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18 votes · voting closed
BROTHERHOOD. It's been always a controversial LP for me. I read somewhere that New Order or Tony Wilson hated the final mix of the album but gave up the idea of re-mixing it. I still remain under the impression it could have been done better, it's missing something.
What do you think?
P.S. I know two examples of re-mixing albums so far: The Beatles' Let It Be (the 2003 Naked version) and Elvis Presley's 1969 Memphis sessions (the re-mixed version appeared in 1987).
The vocal definitly needs to be boosted. Listen to live versions of songs like As It IS When It Was, and they shine compared to the album
it´s my fav album so i´d say it´s fine. even though i´d be really interested in hearing another mix too. i don´t know if it could be improved, i´d need to listen first.
I'm a fan of this album too. The production is a little muddled but then you have to look at the previous album and what they intended to achieve with a dirty, 'organic' sound rather than clean, synthetic sound. The pristine, over-production of Republic was a worse crime for me.
And hey, sometimes Barney's lyrics are best left tucked away in the mix a little...
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Originally posted by LOng Tall Texan I read somewhere that New Order or Tony Wilson hated the final mix of the album
Who cares what Tony Wilson thinks? That guy is the biggest arsehole walking the face of the earth, & I hope vicious, rabid rottweilers savage at his testicles for three hours a day, every day till he dies.
The fact that "Anthony H." has signed a bloody drum-`n-bass act to his new label is all we need to tell us just how out of touch the smarmy piece of rhino crap is with music in the 21st century.
Every time I see Wilson on TV I either want to cringe till I turn inside out, or just kick my telly. Unfortunately I havent seen '24 Hour Party People' yet (I know! I must be the only N.O fan on the planet who hasnt), but Id bet any money that Steve Coogans portrayal of the Factory-Founding-Fuckface is HALF as scathing as it should be
Ouch.
I still enjoy Wilson's bullsh*t, for entertainment and nostalgic value I guess.
However he seems a little out of his league talent-spotting these days. Recall him in an interview a couple of years back suggesting that nu-metal was the most exciting thing happening in music. Think the early success of Factory might have had a lot to do with him being 'in the right place at the right time and surrounded by the right people'. Now middle-age has caught him up and he's just jumping on the latest buzz-words to keep up with the kids.
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This used to constantly come up round these parts, there's a certain "muddy" feel to the record......was this deliberate?
The only thing that pissed me off about it, was when I was doing compilation cassettes, AIIWIW always sounded lower than the rest of the tracks!
Still, I like it the way it is.
They can remix this for me ONLY after they've tidied up Movement. Brotherhodd is muddy in parts though I love the album.
Just leave it as it is, with all its flaws. They're not The Beatles, they're not the Rolling Stones, they're not the bananas, instead it's fucking New Order again, warts and all.
Sorry, I'm just not interested in this Dr Who fantasy of going back and "fixing" the past. I adore Cocteau Twins too, but I'm not going to spend my hard earned dosh on the "re-mastered" versions of all their albums either - they've served me just fine in their orginal form for the last decade-and-a-half, and don't need no polishing as far as I'm concerned!!
Originally posted by Detweiler 3.63 No matter of remixing will change the fact that most of the songs on the record are shit !
Funny, it was named album of the year by some music magazine in Quebec that year... 
Originally posted by LOng Tall Texan P.S. I know two examples of re-mixing albums so far: The Beatles' Let It Be (the 2003 Naked version) and Elvis Presley's 1969 Memphis sessions (the re-mixed version appeared in 1987).
I think if it can be accurately gauged that there's enough interest out there, it's fine to update any album with the latest technology (e.g. remastering, SACD, DVD-audio). But to try and go back and sort of re-write history and say "this is the way it should have sounded" rings a little hollow. For example, if that was the way Let it Be was suppuosed to sound then Paul McCartney should've taken a stand and made it sound that way instead of what actually was released at the time and what Let It Be will always be remembered for: an album by a band whose interest in writing/working as a "band" was rapidly dwindling.
Well, I think Brotherhood is a lazy half-arsed uninspired pile of cowpat. 
I think the vocals could be better on Brotherhood... and I reckon a re-worked version might actually get me into liking some of the tracks! 
And Every Little Counts... I can't bear to listen to that track... if only they'd made an instrumental of it! 
I also think that the album has dated terribly... compare it with PC & L.
This album really polarises fans like no other. There seems to be rough concensus on the rest.
I can't believe there's so much ill feeling towards it. It's way better than their bottom two albums at least, IMHO.
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It would be interesting to see a remix, but I like the eclectic originality of the album in its current state.
I don't know about a remix. There's some things I'd change about it, but overall it's a great album. Probably their 3rd or 4th best (after Low Life, Movement, and/or PCL).
I do like Brotherhood (love the artwork) but could never really get into it cos of this 'muddy feel' thing (as Shug so rightly puts it.)
A remix of it may enhance the sound etc but after all this time, it's probably best to just let it lie.
(The same does not apply to the version of Subculture on Substance though...;) )
seems like classic New Order to me, I had little problems with it at the time, some of my favorite songs on it. the last 3 tracks of the first side always sounded underwhelming to me, coulda been better done... but you can't really remix the original tapes in 1986 style with 2004 ears.... maybe if they had some alternate mixes lying around from the mid 80s..... but everybody knows NO doesn't release that type of stuff
Just say no.
Bad idea, what's the point? It won't attract any new fans (unless it's a serious UK garage urban R'n'B mix or some such shit). So who's gonna buy it? The fans, who already have the excellent original. At the risk of sending out some kind of "all releases fleece the fans" message, we don't need it. Like any album, good or bad, it stands or falls by how it was on its original released. You could argue that Transmission sounds "a bit 1979" (actually it doesn't) but that would not be a god excuse to remix it. A remix should bring something new to a track, not merely address perceived flaws in the original that aren't there. There may be different arguments if it was released on poor quality shellac and played at 78 rpm or something, but otherwise, just leave it alone. Some of the best records ever were great because of what they sounded like to contemporary ears (eg Kraftwerk, Bowie's Low/Heroes, Stone Roses debut, Hand In Glove, God Save The Queen, etc, etc).
Example of shite remixing after the fact: The Stooges - Raw Power. No subtlety, just crank everything up. I have no problem with NO remixes, some are better than the originals, but remixing an album? No ta...
Yes I do agree I suppose... but I never really liked Brotherhood. But it was released in 1986... and I'm not sure that a remixed version would work particularly :( And yes... it would be yet another reason to not bother with a new album! 
