Deducing the Favourite NO track of all time - part 5 - Brotherhood :karate:

Also voted for As It Is, with Angel Dust second. Didn't have the chance to hear most of these tracks before the album's release, only had heard As It Is, so my biggest disappointment has been the well documented sound and production. Played the album to death back then, though I don't let the needle make it all the way through ELC much anymore.

Perhaps Brotherhood suffers from being rushed after Lowlife, but it's still a damn fine album, though with very poor sequencing. Try "random play" for a better one. Hell, Monaco owes their career to it...how many times can you rewrite Weirdo? :) But a more proper band would have waited until 1987, and culled some of the stronger tracks from this set along with 1963 and Touched By The Hand Of God, and relegated stuff like Every Little Counts and Angel Dust (which I've warmed up to over the years but don't think is that strong a track) to B-sides. But NO wasn't a proper band, and chose for whatever reason to get this out. I always though it was due to Factory cash flow issues, but would care to be further enlightened. It couldn't possibly be to have product in hand to break America with, could it?

Anyway, I picked a bit of a dark horse here. All Day Long. Maybe Tim is right, this should have been an instrumental, but I've heard much more cringeworthy vocals than what he delivers here. I've burned out on the subpar live renditions of BLT, and know that's gonna win anyway...and while I adore the rest of the A-side tracks, none of which are as memorable as the one that Barney insisted appear on Retro. He was absolutely right on that, at least.

--Sam

I have to admit that I'm a bit partial to Brotherhood, as it was the album during which I got into New Order. So I'm actually very fond of it. Also Weirdo is among my favourite tracks. AIIWIW comes at close second.

Question on the one we all love to hate !!!

Just before the major needle scratch on ELC their is a quick burst of music, does anyone know what it is ??

Broken Promises at First and as it is when it was

BLT - sorry to be obvious!

Brotherhood is the one NO album where my opinion has changed dramatically over the years. When I first got it (Christmas 1989) I was fairly sold on the poppier aspects of it and for ages I thought that side two was almost perfect from start to finish, while I hardly ever listened to side 1 (that's the thing with vinyl). I think the version of BLT is probably the best studio version, and Angel Dust and All Day Long are great too. HOWEVER, in the last few years I have listened to side 1 a lot more (since getting it on CD in fact) and now I really like those songs too. I've voted for AIWWIW for the rush towards the end and some of Barney's best lyrics of all.

Also, it reminds me of a thing Paul Morley wrote years ago about NO's music and gloves and fists (I can't rememebr the exact line so I won't try to quote it) which I always thought was very accurate, even if 90% of his writing is bollocks.

I suppose I should say Paradise, since I've based half of my adult life on that song. But I've gone for Broken Promise, 'cos I love it's energy and hooks. Also I remember sitting in my sis's back garden in the summer of '89, bored shitless, when out of the blue my thumb started to beat the guitar melody against the side of the deck-chair. It's always in my head. Yep, a poorly produced album, they admit it, but what's new?

As It Was...

Of all the songs on the album, this is the one I keep coming back to. The version of BLT on here is top-notch as well and (when my CD player cooperates and doesn't start skipping all over the place :D )Wierdo is very good, as well as ELC. I could probably do without the rest of the album most of the time (though I also go through phases when this is my favorite)

angel dust

All Day Long for me. Simply a great song. And, yes, it is the underdog on this release, overshadowed by the mighty Bizarre Love Triangle. Still I've always been moved by the first, yet enjoyed the later. ;)