42 replies · 574 views
34 votes · voting closed
Listening to it again - it's the only side project album that COULD have been recorded by New Order.
TOT were too 'girly' Electronic were erm... too 'girly' Revenge failed horribly, though heroically,
I just wish that 'Monaco' had been a worthy follow up to MFP. Such a shame...
i have to go with electronic's eponymous first album (let's forget about the rapping though, shall we?), with MFP nipping at its heels. however, i have to say that while i prefer the first electronic album as a whole, 'junk' is better than anything electronic ever did, save 'disappointed.' as for TOT--not bad, but they remind me of bananarama.
Well off the mark,the debut Electronic album is the best side project album-and the closest in sound to New Order.
I'd disagree with that - the first Electronic album sounded more like the Pet Shop Boys having a handbag fight with The Smiths - and LOSING! 
My girlfriend commented - 'It ain't ace if it don't have Hooky's Bass' - well, we can't ALL be perfect, eh?
Electronic's first album and The Other Two's Superhighways are the two best side-project works. Recently I've taken a better liking toward Revenge. Monaco was a bollocks band.
I suppose it depends how long one has been a 'fan' - Hooky's stuff tends to be favoured by us oldies, the Technique/Depeche Mode brigade tend to like Electronic. Nowt wrong with that, just interested to know... :)
Originally posted by Chris Nash I suppose it depends how long one has been a 'fan' - Hooky's stuff tends to be favoured by us oldies, the Technique/Depeche Mode brigade tend to like Electronic. Nowt wrong with that, just interested to know... :)
why put the word 'fan' in quotes? can't help it if we're not nearing forty...
Originally posted by Jeff watch it 006...that nearing 40 thing is starting to apply to me!!!:p
the geritol is in the mail. ;)
Originally posted by AgentWood > Originally posted by Jeff> watch it 006...that nearing 40 thing is starting to apply to me!!!:p
the geritol is in the mail. ;)
I wouldn't be poking fun if I were you. Very soon you will be an SUV-driving, broomstick dress-wearing, middle-aged teacher. :p
Originally posted by Tristan > Originally posted by AgentWood> > > > Originally posted by Jeff> > watch it 006...that nearing 40 thing is starting to apply to me!!!:p>
the geritol is in the mail. ;)
I wouldn't be poking fun if I were you. Very soon you will be an SUV-driving, broomstick dress-wearing, middle-aged teacher. :p
i hate f*cking SUVs. they need to be taxed up the arse as they ruin the roads faster because of their weight; therefore, their owners should pay for the damage they do, damn it, not me! plus, SUV drivers have a propensity for tailgaiting, one of my biggest pet-peeves.
as for broomstick dress-wearing, i'm already a dress-wearer. when, exactly, do i turn into a broomstick? 
I think the latest albums were the best by the side projects. twisted tenderness was superb, likewise monaco. Also quite enjoyed one true passion v2.0
I'mnearly 40, I don't have a SUV (at least, I don't think so - I don't even know what it is) I have a broomstick for sweeping the tiles on my kitchen floor and I've never worn a dress....
Am I growing old gracefully?
Originally posted by Chris Nash I'mnearly 40, I don't have a SUV (at least, I don't think so - I don't even know what it is) I have a broomstick for sweeping the tiles on my kitchen floor and I've never worn a dress....Am I growing old gracefully?
you might have an SUV--you should probably get tested, just to be on the safe side.
Back to the topic, The only Monaco I have listened to is the live recordings that someone booted. Pretty good stuff, although more oasis sounding than NO. The one single What Do You Want from Me used to get airplay in my city until they decided to make the station more diverse (hip hop and rap). I first thought that it was new order.
