Who wrote MTO? — Forum Archive

3 Aug 2006, 15:51

The origins of MTO have always bugged me over the years and I've always thought it never rang true as a bona fide New Order track. Recently I was reading Run 2's entry on discogs.com and someone posted this:

MTO stands for "Maid To Order", which is a medley of New Order songs that Mike "Hitman" Wilson made a tribute for the band.

(Hardly a medley? Only Fine Time seems to feature) :scratch:

The New Order Discography at Niagara also has this:

Q: What does MTO stand for? A: Two popular theories are "Mid Tempo One" and "Much Too Young".

("Much Too Young" would make MTY wouldn't it?) :scratch:

MTO was never really of the same calibre of fellow Technique b-side "Don't Do It" was it? In all honesty, I've always thought of it as being absolute gash; a throwaway b-side which wasn't worth the vinyl it was pressed on plus the less said about the Minus Mix version! :skeptic:

If NO were to ever issue a remastered b-sides compilation (yes I know, not gonna happen) on CD, would MTO even qualify if it wasn't even the band's own tune?

Hoping to clear up "the myth of MTO" once and for all...

3 Aug 2006, 16:28

Wasn't MTO (Much too old) a parody of Fine Time's lyric "You're much too young."

3 Aug 2006, 16:36

I love MTO. I`ve got the Run2 12",but cant put it on cd/MP3 player. And dont get me started on The Happy One. :clap:

3 Aug 2006, 16:39

steveone wrote: I love MTO. I`ve got the Run2 12",but cant put it on cd/MP3 player. And dont get me started on The Happy One.

I can send you an MP3 if you want Steve.

3 Aug 2006, 16:43

[brown]Ally[/brown] wrote:

steveone wrote: I love MTO. I`ve got the Run2 12",but cant put it on cd/MP3 player. And dont get me started on The Happy One.

I can send you an MP3 if you want Steve.

My Email is so badly screwed at the mo i cant even send one-never mind recieve one! But thanks anyway Ally.

3 Aug 2006, 23:38

It was known as 'MT One' when recorded and is just a track recorded during the Technique sessions.

No real mystery.

4 Aug 2006, 00:02

Never heard the Mike Hitman Wilson story before - sounds like total bullshit to me.

I thought I heard at the time that it was simply unused bits from the Technique sessions cobbled together by Steve when he was bored one afternoon.

4 Aug 2006, 00:22

I thought MTO simply stood for "Mid-tempo One?" :shrug:

4 Aug 2006, 00:55

There's a minute long snippet of MTO on the Technique demos tape that surfaced this year and on that one it sounds very much like New Order (or at least New Order's gear of that time) to me.

4 Aug 2006, 03:37

Old Blue wrote: Never heard the Mike Hitman Wilson story before - sounds like total bullshit to me.

He does exist,did loads of remixes of american dance records around 88-92. He also had a hit with a tune called Another Sleepless Night.

4 Aug 2006, 03:44

I'm not disputing whether he exists or not, it's the "MTO is a medley of New Order hits done as a tribute" that is totally unbelievable.

I mean, the list of 'hits' used to make the song are:

Fine Time

err, that's it...

4 Aug 2006, 04:55

you have mail ally :nod:

4 Aug 2006, 08:51

[brown]Ally[/brown] wrote: The New Order Discography at Niagara also has this:

Q: What does MTO stand for? A: Two popular theories are "Mid Tempo One" and "Much Too Young".

("Much Too Young" would make MTY wouldn't it?) \

It's a typo Ally. The new revision (in the works) states:

Q: What does MTO stand for? A: Two popular theories are "Mid Tempo One" and "Much Too Old". The latter because the working title for Fine Time was "Much Too Young."

/TLV

4 Aug 2006, 08:52

No more f'ing saudade wrote: There's a minute long snippet of MTO on the Technique demos tape that surfaced this year and on that one it sounds very much like New Order (or at least New Order's gear of that time) to me.

What tape would that be?

/TLV

4 Aug 2006, 09:36

There's a NOOL thread about the tape here and it's still available as a bit torrent or as a plain old CD-R in the renamed weeding forum. Splendid stuff.

4 Aug 2006, 12:07

Cool fucking tune I thought, it reminds me of those good old fucking rave days ect when everybody was on E, and there was parties galore, and E was £20/£25 a pop. True to form now, Im "Much To Old", long live MTO :spit:

8 Mar 2009, 11:18

http://cid-4ef8683f57e51677.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/My%20Timely%20Offer%20link.txt

8 Mar 2009, 14:07

You can hear a bit of Bizarre Love Triangle in there as well - at the 'ah!' 'oh!' part. I like it though it is super dated.

9 Mar 2009, 14:06

Old Blue wrote: Never heard the Mike Hitman Wilson story before - sounds like total bullshit to me.

I thought I heard at the time that it was simply unused bits from the Technique sessions cobbled together by Steve when he was bored one afternoon.

Cannae mind where I heard it either, but I always thought it was something Steve put together, though with my memory I could be wrong!

14 Mar 2009, 13:23

Old Blue wrote: I'm not disputing whether he exists or not, it's the "MTO is a medley of New Order hits done as a tribute" that is totally unbelievable.

I mean, the list of 'hits' used to make the song are:

Fine Time

err, that's it...

Well, New Order "listener", there are also elements of [orange]Round & Remix[/orange] and Vanishing Point in this Michael 'Hitman' Wilson compiled track...

14 Mar 2009, 15:08

It's not a compiled medley of other tracks, it was an original band instrumental that was remixed into the two versions that you all know, the original version remains unreleased (a minute can be heard as a work-in-progress on the 88 demos tape in circulation).

15 Mar 2009, 05:48

musicoloog wrote:

Old Blue wrote: I'm not disputing whether he exists or not, it's the "MTO is a medley of New Order hits done as a tribute" that is totally unbelievable.

I mean, the list of 'hits' used to make the song are:

Fine Time

err, that's it...

Well, New Order "listener", there are also elements of [orange]Round & Remix[/orange] and Vanishing Point in this Michael 'Hitman' Wilson compiled track...

I can vouch for Old Blue as a New Order "listener" from way back!

:\pimp3:

15 Mar 2009, 06:37

:shrug:

Don't know about a minute version, but obviously there are two MTO versions on the Run2 b-side. Not clear from the label if Mike "Hitman" did anything to the first shorter version, but it sounds like New Order and isn't terribly good. Maybe it was originally meant to be a "Fine Time" b-side dub and they scraped it at first?

The second "Minus Mix" version is full of samples I assume mixed by "Hitman" and is much more listenable and fun, if cliched even at the time. It is what is on the re-issue 2CD.

15 Mar 2009, 17:40

Wow this is an old thread, brings back memories of the old office I was in when I started it.

Incidentally, I still think MTO wasn't worth the vinyl it was pressed on :nod:

Taking into account all the wonderful acid house/dance musak around at the time of Run2's release it's properly abysmal even for a bside.

Sorry! :baby:

16 Mar 2009, 01:07

depthcharge wrote:

I can vouch for Old Blue as a New Order "listener" from way back!

:\pimp3:

Thanks for those kind words. I've been unable to leave the house and am considering therapy following the severity of that 'New Order listener' attack...

17 Mar 2009, 08:16

Moby sure seems to like MTO. "Everyday it's 1989" off his latest full-length seems like a blatant tribute, especially the opening.

Personally, I love MTO.