Ceremony to Superheated - revisiting and reviewing every core song

PS Out of Cuntroll, Sasha mix.

Revisited Unlearn This Hatred and The Game before posting this.Both the album versions and the extended mixes of each.Nope, i still cannot get on with Unlearn.I've never really liked it and am pretty sure i never will.I just find it at worst irritating, uninspired, dated and a desperate filler of an album track.I wouldn't even have liked to see it as just a b-side,it should never have made it out of the studio in any form.At best it just does nothing for me.The extended mix is, well the best i can say about it is it's not as irritating as the album version.I recall around the time Music Complete was released, 6Music had it as their album of the week and played one or two songs from it every day for a week.Can't recall what the other song was, maybe Singularity, but i remember thinking ffs. they've chosen the worst song on the album, Unlearn This Hatred,as one of the songs they're playing every day.Sorry, i can't unlearn my hatred of this song.Should not have been on the album.

The Game fares better though even it isn't the greatest or most original musically but it does have some appealing elements.Bernard's lyrics are ok ish and i at least get something from them, unlike Unlearn This Hatred.I like Bernard's message in The Game that life is something to cherish and make the most of while we can.I actually like the album version better than the extended mix which to me is just an exercise in drawing out longer instrumental elements of the song.But just drawing out longer musical passages isn't always necessarily a good thing, it depends on the song.I mean, the extended mix of Singularity works in drawing out longer passages but that doesn't mean that works for every song.The Mark Reeder remix however is great, a really interesting and totally different take on the song.

Unlearn is the kind of thing I'd've liked when I first got into them cos it was via the Pets so I was more electro than rock. It just gives me a headache now. The Game is okay. I can't comment on the mixes cos my obsession was over and just for once I don't think the trax needed 45798 variations.

Nearly there. Watch this space.

In the meantime, 'thought this might be useful: Spotify

Well done DR for getting to the end. Absolutely brilliant read each and every review. When you started this I had hoped we would have some new NO material so you would have to Change the tag line.

Maybe you could go back and review all the Joy Division songs as well (I presume you are a fan) then the side projects!

Wish I could have written something like this myself as I’m forever reviewing their songs / albums in my head, sometimes it’s good to get it down on paper / screen. Good for the mental health. I’ll have to Jon the site so I can go back and comment on all the songs in the comments...now that it’s over...it’s over

It might spur me on do do something similar with one of my other music obsessions such as The Jesus and Mary Chain or Detroit legends Underground Resistance.

Enjoy our heroes in their upcoming Australia shows. New order fans have done the band proud with their journalism what with your review page and Dec’s superb Heaven to Heaven book.

The Shadow wrote: ... and Dec’s superb Heaven to Heaven book.

That book is simply brilliant. Best NO book by a long way. I urge people who haven't got it to try and source a copy (all long sold out sadly, but they end up on eBay every now and again).

I echo the sentiments of people here and on the blog. What a wonderful project, Dennis. Excellent, insightful reviews and some great comments from the faithful.

As to the way forward, I'm hoping that you do reviews for 'Homage' and 'Are You Ready...?' too, as these are now officially released songs. Then, fingers crossed, we get a 'new' track or two on the PCL box set (and subsequent sets).

Then, maybe, some back-tracking to the Joy Division tracks, possibly?

That would be great.

Thanks to all of you for the ongoing feedback & personal insights. The stats on this thread are very humbling.

Yes I will be handling a few final outliers and writing up a big essay on the meaning of it all. With graphs.

Would you lot like it all in book form?

Definitely! Great idea!

It sounds very final, and quite honestly that might be for the best. Could they top it? You will be proud to know that this has inspired me to write a critique of every Spice Girls song, 'Old Spice', with my free hand. It's long and hard, but I'll pull it off. Is Stumm a core trasck, or are we just grateful for anything now? I could argue that Sister Ray is a core track. Or I could shut the fuck up.