The first and third Electronic albums are pretty good IMHO. the B-side instrumental Free Will is outfookingstanding and better than some NO stuff by a twisted country mile.
i must say i like all 3 Electronic albums more than anything about Monaco, starting with TT, Electronic and RTP. in fact i like Revenge over Monaco. but i like more Monaco than TOT. and between the 2 Monaco albums MFP is the one i like. the other one i just can´t listen to it anymore. i guess that´s the idea i wanted to share with everyone. now i´ll get my coat. ;)
While Music For Pleasure is quite enjoyable... there is no bad song on Electronic's 1st album... NONE.
Which is typical of New Order, and that can't be said about all the other side project albums after that.
In fact, the bad streak started with Republic.
Electronic's first album should have been a New Order album instead of Republic (quoting Al Jarvis)
Chris - one is not happy being branded together with Depish;) Another vote here for ELECTRONIC, although TT runs it very close.
I love the Monaco singles - very, very newordery, but I thought their album tracks were a bit weaker. I feel the same about Revenge and TO2 as well - all of em have put out good singles but I was never particularly impressed by the albums.
Christophe I sent you a message yesterday but it bounced back - send me yer new email addy matey.......and stop coming up with shite polls:D
Originally posted by Spotnick While Music For Pleasure is quite enjoyable... there is no bad song on Electronic's 1st album... NONE.
Well, apart from Patience of a Saint!
Electronic's first album by a country mile on this. The album Republic should've been.
Pity we couldn't have had this, plus WDYWFM and Junk from MFP - what a New order album that could've made!
Electronic's debut is the most consistently great New Order "side project" album. Music for Pleasure rivals it with 'WDYWFM', 'Shine', 'Junk', 'Happy Jack', 'Under the Stars' (yes, I know it's not on the UK issue) and 'Sedona'. Unfortunately, 'Buzz Gum', 'Blue' and 'Billy Bones' are awful.
Originally posted by James Stephen Barnes 'Raise The Pressure' is the best album of `em all.
There are lots of crappy songs on the 2nd half of the album...
And some might consider the dance tracks bad also.
Out of my league is probably "the" song that causes this album to sink in the ranking...
Originally posted by Spotnick > Originally posted by James Stephen Barnes> 'Raise The Pressure' is the best album of `em all.
There are lots of crappy songs on the 2nd half of the album...
And some might consider the dance tracks bad also.
Out of my league is probably "the" song that causes this album to sink in the ranking...
To quote John Cleese "BLASPHEMER!!!!!"
Of the dancier tracks - this is the one I like the best.
I went for option 3 because the first electronic album is my favourite side project offering. I like some of the stuff from the other side project releases, but I would definately go for 'electronic' as the best all round album. I first got in to New Orders music after buying this album and they are definately my favourite side project (Monaco would be second though!!).
Just like the webmaster said, not a bad song on Electronic's first. Some of Barney's best lyrics.
"It's not the fact that you are missing its just how I feel when you're not there."
I think Chris got it right at the very start - MONACO's MFP is the most 'New-Order'-sounding release and my fave of all side projects.
Seriously, any NO song without Hookys bass is definitely facing some kind of identity crisis.
By the way, anyone here has the MONACO's MSP on vinyl? Apparently its a double vinyl with that glorious panoramic photo printed on the inner gatefold cover - I've only seen in on Ebay once in the last 12 months.
Originally posted by Find-My-'Bowl'-As-I-Go-Home I think Chris got it right at the very start - MONACO's MFP is the most 'New-Order'-sounding release and my fave of all side projects.
Yes i bought it when it came out whilst in CHESTER and was very impressed with the cover.Is it rare when MINTY MINT? ROCKET MICK
Originally posted by Rocket Mick > Originally posted by Find-My-'Bowl'-As-I-Go-Home> I think Chris got it right at the very start - MONACO's MFP is the most 'New-Order'-sounding release and my fave of all side projects.
Yes i bought it when it came out whilst in CHESTER and was very impressed with the cover.Is it rare when MINTY MINT? ROCKET MICK
Do the posh folk of affluent Chester actually allow the likes of Rocket Mick within the hallowed city walls??? Or did he pass incognito/with a KFC bucket on his bonce???????
