New Order spotting thread

Saw Edgar Wright's fantastic documentary The Sparks Brothers on Saturday (and going again tomorrow). It's so fun seeing Steve and Gillian as fans. Steve mentioned that during the sessions for LWTUA they were listening to both Frank Sinatra and Sparks. There's also a good photo of Steve and Gillian with Ron and Russell during the end credits.

Had to go back and listen to NO's "cover" of Sparks' When I'm With You from Milan, 1982. That didn't go too well, did it? 😂

50poundnote wrote: Saw Edgar Wright's fantastic documentary The Sparks Brothers on Saturday (and going again tomorrow). It's so fun seeing Steve and Gillian as fans. Steve mentioned that during the sessions to LWTUA they were listening to both Frank Sinatra and Sparks. There's also a good photo of Steve and Gillian with Ron and Russell during the end credits.

Had to go back and listen to NO's "cover" of Sparks' When I'm With You from Milan, 1982. That didn't go too well, did it? 😂

That's my favourite live moment ever. mayhem, sequencer going wonky... absolute heaven.

neil larkcom wrote: That's my favourite live moment ever. mayhem, sequencer going wonky... absolute heaven.

I'm sad I never got to see one of those chaotic '80s shows. I didn't see them live until 2001 (but I had plenty of bootlegs).

50poundnote wrote: I'm sad I never got to see one of those chaotic '80s shows. I didn't see them live until 2001 (but I had plenty of bootlegs).

Feel your pain. Still cuts deep that in 1987 I was too young for their two licensed gigs in Perth – Canterbury Court and The Red Parrot. Which both fit the bill of chaotic 80s gigs. There I sat a few miles away, beyond gutted. And after being regular visitors prior, they never toured Oz again until 2002.

Ultimately managed to catch them in the UK before then, but those 80s gigs just seemed something else.

Although I didn’t get to experience the band live in person until 1993, I believe that, based on the hundreds of bootlegs I’ve heard, New Order were the most exciting live band to experience.

That 1982 Rolling Stone, Milan gig is an absolute beast. The Sparks cover, plus the 5-8-6/Temptation/EGG segue. Magnificent! A band head and shoulders above their peers.

50poundnote wrote: Saw Edgar Wright's fantastic documentary The Sparks Brothers on Saturday (and going again tomorrow). It's so fun seeing Steve and Gillian as fans. Steve mentioned that during the sessions for LWTUA they were listening to both Frank Sinatra and Sparks. There's also a good photo of Steve and Gillian with Ron and Russell during the end credits.

Had to go back and listen to NO's "cover" of Sparks' When I'm With You from Milan, 1982. That didn't go too well, did it? 😂

Saw the film this evening at the nearest available theatre playing it. It was at a multiplex at Del Monte Center in Monterey. I was the ONLY person there for the film. A great experience; I was able to sing out loud along to the handful of tracks with which I was familiar. Was always a casual fan but the film definitely makes you thirsty for more. Highly enjoyable and will certainly buy it when it comes out for home release (whatever format that will be). So much great footage.

Couple weeks back, John Grant sitting in on Gideon Coe’s evening show on 6Music played This Time Of Night after which he described it as “darkly beautiful “.

On 6Music yesterday as part of their Glastonbury extravaganza, BLT from NO’s 2016 Glastonbury set got a play on Shaun Keavney’s show

Fotz wrote: BLT from NO’s 2016 Glastonbury set got a play on Shaun Keavney’s show

This was also featured on Macconie's show this morning.

I didn't catch the beginning but Macconie was positive about the song and quipped that Bernard didn't sound like he'd drunk two bottles of Pernod before the performance (presumably referring to some comment made before the song was played, which I missed; maybe referring to Mr Sumner's legendary 'performance' at the 1981 festival).

perspexorange wrote:

Fotz wrote: BLT from NO’s 2016 Glastonbury set got a play on Shaun Keavney’s show

This was also featured on Macconie's show this morning.

I didn't catch the beginning but Macconie was positive about the song and quipped that Bernard didn't sound like he'd drunk two bottles of Pernod before the performance (presumably referring to some comment made before the song was played, which I missed; maybe referring to Mr Sumner's legendary 'performance' at the 1981 festival).

Looked up Maconie’s show on catch up and before he played BLT from Glastonbury 2016 he said he had wanted to play something from NO’s 1981 appearance because it was “interesting” and had a “ shambolic craziness about it” and how Bernard had drunk a lot of Pernod beforehand but in the end went for something from the 2016 set. Would have been great to get a song from the 1981 appearance to get some airplay . As I mentioned, Shaun Keavney had already played BLT from 2016 the day before so it was a missed opportunity in my view.

Thanks. That makes sense.

I bloody love that Glasto 1981 footage that was on the Glasgow DVD. I remember reading about Bernard's excesses in (possibly) Mark Johnson's book back in the 80s. It was great to actually see Bernard playing guitar on the floor! Fab stuff! The behind-the-scenes stuff is also wonderful. A moment in time from the early days of the festival.

