Invention vs songwriting

Just can't get enough of Get Ready wich's growing on me at maximum speed. I could never have dreamt of such a great come back, man of little faith.

I noticed something though. Since Republic, there's not much invention anymore. You can't really say you're amazed at how new this sounds. And it's quite fair, I think. NO has done its fair share of invention.

And with GR, they replaced the invention with amazing songs, ace choruses (Close Range, I mean, can you resist that, and Turn My Way, and Primitive Notion, and Run Wild).

The thing is, in the past, I always thought New Order were stronger on verses than on choruses (BLT being one of the exceptions). Listen to "True Faith". It's that "I feel so extraordinary" that really does it I think.

So that began to change with Republic (some great choruses) although I think it's the verses, again, that make "World" sound great.

Now, the question might be : which NO era do you prefer; Maybe I've got a slight preference for the 1st one but I'm very happy to hear NO sound this good nonetheless.

I've noticed that Barney's writing pretty much now consists of 2 verses, choruses, instrumental then chorus. It's very rare that you'll find a song with 3 verses, like Love Vigilantes, Thieves Like Us, True Faith. Most of the Electronic songs have the 2 verses.

Guess Barney doesn't feel like writing as many lyrics as he used to...

No... he's just learnt how to write a proper song, that's all.

Geoffy - I agree with your Get Ready thoughts - I put some old Order stuff on in my car and it wasn't long before GR was selected. I'm starting to believe (not based on knee-jerk reactions) that GR is the BEST NO album to date - including JD material.

Geoff, you look like you could be a member of Kraftwerk... do you play and/or make your own synthesizers and walk in a slightly robotic fashion? - have you considered gelling your hair back and dyeing it black?

Originally posted by Huntsman Geoff, you look like you could be a member of Kraftwerk... do you play and/or make your own synthesizers and walk in a slightly robotic fashion? - have you considered gelling your hair back and dyeing it black?

Well, I do have a band, something like New Order with french lyrics (although we have one in English called "Like A Doberman" wich I call our New Order song, very Temptation-ish). And I (try to) play the guitar and sing. A friend does the keyboards jobs...

But anyway, call me Karl Bartos if you like...

Originally posted by Huntsman have you considered gelling your hair back and dyeing it black?

Well, no, I think I will stick to my New Order no-look... :)

Okay Karl 'you are the robots Bartos' type French bloke. I've tried to upload a picture of myself on many occassions but it doesn't happen on my Apple Cube (Nic the Blank - where are you???!!!) - so sos. mate, you could have taken the piss back.

Do you know what would be a REEEALLLYYY GOOD idea? - to have a new section in this site called 'Sad arses that have started bands because they liked New Order and thought they would get a record contract because of that fact alone' (me included). Then, all of us who have rattled around in bands and have said 'Yes, that songs better than what New Order could have done and I wrote it' (I know you've thought that Geoff and I can see you grinning). So anyway, we could each upload an MPEG of out best efforts (1 song each if you like) - then we can each download each others shit and have a laugh.

I had another wolrd changing idea the other day but I couldn't get the massive amount of flavoured crisps required to get the craft airborne.

Good one, Huntsman. As ever, I might add... Just for info, I'm not French but Belgian, speaking french.

That said, it is true that with that Temptation-ish song, I thought "well, if New Order doesn't wannado new songs anymore, why couldn't I ?" There's a chorus that goes :

I look at you I look like you I look at you I look like you

If that's not Temptation-ish...

But, no, I never thought we did better songs... :)

Great idea anyway

I knew you were Blegian mate... just trying to stir up some agro - this website is so polite I can't believe it. I'm (well, I think anyway) a pretty nice person, so for me to be trying to invoke a bit of healthy piss taking means that you lot are unbelievably nice.

I think I'll post my idea - it would be very interesting to here your song, I like the chorus, sounds great. I've got a few New Ordery-type songs of my own - in fact, with one of the bands I was in (who actually got a recording contract) - the manager said 'yeah great, now stop sounding too much like New Order'. My voice (singing voice) is too much like Barney's to seriously consider a career, as everyone says, yeah, that's like Barney's - but what the fuck can I do about it? - By the way, before anyone jumps down my nose, I don't think I'm as good as Barney... obviously.

Started a crap band at uni- I took my influence from NO, everyone else from some sort of Boyzone/REM hybrid. Had a couple of decent little tunes which I tried to hijack with Technique style keyboards. Still remember some of my dire lyrics:

'And for a start, Am I a thief? I stole your heart/is that your belief'

'The only thing I need to see/is the love to flow between you and me/but you look at another man/though my hand is within your hand'

fuckin awful

Here are the 1st lines of "Like A Doberman", our NO song...

I know, it's quite absurd The way you look at me It makes me feel Like I'm a doberman And like I could bark away From you

Some kind of Barney-like singing voice, Hunts ? Lucky bastard ! :)

Yeah I thought that in 1986, then when it got to 1995 I thought, fuck I wouldn't mind a voice of my own. Then I tried to sing like Paul Weller, i.e. gravely voice - that failed, fuck it, I'm a lost soul.