Re: Track by track review: Republic

Regret- Used to be my favorite off of Republic but not so much anymore. 8.5

World- Decent, not too memorable gay disco song with an evern gayer video. 8

Ruined In A Day- I've grown to like this song, but the vocals are better than sominex. 7.5

Spooky- Retarded opening, ridiculous video, but it had some good mixes especially Minimix and I listen to the Moulimix once in a while. 7.5

Everyone Everywhere- Blech. 7

Young Offender- Very catchy disposable dance pop. 8

Liar- Has quickly become one of my favorite tracks off of Republic. Very light, well produced, and a good chorus. 9

Chemical- Trashy dance song and I like it. 9

Times Change- Need I say anything really? 3

Special- Good melodramatic feel. 9

Avalanche- Watered down Atmospherery ambience. A fucking disgrace. 1

all i can say is that i completely disagree with the above review, i think republic is stellar, and songs like world, times change, avalanche are very very memorable.

I can understand if someone likes Avalanche and maybe World, but Times Change? I suggest you go to Port Royal town and get some reefer from the local rastafarians. Alone these four lines ruin the song (not to mention the rap):

In a manger like Christ I lay Yellow fever, yellow hay Feel the rhythm, sweetest sound Making, breaking sacred ground

Worst New Order album ever. I really mean EVER. Is the cover a snipping from cigarette ads? Hooky must've been in the can while this one was recorded. But he couldn't have saved most of it anyway.

Regret:

You're a dirty pinko if you don't like this track. One of the greats. How it ended up on such a crap album is beyond me. Sounds like they put all their creative energy into this one single and gave up afterwards. Can't say much bad about this song at all. In the top 10 they've done. 9.5

World:

I like this song, cheesy and dated as it is. Sounds a good bit like Round and Round in some ways. The female backing vocals are a bit grating, but I'll accept them. What Barney doesn't know is that love can cost about $20 an hour if you don't mind crack whores. 7.5

Ruined in a Day:

This is a nice slower track. A good chill-out piece of music. A bit longish and samey for its running time. Not worthy of being a single, but oh well. 6.0

Spooky:

Okay song for the first few minutes, but then gets BORING. Another non-single single, but more of one. Doesn't build the way it should. Just sounds a bit too lightweight. 5.0

Everyone Everywhere:

This one had more single potential. A nice little geetar song. Sounds a bit like Dream Attack. I like this one, somewhat. 6.5

Young Offender:

Offends my ears. Dated to death. Awful backup vocals by Barney. Cheese never sounded this bad. 2.0

Liar:

I stand corrected. God, I've never even listened to this track all the way through before and I'm not about to now. 0.5

Chemical:

Crap. 0.3

Times Change:

Double Crap. Worst New Order song ever. Put to shame by WIFM. If you disagree with me, grow some fucking ears. I like the chorus a little, but not enough to salvage it. 0.1

Special:

A barely okay track. But still really lame. If it was in the first half of the album, they could've just released an EP and come out on my good side. 5.0

Avalanche:

Lightweight, a bit sad. Hey, it's Gillian. Definitely no Elegia, but not an unlistenable instrumental. I honestly like this one better than most of the "real" songs on the album. Not much of a final track for the album or even for the band's career, had Republic been the end. 7.0

Hmmm...what would happen if all of New Order's side projects bred an aborted fetus of an album? You got it. Not even the few workable tracks early in this album can save it from the trashcan. This album scrapes the bottom of every track the band has ever done. I'm surprised I still even own it. :barf:

this one is easy... not sure why this got such praise when released, the production (Hague effect combined with the band not working as a team) is so bland on most of the record. this is almost a Barney solo record at times.

Regret: 10 ...an absolutely beautiful song, New Order's swan song

World: 7 ... remix is better thou, better energy and emotion

Ruined: 6 ... remix might be better also

Spooky: 3 ... remixes better, not saying much for such a diluted, empty song. its like New Order thru a thick filter

Everybody 4 ... okay i guess, but did little for me at the time

actually i usually never made it past "Spooky"

Young Offender, Liar, Times Change... sort of bitter Barney going solo with Hague on cruise control... 1.5 average

Chemical 4 ... not sure why everybody hates this, it sounds like Morris and Hooky trying to have fun and make a hard techno song, then Hague tried to filter out all the energy, and pretty much succeeded. sad.

Times Change 5...doesnt seem as bad except i cant really remember it all that much... this song and Regret are suppossed to be the first two songs done by New order, and the really only two done as a team... after this Factory went OOB and the relationships got really frosty

Avalance 4... forgettable really

One word review: CRAP.