WHAT ABOUT TWISTED TENDERNESS? ARE YOU ALL MAD?
twisted tenderness is by far the best side project album of the lot,the first electronic album was ok,the second including obviously gay child in meadow sniffing flowers on the front cover,was absolute shite,the third tt is the next album new order should have made after republic!
funny really ,just put all the entire no back catalog onto an mp3 disc,inc side projects,was listening to it yesterday.
the only monaco track that really does it for me is happy jack on mfp,but to be quite honest i'm getting a bit tired of hookys bass!
i never thought i'd say it but tis true!
roll on the new album!
MFP sucks. A bunch of Brotherhood samples (how can an album made with samples from one of the poorest NO albuns be any good?), horrible vocals and no personality at all.
Just had this discussion some time ago here and Nic told me to give it a second try. I did. And I still think it's crap.
Electronic are my favourite side project, although they are a bit Pet Shop Boys sounding!
The first album alone makes them all that much better than the other side projects. I actually liked Raise the Pressure too and prefer it to Twisted Tenderness (which I think is way overrated!) 
As for the Other Two, they didn't sound much like New Order, but surely this is a good thing? More like Saint Etienne or Dubstar clones I suppose!
Originally posted by Rocket Mick Yes i bought it when it came out whilst in CHESTER and was very impressed with the cover.Is it rare when MINTY MINT?ROCKET MICK
Yeah, I think you have a highly sought after item there, MASTERBLASTER MICK ;) since yours is Minty Mint in condition. I think the last time it was on Ebay was like 9 months ago and i bailed out after it went pass US$50 :(...can't remember the final price though.
revenge though it was always a tough choice
7 reasons, kiss the chrome & many other joys
live they were sensational
dreams never end 
Interesting poll!
While I recognise Monaco automatically weren't as good as New Order (how could they be, by '97 a 16 year NO career vs. a zero months Monaco one) they are the next best thing really. I am a big fan of Electronic too, although I always thought O2 were too lightweight to ever seriously compete for "most NO-like album". Not to be nasty, but I hardly listen to O2 anymore, it's like soundtrack music with silly pop vocals on top, Voytek and The Grave were interesting, but they stand out more as good productions rather than memorable songs.
Anyway, back to the point at hand, does Music for pleasure equal an excellent New Order album? The answer has to be completely YES. Nobody can fault "What do you want from me?" as one of the best pop singles of the latter nineties, even Electronic's singles couldn't get anywhere near that song (except Geting away with it, perhaps) in terms of "Oh, I know that tune" by the general public. Also, anyone who says they prefer the inferior Revenge to songs like Wdywfm?, Blue, and Junk are most likely speaking out of their arse. Revenge musically were pretty um...shite, and if the best compliment you can pay the band is "well they did a really nice cover version of Dreams Never End off some obscure bootleg just fourteen people own" you're really reaching to justify their worth aren't you?? It's like saying you'd rather listen to Surf Nazi instead of True Faith, utter madness.
In '97-98 Monaco received both excellent critical and live reviews, whereas previously in '96 Electronic's Raise the pressure got a very lukewarm response, and subsequently in '99 O2's Superhighways was quietly brushed under the carpet. The Music for pleasure tour was a total success for them, I have numerous gig CDRs and the songs are performed brilliantly and the crowd were really getting into it. The simple fact was, in 1997 nobody thought New Order were EVER going to reform, Hooky was quoted as saying hell would freeze over etc. and after the rather patchy 2nd Electronic album, MFP really was the next best thing to a new NO album. The facts are all there: fan response, the memorable gigging, the album/singles chart placings (top 10/20) all prove that.