Dennis Remmer wrote: Thanks to all of you for the ongoing feedback & personal insights. The stats on this thread are very humbling.

Yes I will be handling a few final outliers and writing up a big essay on the meaning of it all. With graphs.

Would you lot like it all in book form?

I for one would, love vinyl, love books not a digital kind of guy really

I like Superheated.Always been a fan of the song.Great vocals and lyrics by Bernard.Really like the synths, melodies and the chimes.Oh and also that raw sounding synth around the 2 minute to 2.10 mark.Don't even mind fog 'orn Flowers on this song either.Just a great pop song.The synths are celebratory yet nostalgic.Was surprised it wasn't released as a fourth and final single from the album.

Thanks for all your work over the last few years, Dennis.An incredible job.You expressed in words infinitely better than i ever could of about so many of my thoughts and feelings and about many many songs.How on earth did you find the time though?

Fotzepolitic wrote: Was surprised it wasn't released as a fourth and final single from the album.

5th. ;)

(Restless, Tutti Frutti, Singularity, People On The High Line)

Michael Monkhouse wrote: Is Stumm a core trasck, or are we just grateful for anything now? I could argue that Sister Ray is a core track. Or I could shut the fuck up.

Re: Sister Ray, I've not included it for 2 reasons; both pedantic.

1. I think of it more as a cover by Joy Division and 2) all recordings of it are live ones only. I've limited my reviews to material recorded in a studio and released officially. Otherwise there'd be a few more to include as discussed here.

However, if you really insist...

When do we get to see yr Spice Girls blog?

Sister Ray is a bit of a free for all. My Spice Girls blog is in my mind. Thoughts are becoming clearer.

Spice Girls were a fine act, but I could never forgive Posh for robbing me of Becks.

Dennis Remmer wrote:

Michael Monkhouse wrote: Is Stumm a core trasck, or are we just grateful for anything now? I could argue that Sister Ray is a core track. Or I could shut the fuck up.

Re: Sister Ray, I've not included it for 2 reasons; both pedantic.

1. I think of it more as a cover by Joy Division and 2) all recordings of it are live ones only. I've limited my reviews to material recorded in a studio and released officially.

It's not pedantic IMHO, it was meant to be about NO's music (wasn't it?), not live cover versions. If you're going to add extra bits I think maybe they need to be on a separate page/section.

I loved it when the Barnster introduced it as An Old Joy Division Song. Twot.

Jul wrote: Spice Girls were a fine act, but I could never forgive Posh for robbing me of Becks.

People say, Were you sad when Mel C got married? I said, No. Because it made little difference to the chances of me and Mel ever etc. Yes, one good-looking, multimillionaire, commercially and critically admired international megastar; one strikingly unattractive, sad lonely pathetic, humourless stylelss soulless, bespectacled balding overweight, socially inept icompetent impotent, foul-mouthed, cynical, geeky nerdy turdy, moaning-groaning-griping-whingeing-whining, fashion-unconscious, stinky-armpitty, alcoholic wankoholic spunkaholic total and utter fucking wanker who never achieved anything except a degree in Latin, LATIN ffs, even I think it's about as useful as a wank mag at a feminist convention, an infantile pitiable obsession with officially the most overpaid undertalented girl group ever that went out of fashion 20 years ago and even then they were fucking shit and called the Spice Girls, and let's not forget only one friend and that's only on Facebook and it's next door's Labrador and it's only using you for food and still won't shag you? No, Melanie's wedding ain't gonna change the odds much.

Bad day, eh, Michael?

Do you need a hug?

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/92/71/43/927143c4cb87f622af65611d51dd6b41.jpg There are some oddities left, like When I'm With You or Anarchy in the UK, but they're off limits.

Cleaning up...

Homage + Are You Ready For This? reviews now posted.

Just got my final thesis and 4'33'" to do.

D

I've posted some final obsessiveness to the blog - see End Here.

Dennis

Dennis Remmer wrote:

Homage + Are You Ready For This? reviews now posted.

