made straight from the radio of the very first airing of the first N.O. Peel session (a session I haven't listened to for over 20 years) and I was blown away by how great ICB was ! Why did they water it down for Movement ?

Producer's fault ? Songs are great live too (when they didn't mess them up). They definitely weren't a pop band then.

The first live version of ICB has to be heard to be believed - an instrumental, it sounded like Dead Souls for the first couple of minutes without the big guitar sound. Wish I'd been there to experience it !

I wish I were there too, instead of being seven and forced to pretend I'm sad over Comrade Tito's death.

I'm still ranting about it. The thing is, the emotions there are clear, that were their pre-drug days I believe, and the clarity of sound on Peels emphasises that, Movement's production makes the songs blurred, that doesn't suit the emotions they're conveying at all. The pic in the Peels CD is among the better ones as well, Barney's shadow at a concert hall's floor, the vinyl versions were really let down by horrible sleeves. I'm still ranting about it.

got to agree with all said about ICB from 1st peel session,absolutely awsome. mind u i posted in UNDERATED about this track. glad to see that others are into it too

ICB is awesome...but TRUTH is monumental!! easily my favourite New Order song. It was so advanced for its time.

84-85 had many live outings for denial..a true rucking song if there ever was one. you must have been crushed a few times to this tim !!!

Originally posted by PAUL TROWELL 84-85 had many live outings for denial..a true rucking song if there ever was one.you must have been crushed a few times to this tim !!!

Wasn't it Denial that started the Macclesfield ruck ? I was laughing last night - was recording Gloucester 84 for Solitude, and there's a bit where a very concerned Barney asked everyone to move back as there was a crush......five seconds after the announcement they started playing Denial, and all hell broke loose !

speaking of macclesfield, correct me if I'm wrong but didn't barney break the headstock off his beloved ES-335 guitar during elegia there? It's what I thought I saw but couldn't really believe at the time.

That's interesting that the early Peel sessions are being discussed. You know, I'd forgotten all about them until someone mentioned them on here a month ago, so I dusted off my copies and played them recently for the first time since about 1988. Listening to the second one with new ears was quite a revelation. It occurred to me that it sounds really quite reggae-dub/trance-like on all 4 tracks. Obviously the "Heater" reggae cover is but also the other 3 songs. I much prefer the "We All Stand" on this Peel session, it's got a cool rolling groove to it where the PCL version kind of stutters. And the rhythm on 586 is really dubby. Why they never properly released "Too Late" I'll never know. It's made me think back in 1982 they must have been at the crossroads musically trying to shake off the Joy Division sound and discover something with their synths. If they hadn't hit upon the Blue Monday sound accidentally they might have continued in a completely different direction getting more trancey/dub-like and could have ended up turning into something like Sabres of Paradise or The Aloof.

I love the Peel sessions, they are so raw and brilliant. Everybody has been saying how the original album covers are crap, i got the one which has a picture of Barney's shadow just because it looks so much better than the original two ep's. Great stuff. YAY

those 2 sesssions are brilliant indeed - agree with all the above.

Too Late is amazing - I've been trying to find out if the title and/or song refers to a painting of the same name by the painter Herbert Schmalz but had no joy. Any ideas?

Too Late was never realesed as single, was it? I wonder why? Such a great song. Can't help you in the art department there, my apologies.

Originally posted by The Him ICB is awesome...but TRUTH is monumental!! easily my favourite New Order song. It was so advanced for its time.

Me too. Truth is always in my top 5 favourite tracks. I love both versions, but the Peel version just has the edge, the pulsing drum machine, vocals and synths just sound really menacing - nice guitar feedaback at the end too - classic NO!

Originally posted by Buffer Low Too Late was never realesed as single, was it? I wonder why? Such a great song. Can't help you in the art department there, my apologies.

It was never even recorded again after the Peel session, let alone played live !

Originally posted by KnownPleasures > Originally posted by Buffer Low> Too Late was never realesed as single, was it? I wonder why? Such a great song. Can't help you in the art department there, my apologies.

It was never even recorded again after the Peel session, let alone played live !

in reverse order,

re: release/performance, a travesty. Any ideas why not either?

re: artwork influence, I went to Bendigo art gallery in Oz last year & saw a painting by Herbert Schmalz called Too Late which, without wishing to sound like a fart was a great piece. Quite moving.

Wanted to get a postcard & post a copy of the picture but there aren't any repro's available from the gallery because the painting's not in great shape. The picture itself is somewhat reminiscent of the Staglieno Cemetery scene on the front of Closer.

The lyrics of the track may allude to an interpretation of the Schmalz scene but I'm certainly not stating this as fact...

Originally posted by mmh > Originally posted by KnownPleasures > Originally posted by Buffer Low> Too Late was never realesed as single, was it? I wonder why? Such a great song. Can't help you in the art department there, my apologies.

It was never even recorded again after the Peel session, let alone played live !

in reverse order,

re: release/performance, a travesty. Any ideas why not either?

re: artwork influence, I went to Bendigo art gallery in Oz last year & saw a painting by Herbert Schmalz called Too Late which, without wishing to sound like a fart was a great piece. Quite moving.

Wanted to get a postcard & post a copy of the picture but there aren't any repro's available from the gallery because the painting's not in great shape. The picture itself is somewhat reminiscent of the Staglieno Cemetery scene on the front of Closer.

The lyrics of the track may allude to an interpretation of the Schmalz scene but I'm certainly not stating this as fact... The art gallery you are talking about (in little old Bendigo) is planning to upgrade their website to include pictures including Schmalz.

grouse!

What a great thread! Kind of similar to a parallel discussion in the "most underrated song" thread.

The Peels are excellent and I have to agree that the second (and "Too Late" in particular) is one of the greatest NO lost moments.

Great stuff!

Originally posted by mmh grouse!

This is the Link but there's nothing to see at the moment.

thanks for that. Nice touch.