Hook's Republic and Get Ready hiprocrisy

I've been rereading parts of Substance: Inside New Order, recently, and just connected Hook's hypocrisy in the writing of Republic and Get Ready in a way I never appreciated on the initial reading. His huge objection to Republic is that Steve and Gillian were written out of the album and his bass playing minimised by Stephen Hague/Sumner. Early work on the album was put down by Hook, Steve and Gillian at their farm. When these songs got passed to Bernard, he reworked them in such way that they became unrecognisable. According to to Hook, Steve and Gillian was so affected by the outcome that they never tried very hard again; "they never got over it."

Seven years later, the writing of Get Ready, again, starts at Steve and Gillian's farm. During the later recording at the studio, Hook informs us the album was written pretty much as a duo, between his new best friend (me mate, Barney) and himself. Steve and Gillian had family priorities at the time. He critically claims Steve and Gillian got into the habit of turning up on a Thursday evening, "poncing around for a bit", and going home again. However here's the punchline: Hook also recalls Steve and Gillian sent tracks that they had worked on at their farm (maybe compensatory?), but he and his bestest buddy (one Barney Sumner), decided to bin them, and write from scratch, as they sounded too much like The Other Two. Bear in mind, Crystal started life as an Electronic track (and another Hooky criticism of Republic is it sounds too much like Electronic).

On my rereading of these chapters, I noticed Hook said a couple of times that with Barney, 'it's do as I say rather than what I do.' How about him? It sounds to me like Hook's unwittingly telling us poor Steve and Gillian got written out of Republic and Get Ready! If anything, with Get Ready they were treated even worse, as their tracks weren't reworked, but left unused. What Hook is really telling us (even if he doesn't know it) is Republic sinned because his work got cut, but Get Ready is just fine for his hand was all over it - and screw Steve and Gillian!

Deceiver wrote: Bear in mind, Crystal started life as an Electronic track (and another Hooky criticism of Republic is it sounds too much like Electronic).

I thought this was the start of Crystal. Does it go back further?

The line "we're like crystal, we break easy" is in a B side to the Vivid single (about 25 seconds in )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW6GTgO8boI

Debaser wrote:

I thought this was the start of Crystal. Does it go back further?

Thanks, I've never heard the demo before. It's good for a demo, but drags on - sounds like a remix. As for it being an Electronic track. Well, I can't find the quote. I Have a feeling he's said it elsewhere, or I've mistook electronic for Electronic...

I writted all of song on Republic in Stoke in 1997 but stephen and Bernard too, Gillian speaked in her book but not Ian, he did Johnny Marred and Other Three with Jack Evans for Mute, me too.

Michael Monkhouse wrote: I writted all of song on Republic in Stoke in 1997 but stephen and Bernard too, Gillian speaked in her book but not Ian, he did Johnny Marred and Other Three with Jack Evans for Mute, me too.

Sorry to hear about your stroke

tarbox23 wrote:

Michael Monkhouse wrote: I writted all of song on Republic in Stoke in 1997 but stephen and Bernard too, Gillian speaked in her book but not Ian, he did Johnny Marred and Other Three with Jack Evans for Mute, me too.

Sorry to hear about your stroke

You can hear what he's doing while watching Spice Girls videos?!

Mel C says, 'My new video should get a lot of thumbs up.' I've never heard them called that before. Honestly, does anyone still take Hooky's BS seriously?

Michael Monkhouse wrote: Honestly, does anyone still take Hooky's BS seriously?

I just found it an interesting double-standard, which I thought I'd share with you guys. To put it in your terms, imagine if Mel C wrote some music for the Spice Girls come back. After hearing the material, Geri Horny says to Big Baby and Scary Spender, "These songs are too much like Holland's solo career, lets write our own songs by going to a publishing company and picking them ourselves..."

I just watched every Spice Girls video. It was long and hard but I pulled it off. Hooky's more full of shit than a constipated Elvis, but at least he's more fun than Paul Borely.

Peter Hook recently talked about Republic, Get Ready and Sirens.

https://youtu.be/JLNFYIo85kc

There's quite a few of these videos on different album eras - quite interesting...

It wasn't a massive surprise to me that a very successful musician had a massive ego and only liked the stuff he featured on a lot, like a vain actor who only thought his scenes had merit. I thought he might have tried to disguise it a bit in his writing but there you go.

But what do I know? Until I read Hookys book I had no idea that Morris didn't even play on Get Ready.