Reading '81

Lots on Reading 89/93/98, but what about the Order's first appearance in Reading, at the University Student Union.

Just got a tape of this (quality is acceptable, not great), and it's mighty interesting to see Barney go unhinged at the end of In A Lonely Place, first complaining about the bass drum, and then going off (I don't know what about) saying, "you're shit..filth, scum filled, sick filled scum-filled, sick-filled scum-filled, you... you're shit, you're shit, you're shit...". Whether it's the soundman or a punter or just hallucinations from a blotter, I dunno.

Then Section 25 comes on (I presume Barney for whatever reason couldn't continue) and there's this 10-minute long jam, harking back to JD days.

More notes at http://www.new-order.net/no/gigs/nogigs81.html#NO-810508

Love to get some background on this one...definitely an odd one in the pile.

might be able to help you here mate. lad i know brian perry went to this show with jerry ollershaw and pete beard. you will know them i guess, they did the other southern one as well. i'll ask him, should see him in white horse in a bit.

Originally posted by Ceremony might be able to help you here mate. lad i know brian perry went to this show with jerry ollershaw and pete beard. you will know them i guess, they did the other southern one as well. i'll ask him, should see him in white horse in a bit.

danke

I was there - best gig ever. Will post more on this when I have more time. Right now - the pub calls!

I'm not sure the set-list is right in the gigography - I reckon they did Denial close to the end of the set - whatever, as I said, my best NO gig ever. In fact nearly as good as some of the later JD gigs. Someone said that it was the first time they'd encored,(anyone confirm this?) and the JD-stylee 'jam' with S25 was pretty spectacular, especially after Barney's *outburst*! What was behind that? Some of the London crew that I knew spoke to him later and he was fine, so who knows. There was a strange atmosphere that night though - somehow the rant wasn't unexpected. Section 25 were immense as openers- *very* loud and they're Can meets filtered-Floyd icy (kraut)rocking vibe really worked for once. A interesting part of the whole evening was hearing NO run thru a few JD songs in the soundcheck - 24 Hours, Transmission, Digital IIRC (I'll ask around to confirm). We really thought they might wheel out one of these in the set... I guess for me depite all the great stuff that came after, Movement will always be my favourite. Hannett and the band tried a lot of things there that have never been fully developed or pursued by anyone, never mind NO and it remains a flawed but fantastic work. The RUSU gig somehow felt like the raw flipside of that studied, sometimes hesitant LP. This forum's great btw - I look forward to posting here more!

Of course I forgot there's a tape - so this will prove that they did/didn't play Denial. I probably imagined it. Like I said, a strange night....

Originally posted by DC

I guess for me depite all the great stuff that came after, Movement will always be my favourite. b]

You're kidding right? Good lord, Movement? Ugghhh, the quicker I forgot that album, the better. But I guess what they say about opinions is true, "everyone has one". I'm glad somebody got some joy out of that album.

There are a few decent moments lyrically, and I always liked Chosen Time, and Dreams Never End although I felt they were ruined by the production, but your favorite album? Wow.

What do you like about it? What makes it work for you?

its easily my favorite new order album as well. it just feels so cold and desperate. it feels like a band that just went through tragedy. this comes through on the recording for me. im also a big fan of all the sounds on there. particularly, barney's guitar sound and a bunch of the synth drums.

-paul

Indeed, my favourite as well. I love the dark, punkish sound mixed in with those really primitive synthesizers. Not polished, very emotional. But it's easy to see that that album isn't for everybody. It's not quite Joy Division, not quite what most people expect from New Order. It's that moment of evolution, that which exists outside of any formula. Or maybe it's just late and I need to get some sleep

One quick thought on the actual thread, all I know about the band from this era is the Taras Schevchenko New York show. In fact I just bought 316 on DVD so I could have a copy of it. A friend in college had it on VHS along with PFD Fact 177 (which is a low-life era gig in Japan). They played in the background of many a drunken, and sober for that matter, evening at PSU.

So, given the way Barney looks near the end of the show, as if he's perhaps peaking or something, it's not hard to imagine him going off at something or somebody. I'd love to listen to that tape.

Originally posted by DC

I'm not sure the set-list is right in the gigography - I reckon they did Denial close to the end of the set - whatever, as I said, my best NO gig ever. In fact nearly as good as some of the later JD gigs. and... Of course I forgot there's a tape - so this will prove that they did/didn't play Denial. I probably imagined it. Like I said, a strange night....

It's not inconceivable that Denial was played after Senses, as there's a long break where the group are tuning their instruments...but for some reason, if it were actually played, it didn't make it onto the tape.

So this would make the setlist as follows:

The Him, Chosen Time, Dreams Never End, Truth, Procession, Senses, (Denial?), Ceremony, In A Lonely Place, New Order jam with Section 25 on 2 songs

**What do you like about it? What makes it work for you?**

I can understand why, if later albums were the first ones you heard ,that Movement would sound like a hesitant, partly-formed mis-step. Maybe my love of it is partly due to my memories of the first NO shows and the whole intensity of that immediately post-Ian time. It's hard to separate the LP from the context, for me at least. But, you know, it *is* a great album on it's own terms - it's not perfect, but I don't really want that. It's the whole grainy muddled character and atmosphere that makes it for me - yeah it's melancholy, but what else *could* it be? Looking deeper, there are more novel ideas there than in any other NO work. Some of them don't work, but they're never less than fascinating – some of the drums sounds, the panning and phasing (Truth, Senses, The Him), some great ice-cold synth (DEH) etc. It seems to be unable to bear its own weight on side 2 after a relatively *up* side one and I think that’s it’s greatest weakness. But as a glimpse of a great band taking their first unsteady steps towards the light it’s a brave, brave work and that’s what brings me back to it time and time again.

**It's not inconceivable that Denial was played after Senses, as there's a long break where the group are tuning their instruments...but for some reason, if it were actually played, it didn't make it onto the tape**

I'll have to ask some of my friends who were there - for some reason when I think of that show, apart from B's outburst, I think of the band thrashing through Denial. It's possible that after 22 and a bit years (f-ing hell!) I'm thinking of another gig.