'Smash Hits' - Lyrics & Reviews

Michael Monkhouse wrote: it's far better than Movement, which he praised (as I said in the Definitive Edition thread).

You’re right, Michael.

Not sure how I missed that this was written by Tennant. Forgive the bad quality (but readable) scan; doing this on my ‘phone.

08/02/19 - I've tidied up the above image so it's a little better resolution.

is it bro wrote:

Michael Monkhouse wrote: The Tightening Up (see what I etc) of live performances started in 1989 for the very practical reason that travelling long distances meant they had to programme in advance.

It took them Decades to Face Up to that Fac.

(See what I did there. I’ll get my coat😕)

I have to stop swearing, splitting infinitives and talking about the Spice Girls. It's what I want, what I really really want to fucking do.

perspexorange wrote:

You’re right, Michael.

You don't hear that very often. Better lower my standards.

Michael Monkhouse wrote:

perspexorange wrote:

You’re right, Michael.

Better lower my standards.

Dear Lord! Mercy!

This landed on the internet today, at the usual place (http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com)"

And to complete the Factory LP collection (after the 3 x Tennant reviews and the new one that arrived today), here is the 'Brotherhood' review:

So, the 'Smash Hits' scores are in:

'Movement' 8/10 'Power, Corruption and Lies' 6.5/10 'Low Life' 8/10 'Brotherhood' 5/10 'Technique' 8/10

Thanks for the mammaries - remember both of those... Not least for 'Singer Peter Hooke'.

Thanks for those Technique and Brotherhood reviews, p.

I probably read them at the time but reading them again now kind of reminds me of a time when New Order weren’t gushed over by journalists as they are now. To many hacks back in the day New Order were a bit hit and miss.Kind of like I said in an earlier post on this thread though, those same people would now say New Order were always brilliant. The review of Technique is positive but not so much the Brotherhood one.

Other reviews that always stayed in my head were Steve Sutherland’s on of Low Life in Melody Maker. He conceded he was totally converted whereas before he wasn’t convinced. Think it was him that gave a scathing review of the Michael Sobell Centre gig just a few months before Low Life was released.

Miranda Sawyer reviewed Brotherhood for NME or Melody Maker and was completely bowled over by it. I read it before I heard the album and so was was expecting Brotherhood to be the greatest album ever made. Turned out it, for me, wasn’t quite that great. Good but not great.

Michael Monkhouse wrote: Thanks for the mammaries - remember both of those... Not least for 'Singer Peter Hooke'.

My pleasure. Glad people have enjoyed them. Not sure if I can be arsed to post the singles reviews. Maybe, I'll sling em into a zip folder. Save me uploading them one at a time.

Fotzepolitic wrote: Thanks for those Technique and Brotherhood reviews, p.

I probably read them at the time but reading them again now kind of reminds me of a time when New Order weren’t gushed over by journalists as they are now. To many hacks back in the day New Order were a bit hit and miss.Kind of like I said in an earlier post on this thread though, those same people would now say New Order were always brilliant. The review of Technique is positive but not so much the Brotherhood one.

Other reviews that always stayed in my head were Steve Sutherland’s on of Low Life in Melody Maker. He conceded he was totally converted whereas before he wasn’t convinced. Think it was him that gave a scathing review of the Michael Sobell Centre gig just a few months before Low Life was released.

Miranda Sawyer reviewed Brotherhood for NME or Melody Maker and was completely bowled over by it. I read it before I heard the album and so was was expecting Brotherhood to be the greatest album ever made. Turned out it, for me, wasn’t quite that great. Good but not great.

Yeah. I have much the same feelings about 'Brotherhood'. It's good, but just doesn't quite reach the level of at least 3 of the other 80s LPs. As regards those 5, I'd probably rank 'Brotherhood' at the bottom.

Reviews are terribly subjective, aren't they?

Not sure if there's any rhyme or reason to how reviewers are selected. Luck of the draw? Or some general knowledge of the genre required (the latter, I guess). I can't imagine that a guy used to reviewing jazz fusion LPs will be too enamoured with the latest Cradle Of Filth offering.

