ok. so, brotherhood was the first NO album i *really* got into and for some reason it still connects with me more than any other. i may have to argue that it is among their best(maybe not?), each song has a moment that simply clicks. so discuss the positive and negative merits of this album.
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honest opinions on brotherhood!
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My favourite track is "Angel Dust" - amazing. Positives include "Paradise" and "State Of The Nation", although I don't believe early copies of the album carried SOTN, and I'm not sure whether it appears on the album in all countries.
Negatives? Well, I'm sure a lot of people here will strongly disagree, but I've never rated "Bizarre Love Triangle" (except in the Shep Pettibone extended version, as found on "Substance"). Also, "Every Little Counts" comes across as just a joke at the listener's expense. There's also at least one acoustic track too many, and the acoustic ones sound a little samey IMO.
Overall, I'd rate "Brotherhood" as New Order's weakest studio album, although I admire its innovations. Admire more than actually like, I guess. Certainly, the preceding "Low-life" and the succeeding "Technique" are both far better, IMO, although "Low-life" loses points for me by not including the full-length version of "Perfect Kiss".
Brotherhood is an underated New Order album. Paradise,BLT,SOTN, Angel Dust plus heaps of other great tracks. BLT was huge in Australia (top 10) and who can forget All Day Long. Brotherhood has a lot in common with Get Ready.
I don't dislike Brotherhood.. but by the way, Brotherhood DOES NOT contain State of the Nation, the real album should end with Every Little Counts... the rest are bonuses for the re-release in CD a few years later.
Like mostly all songs on it, except Angel Dust, which is my less favorite New Order track, but that's another story.
In fact, I have a hard time deciding if I prefer Brotherhood or Low-Life, but nothing will remove Technique from the #1 spot, and I seriously doubt they still can do better than this!
Originally posted by almanso the best IMHO. it just has everything... no words to describe it.
almanso! :)
Quite an interesting concept album without meaning to be, I think, as all the tracks on side A (tracks 1-5 for non-LP owners) feature Gillian on guitar (that's a sequenced backing track on Paradise, BTW), whereas on side B the band go for a more plinky-plonky sound. 
A good variety of tracks, but I'm afraid it's not in my top three.
Great album for me...Paradise, As it is when..., Angel Dust, BLT, Broken Promise, Way of life, etc.
I like 'em all.
Well done NO 
!!!!!!!!
Brotherhood is a very underrated NO album, and subsequently is my joint 3rd favourite album (tied with Get Ready), with Technique and PCL first and second respectively.
"Brotherhood" is my favorite NewOrder album ever, it seems to have been forgotten by most, but i love it to death, Hooky's basslines are fantastic, and the album has an even flow to it.
I like Brotherhood, but I had a hard time with it when it came out because LowLife was the one I compared it to.
I liked their use of string sounds on Bizarre Love Triangle, Every Little Counts and especially All Day Long.
I don't like it and never will. It's my least favourite NO album, even Movement sounds better to my ears. Yet it contains some good tracks like Paradise.
brotherhood was my favourite NO album back in the late '80s/early '90s, then i thought it sounded a bit dated when i listened to it later on, compared to low-life and PC&L which still sounded really fresh and unique. hence, i didn't listen to it that often during the 1990s.
now, however, i've given it another chance and i enjoy it a lot more. paradise is one of my all-time favourites, and BLT, all day long and every little counts are up there, as well. basically, the more i listen to it now, the more i like it. i guess i'm 'discovering' it again, in a way.
It's my fave LP by NO, I love all of the songs and they fit together very well. I'm one who doesn't consider SOTN as part of the album, as it isn't on the vinyl version, which is what I play.
The main reason this album had a had time is that is had to follow Low Life, which followed PC&L - had acts to follow - probably the best back to back albums by just about any band ever. Also, the album marked a definite stronger move towards the club/dance scene - a step (almost prophetic) towards the ultra dancy (ultra-incredible) Technique. Sometimes transition albums are uncomfortable, and I think there is a little of that in BH. I like it but, for me, it stands as the needed bridge between two great lands - the NO of old, and the NO of today.
I think it's production sucks arse, but the songwriting is at the top of the class. Pop hooks are all over the place, I still can't believe it didn't sell (only #161 in USA Albums Chart).