I wonder if there's any more footage of the gig/event in the New Order Archives. Or, is the only footage what was included on the Glasgow extras? Perhaps Johnny James would know?

Reading Pat Nevin’s new memoir The Accidental Footballer at the moment and many mentions of JD and NO. Even chapters named after NO songs like Everything’s Gone Green and Doubts Even Here. When he played for Clyde early in his career he would often lock himself in the DJ booth at the stadium and subject fans to New Order singles.

Ffs https://www.nme.com/features/factory-records-in-10-key-releases-tony-wilson-2997590

Heard about a Stephen '''''collaboration''''' but was a tad disappointed to see it was just https://www.facebook.com/weare1of100/posts/1715113412012863

^ Yes those of us who signed up were meant to get an email notification last Thursday. Only 100 T-shirts made, hand-numbered. So you get the email then try to order one before they're gone, like buying tickets to a gig from Ticketshafter or something. But the guy who runs the operation lost his dad last week so it all got delayed. I think until tomorrow.

Steve's blurb said:

'When it comes to fashion I have to confess I am what you might call sartorially challenged. Beyond jeans and a T shirt I am clueless. I do love a good T shirt though, the quirkier the better - in fact I am an avid collector of the things. Imagine my surprise and delight then, when I was asked by 1 of 100 if I would like to collaborate on a shirt design. I eagerly replied “of course, how hard could it be? I’ve been wearing T shirts for over 60 years so I must have picked up something". Being a techno nerd at heart-I took my inspiration from 80’s Macintosh graphics specifically an interactive composition program called M and with the help of the very talented Warren Jackson came up with this……I quite like it and I hope you do too'

Stephen Morris

Michael Monkhouse wrote: Heard about a Stephen '''''collaboration''''' but was a tad disappointed to see it was just https://www.facebook.com/weare1of100/posts/1715113412012863

Debaser wrote: Only 100 T-shirts made, hand-numbered...So you get the email then try to order one before they're gone, like buying tickets to a gig from Ticketshafter or something.

[TWITTER]1418573909029494789[/TWITTER]

Debaser wrote: ^ Yes those of us who signed up were meant to get an email notification last Thursday. Only 100 T-shirts made, hand-numbered. So you get the email then try to order one before they're gone, like buying tickets to a gig from Ticketshafter or something. But the guy who runs the operation lost his dad last week so it all got delayed. I think until tomorrow.

Steve's blurb said:

'When it comes to fashion I have to confess I am what you might call sartorially challenged. Beyond jeans and a T shirt I am clueless. I do love a good T shirt though, the quirkier the better - in fact I am an avid collector of the things. Imagine my surprise and delight then, when I was asked by 1 of 100 if I would like to collaborate on a shirt design. I eagerly replied “of course, how hard could it be? I’ve been wearing T shirts for over 60 years so I must have picked up something". Being a techno nerd at heart-I took my inspiration from 80’s Macintosh graphics specifically an interactive composition program called M and with the help of the very talented Warren Jackson came up with this……I quite like it and I hope you do too'

Stephen Morris

Though I had to work this morning, I stayed up until the 8am sale time (midnight here in California). I got t-shirt #28.

Andy wrote:

Though I had to work this morning, I stayed up until the 8am sale time (midnight here in California). I got t-shirt #28.

Congrats Andy.

Very cool indeed.

Band T-Shirt Etiquette:

GlobalNews.ca

Andy wrote: Band T-Shirt Etiquette:

GlobalNews.ca

Ah the band tee commandments.

Pecking order traditionally alive and well at NO gigs. Recall being called out by old travelling Al Jarvis on the Get Ready tour.

So how cool is it for, say, the lead singer of a hypothetical band to wear his own band’s t-shirts on stage?

50poundnote wrote: Saw Edgar Wright's fantastic documentary The Sparks Brothers on Saturday (and going again tomorrow). It's so fun seeing Steve and Gillian as fans. Steve mentioned that during the sessions for LWTUA they were listening to both Frank Sinatra and Sparks. There's also a good photo of Steve and Gillian with Ron and Russell during the end credits.

Had to go back and listen to NO's "cover" of Sparks' When I'm With You from Milan, 1982. That didn't go too well, did it? 😂

Have recently watched this. As someone who owns 0 Sparks albums, the running time of 2hr 21min was perhaps a little long for me, but Edgar Wright (who I always have time for) clearly made this as a labour of love, and I came away from it thinking: imagine if every band had this work ethic; 25 studio albums and 49 singles to their name. So far.

I had an "Oh, I remember that" moment with When Do I Get To Sing My Way?, an "Oh I like this" moment with Dick Around and I really liked the live version of No1 Song In Heaven over the closing credits. It seems their Franz Ferdinand collab album FFS re-invigorated them, so maybe the subsequent Hippopotamus album would be a good place to start(?). I wonder if Sparks fans can agree on their Top 5 or Top 10 best albums?

