The childhood I lost replaced by fear

Republic is not as bad of an album as I think some of you guys make it out to be. It is by far NO's most sophisticated effort. I just love all the detail and symphonic stylings of "RUINED IN A DAY". "WORLD" is great too but has NO Hook bass and I hate that. Does Hook ever play any other instruments like keyboards when we dont hear his bass? "SPECIAL" is a very emotionally touching song, and I love the smooth jazz vibe of "EVERYONE EVERYWHERE". I'm not saying it's their best album, but I think it's better than some would like to admit

J

Woefully underrated and underappreciated

Republic was my 2nd proper NO album that I got into, got it right about September of 2002, my sophomore year of college (Substance doesn't count....my first was Low Life in May 2002). I always appreciated how much smoother Barney's vocals are, and Special is nothing short of glorious in everyway. The whole LP (yes, even Liar, Chemical, Times Change), will hold a special place in my heart.

People may say it's underrated, but how can someone rate something they don't like? If you like it, that's all that matters.

Special, Everyone Everywhere, RIAD, World are all good songs, Regret is one of their best. The rest are unremarkable to me.

Sheds on a Plane wrote: Woefully underrated and underappreciated

Republic was my 2nd proper NO album that I got into, got it right about September of 2002, my sophomore year of college (Substance doesn't count....my first was Low Life in May 2002). I always appreciated how much smoother Barney's vocals are, and Special is nothing short of glorious in everyway. The whole LP (yes, even Liar, Chemical, Times Change), will hold a special place in my heart.

I agree. I love "Republic", and his singing sounds fabulous on this album...

The whole of side 1 is very strong, Special and Avalanche are good too, too much filler on side 2 (and Liar, my least favourite NO track!!!) Rather like Movement, I think a lot of people have gripes with the sound, rather than the songs - too shiny, not enough of Hooky's bass, difficult to hear individual instruments in the mix (which has always been one of the bands strengths, imho)... Regret, World and Avalanche always make NO comps for me, but there are too many tracks I simply skip over...

SHEDI xxx

Much of the album doesn't even sound like New Order. It sounds like the various side projects, which for the most part, I dislike. Movement, on the other hand, sounds much closer to the early New Order sound of 1981-1984 than it does to Joy Division.

I wouldn't say its underrated....to me it's just like every other new order album - moments of utter brilliance sprinkled in with a couple of songs I never listen to. Admittedly more of the latter on Republic. Obviously Regret is immense, Special is great too (I bought Republic after reading a customer review on Amazon banging on about how Special was one of the great lost NO classics). I also think Avalanche is a gorgeous ending to the album, and *whispers quietly* I also have a bit of a soft spot for Spooky and Young Offender.....

50% great, 50% middle-ing tracks...

I think it's the lack of guitar driven and bass driven tracks that put most people off, but overall it's a very good LP...

i've said it before and i will say it again. it is a great album, just not a great new order album. it contains some of barney's best lyrics and vocals, but there just too much of the essential new order sound missing. namely hookey's bass and even steve's drums. they both seem to have been replaced by sequencers and drum machines in too many of republic's songs.

NOOLigan wrote: i've said it before and i will say it again. it is a great album, just not a great new order album. it contains some of barney's best lyrics and vocals, but there just too much of the essential new order sound missing. namely hookey's bass and even steve's drums. they both seem to have been replaced by sequencers and drum machines in too many of republic's songs.

Best description I've ever heard of Republic. To me, Republic is like a good side project album--some of the pieces are there, just not all of them--and none of the intangible qualities (ok, I'll just say the "Hooky bass") that makes NO great.

That said, Regret still blows me away every time I hear it.

Matt

far out. i make sense this late on a Friday night and after well let's just say a number of drinks. :)

I think this is a great album. I like every song on it. Well, except Avalanche. Anyway, good lyrics and good beats. Probably just too much synthesizer for some folks which is probably why it wasn't more well received.

I think it's great how people can discover this record years after it's release and then say good things about it.

I bought Republic when I was 15, the first day it came out. I was already primed for this moment having been turned on to them and JD in the Fall of 1991 by an older cousin.

I love Republic. It's such a great pop album to me. But then, we are all affected differently by things, I suppose.

Hehe, the cover was even for a side project (The Other Two and you's) originally, but Saville decided to use it for Republic instead.

In resposnse to an earlier question, Hooky does also play Electronic drum thingys as well as keyboards, although I don't know if he plays any of those on Republic.

In retrospect - I can't say it was the best album they've done, but I can say that when I hear the opening bars of "Regret" - It still evokes a certain feeling…and I guess that feeling has lead to my affection for Republic.

I remember feeling lost when I heard about the collapse of Factory, and the frightening prospect of not hearing another NO release for a long time…

It had seemed like forever since the release of Technique, and although we had Revenge and Electronic in between - it really wasn't the same - and maybe never would be again.

…and then those first few bars of Regret - it was euphoric – I could face another day.

One of my favorite songs from Republic is Regret, The intro is so catchy, what the hell does he say? And the rest of the song is perfect in my eyes (or ears)

Republic is great:)

I actually enjoyed all of Rupublic. Spooky is a damn fine song :)

Karlos wrote: I wouldn't say its underrated....to me it's just like every other new order album - moments of utter brilliance sprinkled in with a couple of songs I never listen to. Admittedly more of the latter on Republic. Obviously Regret is immense, Special is great too (I bought Republic after reading a customer review on Amazon banging on about how Special was one of the great lost NO classics). I also think Avalanche is a gorgeous ending to the album, and *whispers quietly* I also have a bit of a soft spot for Spooky and Young Offender.....

I think you and I are just about the only guys that like Young Offender, still wonder why that was offered as a concert shirt at the time as it was never released as a single which is rather bizarre. Loved the vocals on it and liked most of the tune. However I hated essentially everything else except for Regret and special which are superb, and Times Change which has a terrific chorus and everyone everywhere which is at least average. The rest of the tunes sound musically moribund or musically moribund and lyrically challenged. I don't think it comes within the same hemisphere let alone city block as Technique, Low Life or PCL. It has more amazing songs than Brotherhood and Get Ready and WFTSC, but I like all three of those albums more because they all are better in terms of breadth, well, not so sure about WFTSC.

Oddly enough I'm indulging in some musical revisionism as I've grown much fonder of Get Ready in the past six months than I ever was when it initially came out.

MMMMMMMMMMM,Nice.........

Republic is most defo underrated as an album,the only track that doesnae really do it for me is ruined in a day imho,but i think the album is superb! I think we all expected it to be like technique,but it aint!....

I love Republic; it's my favourite NO album! I enjoy every track, especially Spooky, Everyone Everywhere, Young Offender, Liar, and Chemical--all of it, really. I think it's overall quality, but this seems to put me in the minority!

This is making me want to listen to it now...

It's a decent album and is more consistent than the scatterbrained Brotherhood. But, it is missing the bass and has "Times Change" and "Chemical." "Young Offender," "World," and "Everyone Everywhere" are all catchy. And Spooky isn't a bad dance track. I do think "Regret" is kind of overrated. I think the album would've been better if "World" began it.

IT'S SHIT.

Get off that fence Jim