Snowballs and Whoops.

There is a neat little story in the armchair guide to New Order regarding the recording of Temptation.

Legend has it that someone tossed a snowball down the back of Barney shirt in the studio which resulted in an audible Whoop! in the recording.

In the Shadowplayers Doc. I think Hooky describes the same encounter but says it was while recording EGG.

I hav'nt heard the original mix of temptation in quite some time, so I can't recall. There is one distinct snowballish whoop! towards the end of EGG, but its followed by many more intentional ones.

Just another legend to chew on.

Now was there snow around when they were recording EGG, i.e late summer 1981? Certainly not in England there wasn't! I think the snowball incident was actually during the recording of Temptation. Or probably Hurt.

Not really whoops - its there on Temptation - the 12" about 45seconds in, as the guitars build up, theres a couple of shouts - thats meant to be it.

Wasn't EGG named because of snow?! Supposedly,when they went in to record it,everywhere was covered in snow,when they came out,it had thawed,hence someone saying 'hey,EVERYTHING'S GONE GREEN'! I know I've read this numerous times,tho' also know it's not necessarily so,N.O. being the japing funsters that there are,& it obviously doesn't tie in with Old Monkey saying it was recorded late summer which does tie in.So which is it?

mark kelly wrote: Wasn't EGG named because of snow?! Supposedly,when they went in to record it,everywhere was covered in snow,when they came out,it had thawed,hence someone saying 'hey,EVERYTHING'S GONE GREEN'! I know I've read this numerous times,tho' also know it's not necessarily so,N.O. being the japing funsters that there are,& it obviously doesn't tie in with Old Monkey saying it was recorded late summer which does tie in.So which is it?

Yeah, I've heard this story a few times before & pretty sure it's correct.

EGG could have been named a while after it was recorded. When was it released? Maybe they didn't find a name the suited until the depths of mid winter (or Tue, Dec 01 1981, as I've just looked up) Were they also in the sudio at this time?

Bernard said in an interview in the September 2001 issue of Mojo Magazine: "During the recording it started snowing and Rob [Gretton] and Hooky ran outside and got two massive snowballs. When I was recording the vocals they stuck them down the back of my shirt. If you listen to the 12-inch you can hear them coming into the studio and sticking it down my back."

/TLV

Still find it hard to believe that this anecdote does relate to EGG, which was released in Sept 81 and recorded in around the June of that year, a time when you definitely don't get any snow in England! The 12" wasn't released until December 81, but even then it was recorded some time before that.

probably just an ice-cube from Barneys scotch and coke.

which mutated by myth & legend into a snowball.

The Temptation story fits better both in terms of dates/seasons and the actual recorded evidence - the 'shouts' can be heard in the background on the build up to the Temptation 12" and seem much more like the sort of thing you'd do if someone put a snowballdown your back... I remember reading somewhere that EGG was named as the band came out of the studio after an all-night session to find the spring/summer morning had turned everything some lovely shades of green...

Snorri xxx

Snorrimon wrote: The Temptation story fits better both in terms of dates/seasons and the actual recorded evidence - the 'shouts' can be heard in the background on the build up to the Temptation 12" and seem much more like the sort of thing you'd do if someone put a snowballdown your back... I remember reading somewhere that EGG was named as the band came out of the studio after an all-night session to find the spring/summer morning had turned everything some lovely shades of green...

Snorri xxx

Now this sounds much better I'm going with this & it vaguely resembles the actual story now I remember.I'm 104

yesh, but what if it was a "summer snowball" scraped from the side of a clunky old refrigerator often found in dubious recording studios ?

Perhaps barney was on one of his "I'm trying not to drink too much" kicks, and it was a snowball drink, he can be a little camp at times!

That's from the original 1982 recording of "Temptation". (Not the 1987 re-recording on Substance, though.)

the snowball is temptation, you can hear a yelp in the beginning part of the original 12" hooky put it down the back of barney's shirt during the recording

EGG was named, or so i read, because they were in the studio all night working on it and when they emerged in the morning it was all green outside

It's before the vocals start on the 12" version of Temptation about 45-50 seconds in.

probably just an ice-cube from Barneys scotch and coke.

He was on Pernod and Orange in those days

Weren't they called 'Headaches'? Pernod & Asti Spumante as I recall,much the thirst quencher on the '83 U.S. tour anyway.