During the early days it was mentioned that they played a gig at London's Marquee (RIP), and the music press advert showed one of the support bands on the night as Queen, although their name wasn't spoken in the film. So I had a google, and yes apparently it was that Queen: [TWITTER]1269683622136606720[/TWITTER]

I actually caught Sparks live as part of the "all-the-albums" 21-night run in London back in 2008; the only time I've seen them live. Most of the gigs were at the Islington Academy (final night at Shepherds Bush Empire). I think I saw them doing the Propaganda album. I remember at the time thinking: they know all the songs from all the albums and are going to play all of them live over 21 nights? Watching the film you realise: oh it was a nightmare to rehearse them all! Well I hope it was worth it. Their manager described the project as a triumph. The night I went, the venue was barely half full. I've seen Hook & The Light play the same venue and it was packed out, though admittedly he might not manage 20 nights in a row.

I wold defo see them again if it could be a sort of hits/big songs gig. But they don't seem too keen on doing things like that.

Anyway it seems tomorrow is the official cinema release day in the UK (and I guess other European territories?), as per Steve's tweet below. I believe it's already on streaming services in the US (hence how I managed to watch it). And this is the photo mentioned above from the closing credits.

[TWITTER]1420147916354826244[/TWITTER]

That live version:

The reason I never appreciated them at the time was probably that my first exposure to them was via MTV. While Cool Places, for instance, is an enjoyable video (Ron steals the show), the song is one of their more dated sounding. My perception was that they were a bit too novelty oriented to merit further investigation. What's more surprising is that I worked in record stores from 1986-1998, yet never heard one of their LP's played in full in store. They just weren't ever given a promotional push in the U.S. by their various record labels after their initial, modest success.

Sparks were pretty big in UK around the late 70s/early 80s. Or at least that was the era when they had their big chart hits here. I do remember they and their videos were quite a regular fixture on Top Of The Pops around that time. Always liked stuff like Beat The Clock, Number One Song In Heaven and probably quite a few more I can’t remember the titles of but would instantly recognise them as Sparks if I heard them. But I never bought a single one of their records. They were just one of those bands I liked but never bought.

In a nightclub in Blackpool one night in the early 90s I saw a guy who was a dead ringer for Ron Mael. He was the spitting image with the moustache and weird glare. Maybe it was actually Ron himself?…

I'm not massively familiar with all of their stuff, but absolutely love what I do know by them.

Their impact on popular music, though... They are one of those bands that really earn the title 'Legends'.

If anyone is unfamiliar with this particular song, please check this out, as it is one of the greatest songs ever written, IMHO. If this was played at my funeral, I'd be a happy man (if I wasn't dead, of course):

And 'Number One Song In Heaven' played live, you say? This was fantastic. Russell still has it! His voice is amazing. And look at Ron go! Marvellous!

Oh and to bring this back to New Order, thanks for that photo, Debaser. Wonderful to see S&G with their heroes! (We all have them! )

Martin Gore did a fairly faithful cover of Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth on his first EP. I remember hearing it at the time and thinking "this isn't the Sparks I know..."

The film really celebrates the depth of their catalogue and achievements. It is quite long but it's all essential and I appreciate that it covers all phases of their career. I've watched it a second time on Amazon and would purchase a physical copy if more content was added.

Andy wrote: Martin Gore did a fairly faithful cover of Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth on his first EP.

Yep. That was the first I'd ever heard the song. I am a big DM fan (well 1984-1995, anyway), and bought the 'Counterfeit' EP. In the pre-internet days, it was difficult identifying who the original artists were for all the covers on the EP, but recognised the name 'Mael' against that track as being Sparks and promptly went out to buy the original. A wonderful song.

The other tracks were more difficult to identify, however, and took many years of digging around to find out the original artists.

Anyone who hasn't heard the 'Counterfeit EP', I urge you to check it out. There's playlists on YouTube.

Incidentally, this was also the first time I ever heard a track by The Comsat Angels, who are another of my favourite bands. Gore covered 'Gone' on the EP. Although it's a pretty good cover version, it was quite different to the original, and nothing beats the Comsats version, which is just ridiculously good. Incidentally, DM's first gig under that name (rather than 'Composition Of Sound') was supporting the Comsats (on 24/09/80).

The Comsat Angels (alongside The Chameleons and The Sound) should've been HUGE if there was any justice in the world.

I've side-tracked a bit here. Never mind.

Although I'm really keen to see the Sparks film, I might just wait and buy on Blu-Ray, as I think it might be a 'keeper'.

It's probably impossible to make a definitive list of the 100 Greatest Music Videos of all time. But all of us here probably agree that The Perfect Kiss belongs in the top 5:

RollingStone.com

...but do we all agree that it is, in fact, a "music video"?

Andy wrote: But all of us here probably agree that The Perfect Kiss belongs in the top 5:

Top 5? Number One, no doubt!

And I’m not joking. The video, and song, is perfect in name and perfect in nature.

The band are coolness personified. Gillian especially.

Really happy to see a mainstream publication like Rolling Stone acknowledge the band, especially for a video that’s 36 years old!

…and I’m not a big Madonna fan, but Vogue belongs at #1.

Debaser wrote:

50poundnote wrote:

[TWITTER]1420147916354826244[/TWITTER]

They weren't the same after Geri left.