I've mentioned this before, there are a small army of hardcore NO fans who seem to "hate" Monaco with a passion for a few silly reasons that are usually: 1) They sound like New Order, 2) The singer guy sounds like Barney, and 3) How dare Hooky take time out from New Order. Well all I say to them is those are remarkably sophisticated critisisms, bravo! 1) Monaco bassist Hook is *also* a member of New Order, what are they meant to sound like, german death metal? 2) Pottsy is from Manchester, as is Barney, similar accent hence similar vocal, Pottsy's voice is higher anyway. 3) Yes, how dare he. :\ohwell:
Just to show I'm not totally biased, Monaco's output was NOT flawless of course. The 2nd album was pretty average (not awful, just not great either), Electronic's Twisted Tenderness blew it out of the water at almost every turn and I hardly even give Hooky/Pottsy's second effort a listen these days. (There are some good tracks on it though) It was written/recorded/(barely)toured under very different circumstances from MFP and it that does show. In my opinion, their hesitation to use synthesisers and electronica on "Monaco" in favour of a light-rock-out-with-new-order-bass-twangs formula made the album really ordinary sounding. Gone were the clever style from MFP that crafted tracks like Ultra, Junk, Shattered, and Sedona! :( Disappointingly, the one electronic track "See-saw" is cheesy disco at it's worst (even more so than Sweet lips), and not even a record company remix campaign could get it released as a proper single.
Despite that, long live Music for pleasure, the best of the side project LPs!! 
I have a trusty bumper CDR version with all 4 bsides (Bicycle Thief, Ultra, Shattered, Comin' Around Again) mixed into the original US (inc. Under The Stars) CD tracklisting and it's certainly a great pop album even SEVEN (bloody hell! 
) years on. Oh and to answer that previous post, I do have a copy of the MFP vinyl gatefold, bought it for about a tenner in 1998. It is a nice item with that extra photo (canvas, paint tools) but what I'd really like is the Wdywfm? limited edition Red vinyl single! Still looking for that.
Cheers, Ally :p
I went for choice 3 also. As I've mentioned elsewhere, 'Electronic' was one of the few albums I've listened to straight through on the first listen and was impressed by every track. And one of the few I've bought twice. Cassette first time round, then CD a few years ago which included "Getting Away With It", one of the finest songs ever.
Chris, I'm only 2 years younger than you so I'm obviously an exception to your rule, or is 34 below the cut-off point for transferring to the 'oldies section'. :) I do like Depeche Mode though. *ducks*
Well Ally, that might be the issue people didn't like, Monaco didn't try something new, Revenge did though...
In Electronic, Bernard tried new musical things, sometimes it didn't feel right (Raise The Pressure's dance tracks for instance), sometimes there are stroke of genius.
One thing for sure, I'd be curious to know Johnny Marr's impact on the albums, because I always said most of the tracks, simply add Hooky's bass and it's New Order...
I enjoyed both groups, they gave us material when we needed it, and I'm forced to admit, due to financial reasons, they are back as New Order, and it takes forever to create... Damn it, Electronic did albums in 1996 and 1998, Monaco too, what is so damned long? can't think Pottsy and Marr were the reason why it was done so "quickly", is it?
Originally posted by Spotnick Well Ally, that might be the issue people didn't like, Monaco didn't try something new, Revenge did though...
I hear what you're saying Nic :) but I fail to see what "new" stuff Revenge tried. Most of their music was humourless synth-rock, overcomplicated synths pushed way up in the mix in fact. The guitar work pre-Gun World Porn was pretty sub-standard, as were Hooky's lyrics/vocals. The guy himself has said so many times Revenge were formed for playing live, and he wasn't so bothered about the music.
It's no secret Monaco were very New Order sounding (I for one, thought that was a strength) for obvious reasons, but saying they did not try anything new musically compared to Revenge is a bit unfair. Billy Bones ventured into trip-hop with crackly drum loops, Shattered was massively experimental for an instrumental, and even the electronica'd Ultra with Hooky's loop-reversed bassline and distorted vocal samples was something relatively fresh. Not to mention both Sedona and Marine, lush instrumentals that pushed musical boundries far beyond Revenge's stuff. I personally thought the two Hooky basslines weaving around each other in Sedona was a stroke of genius, somehow I couldn't have seen Revenge doing that.