However, if you do select on this criteria (knowledge / genre), I guess you run the risk of the 'Lester Effect'. Where readers dismisses every positive point the reviewer states, quoting extreme bias.

I remember at the time of 'Republic', Paul Lester seemed to be reviewing pretty much anything New Order related (Electronic, Revenge, OT etc.). Can't remember if he was reviewing for NME or MM, but I think he also reviewed for a couple of 'glossies' (some short-lived). He's obviously a massive fan, but his reviews appeared blind to the records' respective weaknesses. I learned to pretty much take his reviews with a massive bucket of salt. I mean, I am a big fan, but even I'm not going to say that 'Chemical' is the best thing since 'The Perfect Kiss'.* I'm sure 'sickeningly glowing' reviews never bothered New Order though. Far from it. He probably increased their sales considerably.

Conversely, it must get up bands' noses when their latest record is given to some guy who slated their previous two LPs, their current single and a few gigs.

* Review / Example not strictly true, but is representative of the review alluded to. Terms and Conditions apply. May cause nausea and diarrhoea.

Fotzepolitic wrote: Miranda Sawyer reviewed Brotherhood for NME or Melody Maker and was completely bowled over by it. I read it before I heard the album and so was was expecting Brotherhood to be the greatest album ever made. Turned out it, for me, wasn’t quite that great. Good but not great.

Was that the review that called NO a beacon of light shining through the darkness, or something? I think the BLT/All Day Long side of the record is superb. The other side, not so much. Game of two halves.

The great thing about these reviews is (a) nostalga and (b) going back to the day and seeing what it was REALLY like... It's like rewatching Monty Python's Flying Circus or rereading The Catcher in the Rye or relistening to The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. You're so overwhelmed by nostalgia you forget the mediocrity! The critical and commercial response to New Order all through the 80s was always lukewarm - even Neil Tennant couldn't rise above 8/10 - then suddenly in the 90s they were being plugged as this massively influential, totally essential, utterly unavoidable legendary outfit who'd changed 80s music and even lives! In the words of the castrate, am I missing something? Think about how many bands were / have been / are influenced by the Beatles - or how many punk outfits the Pistols kickstarted almost overnight - were there really all these 578946848765740 80s bands all trying desperately to emulate New Order? Even Little Mix said, We wanna be the new Spice Girls.

Debaser wrote:

Fotzepolitic wrote: Miranda Sawyer reviewed Brotherhood for NME or Melody Maker and was completely bowled over by it. I read it before I heard the album and so was was expecting Brotherhood to be the greatest album ever made. Turned out it, for me, wasn’t quite that great. Good but not great.

Was that the review that called NO a beacon of light shining through the darkness, or something?

Not sure, maybe.Can't recall that bit.I do remember though that she went on about how the music stirs the soul like the pastures and rolling hills of England's green and pleasant land does, or something along those lines.

Steve Sutherland's review in Melody Maker of the January 1985 gig at Michael Sobell Centre.I think it's quite a negative one but it wasn't always entirely certain with a lot of reviewers back in the day.That gig was to be fair a bit of a car crash wasn't it?

4 months later, again in Melody Maker, Mr Sutherland was totally converted by Low Life.

Fotzepolitic wrote: Steve Sutherland's review in Melody Maker of the January 1985 gig at Michael Sobell Centre.I think it's quite a negative one but it wasn't always entirely certain with a lot of reviewers back in the day.That gig was to be fair a bit of a car crash wasn't it?

4 months later, again in Melody Maker, Mr Sutherland was totally converted by Low Life.

Thanks for posting these. His review of Low Life verges on idolation. Too damn right, too. It’s a great LP.