Regret – nearly perfect. Massive uplifting beast of a song, possibly the one I have played the most over the years, and certainly the one I have covered live the most. 10/10

World – basically a really catchy song that contains most of their best elements, one that was improved away from the album. 8/10

Ruined In A Day – a real let-down on the album, given a new lease of life in the Reunited In A Day Mix. Much better live than on record. 6/10

Spooky – probably wouldn’t have made it onto any other album. 5/10

Everyone Everywhere – more classic New Order, this is what they do best. Surges onwards with deceptive pace, a mellow juggernaut. 8/10

Young Offender – cheese-pop but actually quite good with it. Expect it at a Digital gig this summer. 6/10

Liar – the sound of a bitter man. A pity it comes across the way it does. 5/10

Chemical – Not the disaster some portray it as. Cleverly put together but not up to the standards we have come to expect. 7/10

Times Change – an experiment that didn’t quite come off, mainly thanks to the embarrassingly earnest rapping and dubious lyrics at times. Dub version would be good. 6/10

Special – decent tune, more embarrassing lyrics. Over-rated. 5/10

Avalanche – rather good, unexpected ambient loops that don’t belong on this random collection of song ideas. 6/10

Too lazy to do a review. Just want to add that Ruined In A Day is the lp grower. I think they should have continued to play it during the GR tour instead of Touched By the Penis of God.

If you disagree with me, grow some fucking ears.

Regret

Call me crazy, but I've never loved this song *braces for attacks from all directions* It tries too hard to be poppy and liked by everyone. It is uplifting, but often I turn to New Order when I wanna stay in the gutter for a few more minutes. 6 out of 10

World

The single version ruins the intro for me, the synths are great but more powerful bass sequencers/harder beats would have been better. The instrumental break near the last chorus is great, but the little beat breakdown and the chorus takes away the impact of it. Barney's vocals and lyrics have never been better. The backing vox is annoying, as usual for most New Order tracks. People ask "Where's Hooky?", but he doesn't belong on a pure dance track like this. 8 out of 10

Ruined in a Day

Loved it when I first heard it, but grew to be boring for me. Now dust it off once in awhile for a more "mellow" vibe. 5 out of 10

Spooky

Never cared for it really, the mixes are better. 4 out of 10.

Everyone Everywhere

Nice little guitar number, would have been more at home on Technique (or something minus Hague). Had potential, but could have used something more. 6 out of 10

Young Offender

Album picks up the pace again. Cool little number, I love the synth and the pulsing sequencer. The lyrics are cheesy, but it adds to the charm, yes? 9 out of 10

Liar

Ah yes, about the great pantomime villan of the NewOrderStory. Boring music, crap lyrics, but oddly catchy. Would never play it for a prospective fan. 3 out of 10

Chemical

Not the best musically, but a good techno number to remind people that pre-Get Ready dance music still exists. The lyrics are good as well ("I would brave a rainstorm in my car..") 8 out of 10

Times Change

Like RIAD, loved it at first, but tappered off in time. I'll have to give it a listen again soon. 6 out of 10

Special

This should have been a single. Haunting and poignant without being overly sentimental. Captures that mood, whatever that mood is. The last verse is pure poetry ("Drowning in the endless sea..") 9 out of 10

Avalanche

Soft and somber number, the best shagging song the Order has done. Gillian's vocals are great, and Hooky near the end makes a tear in me eye. 9 out of 10

Not their best, but far from their worst. People seem to hate on Republic more than most, while Brotherhood remains unscathed!

Regret- 7

World- 7

Ruined In A Day - 9.5

Spooky- 8

Everyone Everywhere- 9.5 (but the Montreaux live version gets a 10!)

Young Offender- 7

Liar- 8.5

Chemical- 9

Times Change- 7.5

Special- 8.5

Avalanche-
8.5

If it was possible to return an album until it was finished, the theory goes that 'The Republican' may have only five units outside of the original warranty. That said, like all good cheeses, it has matured slightly with age, still a little smelly, but full of character and occasionally offering a decent taste.

The total shock factor is hard to recall (its a mental block I'm sure), but with a combination of weak synth sounds, rushed song structures, the lack of a key member of the group and the realisation that Saville wasn't totally infalible 'The Republican' revealed itself as a chink in the NO armoury back in the early 90's. On the back of Technical Lego, this was expected to be 'the' album. It was certainly 'an' album, by default - featuring around 10 songs.

Regret If someone ever poises, 'but what do New Order actually sound like?' - surely this, alongside Ceremony and Age of Con Tricks, is the bonafide response. Beauty, power and frailty. It has the proper 'x' factor.

