What's your favourite period in the history of New Order?

The '84-'89 period meant a lot to me, for it was when I really started listening to their music, so there's a sentimental link there. But I've always liked the early years, particularly '82 to 'Low-life', because I just find them so fertile and productive... They were so full of novel ideas, and really laid down what was forever to be acknowledged as New Order.

What's yours?

1980-20??

1980-1982, but Low Life is great too.

For me it's the 86-93 period. (I know some people would consider that 2 or 3 periods.) I guess it could be qualified as New Order's successful period.

For me it has to be 83-87, saw some cracking gigs;

Tower Ballroom 83 - Opened with LWTUA Royal Festival Hall 84 - debut of Face UP, also did Decades Hammersmith Palais - Started with of all things-Temptation Woolwich Coronet 87 - Was treated to Atmosphere and Do the Ostrich.

Those were the days, brings a tear to me eye.

Mike

From Blue Monday to Bizarre Love Triangle (i alway loved those dubs on the 12" versions)

Originally posted by Digital Mike Royal Festival Hall 84 - debut of Face UP

Michael, please. That was the 4th rendition, after Bradford, Dusseldorf and Berlin. Maybe Munich as well, but we don't have that recording.

Best years for me were 84 and 85, without a doubt.

chokes on mug of tea,

1980-1983 : From the early gigs with Hooky trying to sing Mesh, to the early live experiments with keyboards. The early performances of Chosen Times, Everything's Gone Green, Temptation, 586, Blue Monday, Confusion and Thieves Like Us are the things I like the most about New Order. My favourite New Order moment ever is the live video of Everything's Gone Green, a glorious mess. Anyway what followed was great too, they couldn't stay at that early stage, they had to evolve and they did it making stuff like Low Life, Brotherhood and True Faith. Then came another great period, 1988-1990, which saw them at their full potential. Fine Time, Vanishing Point and World In Motion, and some concerts of that period, show a band at the top, moving gracefully into a new scene they somehow helped to create, making big tunes and scoring chart hits. They were the Oasis of the late 80s, only they weren't shit at all! :) Then came a lot of problems, but two glorious comebacks in 1993 and 1998, showing them ageing gracefully and sounding indeed fresher than the most of the young wankers out there.

I bow to the knowledge of the master

Originally posted by Digital Mike chokes on mug of tea,

Originally posted by Al Jarvis best year surely ... when that chump Curtis hung himself to free up the lads to be an infinitely better band!

*Ouch! A bit unfair, Al, really... you're naughty naughty. Apologise. :p

Can we un-ban Julio just to see his reply to this one, please?!

*Julio is banned here? Why?

Originally posted by aneworderfan Then came a lot of problems, but two glorious comebacks in 1993 and 1998, showing them ageing gracefully and sounding indeed fresher than the most of the young wankers out there.

Like Gab's Pish ??

I saw em do a great EGG at Glasto 81, but must admit I was waiting for Hawkwind to take the stage.

Originally posted by aneworderfan Originally posted by Al Jarvis best year surely ... when that chump Curtis hung himself to free up the lads to be an infinitely better band!

*Ouch! A bit unfair, Al, really... you're naughty naughty. Apologise. :p

Can we un-ban Julio just to see his reply to this one, please?!

*Julio is banned here? Why?

Because.....

a) he was caught cheating in the Community contest b) he constantly posted shite on the boards c) he constantly broke the Terms of Use of this site

Mick, whatever you do, don't get fooled that he is one of the good guys. He is a pariah of the Community, ostracised by everyone except his little pal David Sultan.

Originally posted by Low-Life > Originally posted by aneworderfan> > Then came a lot of problems, but two glorious comebacks in 1993 and 1998, showing them ageing gracefully and sounding indeed fresher than the most of the young wankers out there.

Like Gab's Pish ??

*They are not young! :D

And hey, just download the live performance of Night Time and then tell me... Rob's vocals are magic, Daz's bass is merciless, Bo's drums are storming and Paul's guitar is furious. No other band did stuff like this in the last 10 years...

Originally posted by Digital Mike I saw em do a great EGG at Glasto 81, but must admit I was waiting for Hawkwind to take the stage.

*

It's a joke, right?

1983-1989 notably PCL, Low Life & Technique and gigs without the " and the next song is called ". The sarcasm was better too. The odd JD song thrown in was unexpected and made for a better gig. Also the obvious different set a night made a big difference as well.

1987-90:)

Originally posted by Low-Life

*Julio is banned here? Why?

Because..... a) he was caught cheating in the Community contest b) he constantly posted shite on the boards c) he constantly broke the Terms of Use of this site Mick, whatever you do, don't get fooled that he is one of the good guys. He is a pariah of the Community, ostracised by everyone except his little pal David Sultan.