Michael Monkhouse wrote: The critical and commercial response to New Order all through the 80s was always lukewarm - even Neil Tennant couldn't rise above 8/10 - then suddenly in the 90s they were being plugged as this massively influential, totally essential, utterly unavoidable legendary outfit who'd changed 80s music and even lives! In the words of the castrate, am I missing something? Think about how many bands were / have been / are influenced by the Beatles - or how many punk outfits the Pistols kickstarted almost overnight - were there really all these 578946848765740 80s bands all trying desperately to emulate New Order?

I do agree with you in that a lot of the reviews in the 80s were less than stellar; just reasonable reviews. I guess time elapsing has an impact on the gravity of music.

However, I do think though that Joy Division / New Order were pretty damn influential. I won’t list all the bands that were obviously influenced by them (we all know who they are).

But generally, speaking, a large number of post-punk bands were influenced by JD, both at the time and those ‘revival’ bands (Robert Smith changed the direction of his band having heard JD and The Banshees and realising that his band could be ‘more’). Similarly, lots of indie guitar bands we’re influenced by New Order. Dance bands too. I would hazard a guess that a lot of the people producing dance music of the late 80s and 90s were pretty keen on the band.

This is the benefit of New Order being a hybrid band; their music appealed to musicians who were focussed on synths, guitars, or both. Not too many bands that you can say that about.

Influence is a bit of a weird thing. Where do you draw the line as to who influenced who? You could say that influence is not necessarily about how many bands you directly influence, but also which bands you influence who, in turn, influence multiple bands. I’m not saying that the band (in both of their incarnations) didn’t directly influence a tonne of bands (they did!). However, when you have big hitters such as The Cure, U2, Stone Roses, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Moby etc. paying homage, you know that they are not just influencing those big bands, but all the other smaller bands that were inspired by the bands I’ve just mentioned.

This is why the importance of The Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Roxy Music and Kraftwerk shouldn’t be underestimated. There are probably people out there making incredible electronic music that have never heard ‘Computer World’ (shame).

Yes, thanks for posting. No, Lowlife ain't a great LP. Massively over-rated. I think NO's influence is more Stance than Substance, but feels like I've been here before. They say you only appreciate something after you've lost it. Virginity?

perspexorange wrote: I've always wanted to scan my complete cuttings and put together my version of 'A History In Cuttings' in several volumes, but the task would be a massive undertaking.

I have a tonne of stuff that most people won't have seen (i.e. not just stuff from NME, MM, Sounds, RM, Smash Hits etc.). Things like appearances in fanzines, one-off magazines, music industry magazines etc. I was a bit of a rabid collector back in the 90s and went on a big purge collecting every article I could find or I knew about.

I've envisioned that, if I was to do it, I'd do it in 'year' books; one book representing a single year. The first year would be 1978 (to include the two or three articles I have from 1977). I couldn't imagine me going past 1995 or so, though, as it gets a little ridiculous at this point.

It would be really nice to get them archived in this way, for posterity and to 'share the love'. But the whole thing's a pipe dream. I'd need a proper scanner and a lot more hours in the day.

Maybe one day.

Just came across this website earlier today. Looks like this guy has a lot of the articles that I have and has scanned them in. Just search for New Order. Lots (and I mean lots) of articles - some pretty rare.

https://mycuttings.blogspot.com

Great stuff!

Fotzepolitic wrote: Well, regarding that review of P,C&L by Neil Tennant I’ve sometimes been a little suspicious of certain talking heads that in relatively more recent years gush about how great New Order always were.The likes of Pete Tong probably turned his nose up at the thought of playing a New Order track in 1983 but these days you’ll find him saying how innovative and brilliant they were back then.

Yeah, weird. Neil has his tongue up Baney's butt in NOStory but back in the day he never rose over 8/10. I never fell for that 'most influential band' line - think how many outfits quote the Beatles or the Pistols. Were there loads of 80s groups emulating New Order? I love the way someone felt the need to transcribe these lyrics - in case a listener missed a nuance after nearly 50 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rumvGQHRu0

perspexorange wrote:

perspexorange wrote: I've always wanted to scan my complete cuttings and put together my version of 'A History In Cuttings' in several volumes, but the task would be a massive undertaking.