World (the Price of Eggs) Telling proof that a rabbit was definitely running scared in the studio. For the easily offended, steer well clear of this porta-studio preset sounds library. Despite itself, Bernard's quite beautiful singing stamps what could have been the worst offender of all Republicans.

Ruined In A Day Well not quite a day, more like forty seconds when the cheap drum machine is switched on. Its difficult to put an exact digit onto it, but something stops this effort from soaring into classic-hood. Ruined by Production, in about a day.

Spooky As this song starts, Steven Hague should have left.

He didn't.

Personally, I tend to use cotton to masquerade the synthesized toy-town affecting Barney's delicious tones.

Everyone Everywhere Almost, almost. Average song no. three depletes any possible semblance of running quality. Yes its sounds nice, but so do the PSB's.

Young Offender Is it too late to hand this back to the first Electronic album?

Liar Sizzlingly evocative. An excellent stamping of the troubled Factory shutdown. The organ sounds may have been quaint but not in 1990, we required a New Order sound.

Chemical Mr. Hook was finally allowed a passing few notes to hoist the main sail of hope. Too little far too late. Its debatable whether Hooky was asked back in to add salt to the wound?, perhaps when NO sat to tweak the finals - I wonder.

Times Change They certainly do. Please don't change them again.

Special A popular 'but Republic has this song on' war cry from the faithful when defence mode is operational. It is special, but unfortunately for earmarking the only time the band have deliberately cribbed someone else's song. Listen to the closing minutes of Unfinished Sympathy and weep. The very thought, like water down a drain.

Avalanche Beautiful.

Many gems there, H. One of your best productions, I would say.

Ive been listening to all the albums this week,probably getting ready for a 'New Order Year'. Have to admit,its not as bad as weve slated it. Ok,its a bit too slick production wise,but it got some great moments.

Regret

Incredible song and one of their very best ever easily. New Order at their finest. Just love the Hooky bass at the end.

Score: 10

World

I used to really like song. It's kinda cheesy with the female backing vocals but overall not bad.

Score: 7.5

Ruined In A Day

Somber but very good. I'd love to hear this one live, especially if it was as good as on Electronic Ecstasy.

Score: 8

Spooky

This song really never did it for me. It's really not a bad track, but something is missing. It's catchy though.

Score: 6

Everyone Everywhere

To me, this is the hidden gem on this album. Beautiful song. Great lyrics and nice guitaring.

Score: 8

Young Offender

Not too memorable. The lyrics are cringe-worthy.

Score: 5

Liar

Again, not too memorable.

Score: 5

Chemical

I actually don't mind this one. Technoish and a nice feel to it.

Score: 6.5

Times Change

Yes, the lyrics are silly but I don't think it's that bad.

Score: 6

Special

Touching. I like the lyrics in this one. Would love to hear this one live, too.

Score: 9

Avalanche

Great instrumental. Right up there with "Elegia" if not better. A sad trip down memory lane for the Order as at the time it was thought to be the end of them.

Score: 8

Regret: 7 Not sure why I never connected to this song. Its good, but not a favorite.

World: 8 Great summer tune for a great summer album. The remixes are awesome. Neat lyrics.

Ruined in a Day: 10 Simply, my favorite off the album. Great stuff.

Spooky: 7.5 Ive always kinda liked it. Never skip it. It fits well with the rest of the album.

Everyone, Everywhere: 8 I sing this in the shower haha. I like how it plays after Spooky. Great rising action.

Young Offender: 7 Not bad, not great song. A bit helter skelter I think, but I like the chorus.

Liar: 8.5 Great tune. Catchy, unusually light for New Order, and it works. I think this has grown on a lot of people.

Chemical: 7 I like the chorus and the begginning but the rest is just okay. Very clubbish, thats cool.

Times Change:7 If you listen to the album as a whole, this one fits just as well as the others. One of the more different risky new order tracks.

Special: 8 The most new orderish of the album. Good synths on it too. I love this song.

Avalanche: 7.5 Im a sucker for a good instrumental and Gillain brought the goods. Interesting way to finish an album too. I like it.