Probably shouldn't admit this but for a moment I said "they're not there" before going..."ohh scroll back to Movement". Re: the bit in your Are You Ready comments where you say it was "remarkably magnanimous of Bernard, Peter & Stephen", judging by Bernard's recent Tsugi magazine comments about the Box Sets, he may not have known that much about it!

Where you say, "I know first-hand that there is much in the archive that will finally see the light of day throughout this remarkable campaign." Aside from live/demo/alternate versions, do you know if there could be any "new" music we may not have heard before? Or am I getting carried away?

BTW at the risk of sounding pedantic, I've spotted a typo in your Homage review (2nd word of the 2nd line of the 2nd paragraph).

Debaser wrote:

Dennis Remmer wrote:

Homage + Are You Ready For This? reviews now posted.

Probably shouldn't admit this but for a moment I said "they're not there" before going..."ohh scroll back to Movement". Re: the bit in your Are You Ready comments where you say it was "remarkably magnanimous of Bernard, Peter & Stephen", judging by Bernard's recent Tsugi magazine comments about the Box Sets, he may not have known that much about it!

Where you say, "I know first-hand that there is much in the archive that will finally see the light of day throughout this remarkable campaign." Aside from live/demo/alternate versions, do you know if there could be any "new" music we may not have heard before? Or am I getting carried away?

BTW at the risk of sounding pedantic, I've spotted a typo in your Homage review (2nd word of the 2nd line of the 2nd paragraph).

Yep I was scratching my head a bit at first also about where exactly I could find the Homage and Are You Ready For This? reviews but found them eventually after the In A Lonely Place review.Yes, curious to know if the stuff that will eventually see the light of day in future definitive box editions is previous unreleased “new” stuff or alternate/demos. Probably the latter (like for example the alternate Temptation 7” version on the Movement box)

Debaser wrote: I've spotted a typo.

Eagle eyed!

Debaser wrote: Or am I getting carried away?

From the info I have: demos with working names, unused versions & instrumentals; some we know about, some I wasn't aware of. But I feel sure that there are some outliers waiting to be unearthed through the Definitive campaign.

Dennis Remmer wrote: Are You Ready For This? review D

... As desperation takes hold...

That's it - I'm done. 3 yrs & 137 reviews later...

4'33" review + End Here analysis are posted.

You've all been mightily grand with your feedback. Now where was that book template...

Dennis Remmer wrote: That's it - I'm done. 3 yrs & 137 reviews later...

4'33" review + End Here analysis are posted.

You've all been mightily grand with your feedback. Now where was that book template...

Congratulations. Been following it from the beginning. very good job on the site, and discussion of the tracks.

We're doing a smaller scale version of new order - track by track on the Steve Hoffman music forums. We just finished 'waiting for the siren's call', and am getting to 'lost sirens' now.

later -1

negative1 wrote: We're doing a smaller scale version of new order - track by track on the Steve Hoffman music forums. We just finished 'waiting for the siren's call', and am getting to 'lost sirens' now.

later -1

You got a link to that/those posts?

Mr Discography wrote:

negative1 wrote: We're doing a smaller scale version of new order - track by track on the Steve Hoffman music forums. We just finished 'waiting for the siren's call', and am getting to 'lost sirens' now.

later -1

You got a link to that/those posts?

It starts here: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/joy-division-new-order-albums.738006/

There was more activity at the beginning, and now its just a few people discussing them, which is normal for the latter albums.

later -1

I finally got the Extended Versions Mucous Complete CD. I wasn't gonna bother cos I'm not that kinda obsessive and the tracks don't need remixing, but it was cheap and I was bored. In the words of Charles Dickens, what a fucking total and fucking utter fucking pile of fucking shit. Just splice bits up and around and then repeat bits again and again and afuckinggain. This isn't the 80s, and you're not fucking Razormaid. I will NEVER sit through that never-ending Restless again. Shit.