*I don't know how he cheated, we all post shite (me included) and I don't know how he broke the terms (if he just wrote "fuck" or if it was more serious). I can't judge what happened here, I was probably still waiting for the Ceremony digest... ;) (still waiting since the end of January!!! ) I never had a problem with him, he's always been kind the few times we talked so I won't take a position until I know better. Never had a problem with anyone since I subscribed to Ceremony in 1997 or something and I wish it was the same for all of us. I really hope one day we'll leave behind us this stage of "us vs them", though by then we'll be deprived of this sort of gang mentality which I know can be funny. But we're all New Order fans after all, we can have our arguments and pisstakes but we're all of the same family...

1983 - 1985

1980/81/82. Those early gigs were pretty f-cking intense. Seeing them develop and grow was, for me, far more interesting than later on. Every release up until and including Blue Monday was a giant step forward for them and showed the way for so many others.

WIFM90

Probably the early era (1980-1983ish), when they were first starting to find their way after Ian went into exile with EP, Howard Hughes, and the Loch Ness Monster. Then again, the 1983-1990 era was fantastic in terms of what they produced.

1983-1987. 3 great albums and a cracking best of.

1981-1985 - the combination of sleeve art, albums PLUS singles, attitude and overall factory image to a young impressionable 17 year old ......

85-88.

best set lists,best venues and the best of times.

Originally posted by PAUL TROWELL 85-88.best set lists,best venues and the best of times.

Agreed.

Great thread and interesting posts by all. I didn't find NO until the dark years (93) so sadly my first purchase of a "new" NO album was (the best of).

In hindsight I wish I had been there from 85-87, since those two studio albums are my faves, the set lists were varied, and Substance was/is the definitive best of by any group, any era, any genre. Disc A completely changed my life.

81-85 Ceremony,EGG,Temptation,BM,Thieves Like Us + TPK Power,Corruption & Lies + Low Life. Awesome.

Originally posted by John Sludden 81-85Ceremony,EGG,Temptation,BM,Thieves Like Us + TPKPower,Corruption & Lies + Low Life.Awesome.

Same here...especially THIEVES LIKE US!

Has to be when I fell in love with them in '87. Musically, it has to be '85/'86. But certainly up to '90 they were perfect.

Originally posted by five hates six 1981-1985 - the combination of sleeve art, albums PLUS singles, attitude and overall factory image to a young impressionable 17 year old ......

Completely agree. I think it's one of the great creative periods by any band ever. Experimenting with technology, song structures, etc. Singles not on albums (damn that US market). The 82 and 84 tours are probably also my favorites given all the new and half-finished stuff they wheeled out. Sometimes for the good sometimes not, but either way there's a sense of urgency with the early shows missing from the later gigs. Of course there's that sense of heady euphoria at the later shows that some of the early one's ain't got...

I'd have to go with 84-86' on top form.

1993 - 1998

Originally posted by Major Tarantino 1993 - 1998

Damn how could i forget!! Those 4 albums they released under pseudonyms during that perioud were fabulous werent they

Originally posted by John Sludden 81-85Ceremony,EGG,Temptation,BM,Thieves Like Us + TPKPower,Corruption & Lies + Low Life.Awesome.

Indeed, plus I'll go up to 86, when Brotherhood was released. Not that I dislike the later stuff at all, it was just a great time for being a fan of the band and trying to keep up with the news and releases, I had so much more time to do it than I do now.

Originally posted by DoN > Originally posted by Major Tarantino 1993 - 1998

Damn how could i forget!! Those 4 albums they released under pseudonyms during that perioud were fabulous werent they

My favourite was the beat poetry heavy metal crossover.

Originally posted by Major Tarantino > Originally posted by DoN> > > > Originally posted by Major Tarantino> 1993 - 1998

Damn how could i forget!! Those 4 albums they released under pseudonyms during that perioud were fabulous werent they

My favourite was the beat poetry heavy metal crossover. That ranks close but not quite up to the hip-funk ragga/rock fusion unplugged album they did, close call though

1997's "Cross" album was terrible. Barney on drums and steve on bass

Hooky hanging from a lampost in a pterodactyl suit on the front cover was quite striking though

no need for barney's tantric pose on the inlay though :\puke:

that must be a limited run, i havent seen that (thank god!)

Originally posted by DoN that must be a limited run, i havent seen that (thank god!)

1982 - 1985

with a huge deduction for ruining PC&L by adding BM and TB

Originally posted by Wolfmann 1982 - 1985with a huge deduction for ruining PC&L by adding BM and TB

They didn't. The US distributors did. PCL doesn't contain either of those tracks.

Originally posted by Chuck D > Originally posted by Wolfmann> 1982 - 1985> > with a huge deduction for ruining PC&L by adding BM and TB

They didn't. The US distributors did. PCL doesn't contain either of those tracks.

I guess I knew that, did not mean to pin that one on New Order. I know it was not their doing... sorry.

They'd have charged extra if they knew BM was going on !! :D

Favorite ERA - 1987-1990 ---- This is when i first heard and subsequently fell in love with New Order. Having said that, it's the stuff from Movement to Low Life that i find myself listening to the most. Amazing band all the way from Ceremony to Crystal.