Regret: Quite good. 9.5/10

World: Should have stayed "The Greatest Thing" by the Other Two. Maybe that's too harsh. I liked most of the remixes more though. A bad sign. 7/10

Ruined in a Day: This was their best choice for a single? Inspiration must have been thin on the ground. 6.5/01

Spooky: I had such high hopes for the album when the "Bass Mechanik" bit came in. Then, the song just wobbled along to it's finish. Again, the remixes improved the track somewhat.
6.5/10

Everyone Everywhere: This is not the type of thing that 1st interested me in New Order. It's a bit goofy. 5/10

Young Offender: Listen closely. There's some interesting synth bits going on underneath. Unfortunately, Hague's homogenized production swept it under the rug. 7.5/10

Chemical: I like the revving sound effect. Yeah, that's something good. 6/10

Times Change: Electronic with cameo's by New Order. 7/10

Special: It's a good track, but doesn't rival Regret for best track on the album. Really now people! 8.5/10

Avalanche: Perfect, for what it is. The Other Two instilling some hope. 9/10

Regret - Took a little while for this to really catch on with me. I always liked it. 9.5 World - Loved it at first. Doesn't hold up as a favorite. 8 Ruined In A Day - Always been a favorite of mine. 9.5 Spooky - As good as World. 8 Everyone Everywhere - Don't go crazy over this one. A favorite of my non-new order fan friends. 6.5 Young Offender - I like this too:) 8 Liar - Different, not bad. It is catchy. 7 Chemical - Not bad. 7 Times Change - A new favorite 9.5 Special - Album favorite, top 5 alltime NO. 10 Avalanche - Not crazy about the instrumentals.

1 115 Regret 3 98 World 4 97 Ruined In A Day 9 78 Spooky 5 90.5 Everyone Everywhere 8 79 Young Offender 11 70 Liar 7 79.8 Chemical 10 72.6 Times Change 2 103 Special 6 82 Avalanche

An album of 2 halves by the looks of things - 5 decent-to-great songs & 6 to be ignored. Except for Avalanche which seems to have a love/hate thing all of its own!

While I thought Republic marks the era where New Order lost its "edge" and breakthrough status as a band, I recall it grew on me when it came out. Consider it a maturing of the band if you will. Since then I've come to think of it as one of their more solid efforts. I have to admit, starting with tapes, and now cds, I can record any track in any order that I like them, so the meaning of songs coming out on particular albums means less to me than ever, but in my "favorites" compilations, 3-4 Republic tunes always make the cut. So 8.5 out of 10 for a highly underrated album.

RAMA

Regret:

A happy-go-lucky, fun song. I absolutely love this song then and now, the tone of the song and the guitar arrangements are classic NO. If this song was released now it would be a top 10 here in the states instead of the grunge era of the early nineties when it was released, this song has the punch to it. The last line of the song makes me smile.......“Just wait til tomorrow; I guess that’s what they all say, just before they fall apart.” 10

World:

This is a nice follow up to “Regret”, it changes gear with the sequencers and drum machines into a toe tapping song filled mainly with the chorus line, still a fun dance ditty. 8

Ruined in a Day:

The excellent remix ‘reunited in a day’ surely brings life to this song. Probably the most textured track on this album, it serves a nice contrast to the other melodic tracks. A brooding and well composed song, something Ian Curtis would like. 9

Spooky:

A sugar coated dance number, sounds a bit like Round & Round. 7

Everyone Everywhere:

The title is silly. This seems like a continuation from “ruined in a day” but doesn’t pull it off, weightless and forgettable. 6

Young Offender:

Cheesy disco, a la Pets Shop Boys. Not bad, still a worthy jangle. 7

Liar:

Another bland, sugar coated song and the female vocals doesn’t help the cause. 5

Chemical:

The fastest regular track on the album, I think. Maybe up around 140 bpms, thus it gives it some energy and perhaps to play at aerobics class. 7

Times Change:

Bernard should not rap,I know he raps on one of the Electronic albums and it just sounds silly. This song simply sucks. 3

Special:

I like the smokey lyrics, it could be one of Electronic’s b-sides. It’s so-so, it’s got potential, seems like production of this song was done in haste. 5

Avalanche:

Subdued song by Gillian that sounds quite nice but again seems like not enough time spent on making this track. 6

Originally posted by Tristan I can understand if someone likes Avalanche and maybe World, but Times Change? I suggest you go to Port Royal town and get some reefer from the local rastafarians.

Dude, you just awarded Liar a 9/10. In public even. Don't know if you're in a position to heckle.

Probably THE song that epitomised NO's fall from grace during the Republic era. Plinkety-plonk house piano, Hooky asleep and smothered in backing vocals. Pure New Order.

I've seen less cheese at one of Huntsman's Red Leicester & Cracker Festivals.

