Barney's Guitar Style

Alright folks,

I've been listening to a lot of New Order post-Republic lately and I've noticed one thing about the music I‘m really beginning to dislike, which is that Barney's guitar style seems utterly uninspired and quite dull. I mean Crystal rocks, no question there, but his guitar style overall, from Crystal to Slow Jam, from Here To Stay to the Radio 1 Sessions CD seems to be completely without any sort of inspiration or intelligence and does not change one bit in production or scope.

It's just basic chords and an irritatingly similar strumming pattern all round isn't it? “NER-NERNERNERNERNERN-NE--NE--NER!” That is honestly what it sounds like to me. I mean I would’ve thought hanging around with Johnny Marr in Electronic would've made him take notice of different guitar styles and influences. But from what I can gather, and judging by most of the Get Ready period, he just plugged in the guitar, hit distortion pedal and off he goes with a bunch of basic chords in a most likely Pernod fuelled rage. Am I the only one who thinks this sucks?

I really loved the lonely and seemingly isolated guitar playing of Joy Division, and most of the scratch funk in the late 80s New Order stuff, but where has he gone now? Down the utterly talentless and frankly crap Kurt Cobain route? Whatever he's being influenced by these days regarding his guitar playing is totally off the mark, I mean in the early nineties he was in a “guitarist supergroup” for god’s sake with one of the best guitarists in the world and now he’s coming out with this unimaginative crap? (Mind you that Healers album from JM was a pale imitation of Oasis, and that’s saying alot ‘cos I think Oasis are godawful to begin with)

A fine example of his awful electric strumming is “Rock The Shack”. I mean that whole song is the very opposite of what New Order are meant to be about. I.e. pushing the boundaries, and trying out something that hasn't been done before, not indulging in aged, shit punk rock. Some fans here may absolutely love that song and have silly little appreciation societies for it, but let’s face it, the band didn’t see fit to put it on their latest “International” Best of, or even the box set “Retro” so it can’t really be that good at the end of the day can it? I think the Radio 1 Sessions must’ve been a drunken mistake.

"Aye ok Barney Rock The Shack it is.. Silly me for wanting Age of Consent or Dream Attack, they're pish by comparison(!)"

It’s like saying MTO from the b-side of Run2 is the best New Order song ever (Although I am sure there are some people here who might say that)

Cheers, flame me all you want, just speaking my mind,

Ally

well..... hmmmm.... my opinion is that Barney wasn´t ever a superb guitar player. he did have his ups and downs like everyone. but he did try to change his sound over the years. on the JD years he used more riffs and even some small solos with a usually distorted sound. then he tried to step off the distortion and find new gears to make a clearer sound like Ceremony, DNE, Temptation, EGG, etc. over the years he became even more minimalistic until using mostly a totally clean guitar (Bro´hood to Technique era). he almost stopped using it (Republic, Electronic, RTP) until he "fell in love" again with the instrument (TT, GR).

now, i don´t think he made a step back. i´m not sure if he did it forward though. it´s part of the same process of finding different ways to express himself through the guitar. what it seems clear to me is that he wanted the guitars to play an important role in NO sound again. and he made it. he also admitted that from the TT days he´s making the songs starting from the guitar and not the keyboards, which he did for a long period of time.

and the sound did change and became richer in part because the use of acoustic guitars. it´s remarkable nowadays and it does add a different colour to NO compositions. just hear Run Wild, Player in the League, Sabotage, Soundtrack and you´ll see what i mean. it´s good to hear them after so long (since As It Is When It Was maybe?).

i do think they´re all more comfortable with the rock stuff than with the electronic stuff nowadays. you can see that live. they don´t seem to enjoy that much the electronic part. it seems they play those tracks because "they have to" and not because "they like to" play them. i think the same thing happens when they´re at home or at the studio. that´s what they want to do now.

and one more thing: prepare yourself for more guitars in the near future. after all Phil C is surely playing a lot in the studio, which makes me think of a guitar based sound. perhaps more pulished, more worked and less direct than GR. but surely with even more presence than the last things they did.

that´s how i see it.