On the other hand we have Wdywfm?, Shine, Happy Jack, I've Got A Feeling, A Life Apart, etc. that all sound very New Order-ey. So I see your point, but I still think Monaco were trying something new, *especially* compared to Revenge. Don't get me wrong, I personally quite like maybe six or seven of Revenge's songs like Big Bang, It's Quiet, and most of GWP, but they seem to date more and more with each listen whereas the Monaco stuff has held up better over the years IMO.
Anyway it's all opinion Good debate tho..
Cheers, Ally.
Well done, Ally ....you've said everything I could say about Hooky's Monaco :)
Also, about that WDWFM red vinyl 7" - it was on Ebay recently and went pretty cheap. I was tempted to get it but unfortunately at that time I've got other higher priority items going...like Jessica Simpson autographed calender
Originally posted by Ally3000 I've mentioned this before, there are a small army of hardcore NO fans who seem to "hate" Monaco with a passion for a few silly reasons
Not sure where you've picked this up from Ally, cos I've never seen any evidence of this. Have found most 'hardcore NO fans' tend support most of Hooky's work. It's like he's 'one of us' so to speak. Certainly don't wish him any ill whatsoever.
Not sure I agree about the gigs thing either. Yes, Monaco were okay live but for sheer atmosphere you had to see Electronic. Okay, so they did f'all in the live environment, but had an audience to rival New order's (probably the same audience as NO's if they'd been around instead!).
Ally, I just say Monaco were in the "safe zone" of pleasing New Order fans with their music, generally... however, I think they did their load of crap songs too.
I still wonder why the hell they released Sweet Lips for instance...
But WDYWFM, Shine, Happy Jack, 3 very good songs, and I can say there are a few on the 2nd album that I really enjoyed (Kashmere, A Life Apart, It's A Boy, End of the World)... it was leading somewhere, I wonder if Hooky would bother with Freebass if Pottsy didn't have a new band, and he would have done a new Monaco album instead 
But seriously, both side projects released quality albums, many might not think so, but I don't care... when I pick one of them today and put it in the CD player, I still enjoy them very much... The Other Two is something different, I have my share of problems to get into these songs, except for a few very good tracks (Tasty Fish and Selfish for instance, The River, Ripple and Superhighways maybe), but some I can't even listen to anymore (You Can Fly, I'm sorry, but I can't anymore!)
But now, we need a new New Order album soon, gosh, some people have to realize, it's the first time ever that we have to wait so long for new New Order related material... 3 years! maybe 4! never been that way before... we always had a side-project album while waiting between Republic and Get Ready, in 1998 they tourned so it helped to fill the 3 years gap between Twisted Tenderness and Get Ready...
Originally posted by Al Jarvis
Not sure where you've picked this up from Ally, cos I've never seen any evidence of this. Have found most 'hardcore NO fans' tend support most of Hooky's work. It's like he's 'one of us' so to speak. Certainly don't wish him any ill whatsoever.
I didn't mean every single hardcore New Order fan of course :D just one or two now and then from experience. When I was doing the Monaco site poor old Pottsy used to get a hell of a bashing from random NO fans, for no good reason most of the time. It pissed him off too, he got sick of the old "Why do you sound like Barney?" questions, which were valid maybe for the first couple of months, but they seemed endless even after 2 years.
As for the gigging, you would know more than me really Al! Your gig-going reputation is pretty impressive to say the least ;) I only saw Monaco once at their last gig in London and it was pretty good, plus the impression I got of the '97 gigs from bootleg was always great. I almost saw the band on their US tour at the El Rey in California, but that fell through. I agree Electronic should have gigged more for sure, Twisted Tenderness was a wasted opportunity for a kick arse album to be heard live. But didn't Barney once say he wanted to tour with Electronic but Johnny Marr was dead against it? Strange as he toured his Healers outfit a fair bit.
Ally.