:\pimp3:

REGRET -> best example for a perfect pop-song! 10/10

WORLD -> prefer the perfecto-mix, but for the lack of Mr.Hook only 7/10

RUINED -> like the ambient-mix and the live-version with the extended-intro. nice & mellow track, a decent video too! 7,5/10

SPOOKY -> i don't care at all, crap video, but the baß-part before the chorus is nice, prefer the remixes. 4/10

EVERYONE EVERYWHERE -> hm, not quite sure about it... 5/10

YOUNG OFFENDER -> got the same title as a PSB-song, sounds like a PSB-song, even if Hooky was allowed to play some notes at the end. redundant! 1/10

LIAR -> redundant! 1/10

CHEMICAL -> nice & groovy up-tempo song, nothing more but also nothing less! 5/10

TIMES CHANGE -> even if the word "experimental" is a bit out of place on an album like "republic", i quite like this one! good chorus! 7/10

SPECIAL -> great track and welcome Mr.Hook! But please don't try this again live, the Roskilde-version was disastrous. 9,5/10

AVALANCHE -> i've listened to this... twice? Don't know... 5/10.

=

Regret:

When I first heard it, I was shocked. It was played as Steve Masters' "Screamer of the Week" on San Francisco's Live 105. I remember thinking, this doesn't sound like anything New Order, I've ever heard, but I think I like it. Took me a while to get used to the drumming, but soon enough I was head over heels for it. I wish they could have done a "Techniquey" meld of the New Order Mix from the single, and the album version.

9/10

World:

In the tradition of Round and Round, but far less interesting and the lyrics are utter sh!te, Barney at his worst, not even funny which makes his bad moments, usually worth while. Just cr@p.

4/10 for the energy of it, and the fact that it's a New Order tune, so it's still technically decent in comparison to other music.

Ruined in a Day:

Great lyric, interesting drum work, but I just didn't like much else about it. Pretty Poor.

6/10

Spooky:

Bland as hell, tedious lyrics, brief bits of interesting synths but otherwise terrible (other than the aborted bass playing).

4/10

Everyone Everywhere:

I heard this was going to initially be the name of the album. Anyway, it's a nice tune, if New Order had produced it, I think it would have been much nicer, it sounds too produced for my taste, not raw enough. Still, nice lyrics, nice vocals and mostly nice guitar work.

8/10

Young Offender: I like the vocals on it, and for some reason i slightly like it, even though it sounds like 1,000,000 other tired dance songs from the late eighties, early nineties. Still, i never listen to it anymore, so it must be at best, mediocre and its probably not that.

6/10

Liar:

Worst New Order song ever. Nothing comes close. Loping, tedious pace, god awful lyric, horrendous, absentee melody. This would be bad for Whitney Houston, or Lionel Richie, for New Order it's damn near a recomendation for losing your hearing, permanently.

0/10

Chemical:

Utter garbage. Leave the angry tunes to Metallica, not to New Order dragging along an "Industrial" styled melody and production values. God this sucks.

1/10

Times Change: One of my favorites off the album. Since the Pope and I virtually never agree on anything (when Im perusing his posts anyway), we'll agree to disagree on this as well. I like the lyrics, I like the music, and I love the chorus. It is a bit tinny at times, but there's enough that makes up for that for me to like it, a lot.

8/10

Special:

One of New Order's greatest moments. I heard an indie mag's reviewer refer to this tune as "Beethoven backing Baudelaire on vocals," and while thats a stretch, it is a stellar, deeply powerful, immensely emotive tune. It's the one tune that could fit on Technique successfully off of this album, and look fine in comparison. A truly near perfect song. Only the grating chorus gets on my nerves, a song this good, and lyrics that well written deserved a much better written chorus.

10/10

Avalanche: I love hearing Gillian's voice on this. Reminds me of Saint Etienne's "Places to Visit" experiment.

8/10

64/110

F

The album is cr@p. I'm not sure if it's as bad as movement, which is even worse in some ways, at Movement doesn't have a single song I like, and its production values are even worse in comparison. However Movement has interesting, if Curtis-lite, lyrics and vocals, and an interesting sonic quality to it. It sounded like nothing else I'd ever heard before and still does. Every once in a while, when Im in a foul mood, I give it a listen to indulge that mood. I never feel that way about Republic, no matter what mood im in. Republic has some classics in my mind, Regret and Special, and in Times Change, and Everyone Everywhere, two additional quality tunes.

Suffice it to say, this album is probably the worst New Order ever recorded, even with the handful of songs that are better than anything off the nearly equally awful Movement.

Update: 1 144 Regret 4 117 World 3 119.5 Ruined In A Day 7= 93 Spooky 5 109.5 Everyone Everywhere 7= 93 Young Offender 11 76 Liar 9 92.8 Chemical 10 90.6 Times Change 2 127.5 Special 6 101 Avalanche

Spooky, Young Offender & Chemical covered by 0.2points!