I have a tonne of stuff that most people won't have seen (i.e. not just stuff from NME, MM, Sounds, RM, Smash Hits etc.). Things like appearances in fanzines, one-off magazines, music industry magazines etc. I was a bit of a rabid collector back in the 90s and went on a big purge collecting every article I could find or I knew about.

I've envisioned that, if I was to do it, I'd do it in 'year' books; one book representing a single year. The first year would be 1978 (to include the two or three articles I have from 1977). I couldn't imagine me going past 1995 or so, though, as it gets a little ridiculous at this point.

It would be really nice to get them archived in this way, for posterity and to 'share the love'. But the whole thing's a pipe dream. I'd need a proper scanner and a lot more hours in the day.

Maybe one day.

Just came across this website earlier today. Looks like this guy has a lot of the articles that I have and has scanned them in. Just search for New Order. Lots (and I mean lots) of articles - some pretty rare.

https://mycuttings.blogspot.com

Great stuff!

Woahhh..... just had a browse through the old New Order cuttings on that blog.Lots of old features i remember reading or having that i'd long forgotten.Kind of, scary? I mean in that it all seems sooo long ago now.Like for example a Record Mirror interview from 1986 with pics of the band in a graveyard and the gravestones.Instantly remembered it.

Read both the NME and Melody Maker reviews for Brotherhood as had been interested to find those again after many years.The NME one wasn't done by Miranda Sawyer or indeed the Melody Maker one as i'd remembered.The NME one was in fact done by Factory's very own Cath Caroll and there wasn't anything in that review about England's rolling hills and pastures that somehow i'd recalled as being in there.So don't know where that memory came from.

Anyway, thanks for the link

Hey, no problem. Glad you like.

Maybe the 'rolling hills' review was in another music paper (Record Mirror, Sounds etc.). I'm in the mood for hunting down scans of cuttings so, if I find anything similar to that review, I'll post it here.

perspexorange wrote:

I've always wanted to scan my complete cuttings and put together my version of 'A History In Cuttings' in several volumes, but the task would be a massive undertaking.

I have a tonne of stuff that most people won't have seen (i.e. not just stuff from NME, MM, Sounds, RM, Smash Hits etc.). Things like appearances in fanzines, one-off magazines, music industry magazines etc. I was a bit of a rabid collector back in the 90s and went on a big purge collecting every article I could find or I knew about.

I've envisioned that, if I was to do it, I'd do it in 'year' books; one book representing a single year. The first year would be 1978 (to include the two or three articles I have from 1977). I couldn't imagine me going past 1995 or so, though, as it gets a little ridiculous at this point.

It would be really nice to get them archived in this way, for posterity and to 'share the love'. But the whole thing's a pipe dream. I'd need a proper scanner and a lot more hours in the day.

Maybe one day.

Well, I’ve ordered a crowd-sourced scanner. One that’s portable but should be able to scan the larger formats of the NME etc. It’s not due to arrive until February, but when it does, I'm thinking of giving this a go.

Not sure how long it’ll take me, but I think I’m planning on doing things on a year by year basis. The first volume will be ‘76-78, volume 2 will be ‘79, volume three will be ‘80, volume 4 will be ‘81 etc.

I plan to compile everything I can from the years in question; scans from my collection, scans I’ve downloaded from the internet and images from ‘An History In Cuttings’.

Not sure how many years I’ll do. I’ll try to get up to 1990, then play it by ear.

I’ll let everyone know when I get to a reasonable enough point and see if there’s an interest from forum members to see this stuff. I have a tonne of cuttings (hundreds, possibly 1,000+; some major, some minor), so it’ll take me a while, so would be nice to share at regular points.

I’d really like to start with a cutting of the ‘Bernard, Hooky, Terry and Wroey as Stiff Kittens’ mention that appeared in ‘Sounds’ in December 1976. Their first mention in the press.

I can’t remember if I have this or not, so if anyone definitely has this, I’d love a scan to get me started. I’m guessing this is fairly rare though.