Bizarre Love Triangle should have had a 3rd chorus, Weirdo needed one more verse and a shorter outro, and Way Of Life's bridge should have been removed. Do that and you have three killer singles.
Every Little Counts was rubbish and should never have made the album, it would have been so much stronger ending with Angel Dust.
Better live than on record - never happy with the production. Track by track :
Paraquat - vastly overrated early version of Crystal (check the guitar parts if you don't believe me) Weirdo - down there in the all-time worst 10 As It Is When It Was - genuinely good song Broken Promise - never quite made the transition from live to record in one piece Way of Life - was this some kind of joke ? They were clearly very short on inspiration around this time BLT - far and away the best version of this excellent track - pisses all over any later versions both live and on record ! Angel Dust - criminally under-rated, a great live track All Day Long - not a personal favourite, but quite a nice tune underneath the banal rhymes that Barney calls lyrics Every Little Counts - sheer embarrassment. It's not a joke, it's not even funny. A band who had run out of things to say/do for a while.
Originally posted by Benny's Cobweb Eyes Angel Dust - criminally under-rated, a great live track
I knew I liked Angel Dust and now I will not change my opinion.:) Still like the whole of the album and it is up there with my other favourites.
Great songs, dodgy production. Having all the rockier tunes on one side doesn't work too well either.
I put it 3rd/4th with Get Ready, I think their of a fairly similar standard. Technique and Low Life are definitely the best for me. It seems a bit unbalanced to me, even though I don't consider there a song I don't like on there, and many are wonderful tracks.
The production is a bit of a sore point with me, something a little digital remastering could do wonders for. I think I prefer the guitar based stuff is better than the electronic stuff on the album, has more of a pulse to it.
Cheers ALEX
Put BrotherMonkey on the cassette recorder today and ask your friend to identify the age of it ... they will be stumped and scrambling for eggs. There is one simple reason; it is a timeless classic.
The production is superb, it broadcast the important fact that New Order didn't need or wish to sound polished. It is this essence that appeals to most NO fans, the ability to think; I can do that.
Most outstanding element; Bernard's quite startlingly beautiful (and extremely sing'able) vocal and guitar melodies, coupled with throbbing bass, keyboards and drums.
Bliss!
Bad production my arse. Why does everything have to be swimming in syrup? - surely that would spoil a first class pancake.
It's not syrup that is called for, it's some kind of clarity. Only the last four tracks and As It Is have any kind of decent production - the guitars on Weirdo and Broken Promise sound like wannabes with cheapo amps.
I actually end up playing brotherhood probably more than any of their studio albums, so for along time I used to think it was my favorite, but really I think that it's more due to the fact that there's probably more songs on that album that sound better on the record than any of their other albums.
paradise--good either way. great guitar live, better chorus studio.
weirdo--hooky's bass is pretty good on the album. live this is up there w/ love less as just 3 minutes of nothing.
as it is...--more powerful outro live but i like the aucoustic guitars on the studio version as well.
broken promise--there are some pretty energetic live versions i guess
way of life--i actually rate this song pretty high. the break is kinda bouncy on the record
Overall the first side has some great bass melodies, but the guitar just isn't there compared to the live stuff.
BLT--the one song here that i think is served by the scratchy guitar sound that permeates the rest of the record. pretty definitive version and the only studio version that preserves the bass drum beat of the live version.
All day long--probably in my top 5 new order songs ever, but crap live.
angel dust--hated it when i first heard it, but took me seeing it live to really get it.
every little counts--i kinda like it. a sense of humor was never that evident from the band on record before unless you count the runoff groove notations
Second side does a nice job capturing that certain melancholic energy (or is it energetic melancholy) that I like about much of the bands studio stuff.
Overall the singing's fairly pretty, bass lines pretty melodic, guitar kinda tinny, but I like it. Its similar to Closer. Maybe not full of classic tracks but it's got the definitive versions of several definitive tracks and also seems to be divided in to two seperate sets. Rock songs on side one, more soundscape stuff on the second side.
Originally posted by Benny's Cobweb Eyes Every Little Counts - sheer embarrassment. It's not a joke, it's not even funny. A band who had run out of things to say/do for a while.
ok, maybe the intro is a rip-off of 'walk on the wild side', but i think it's a fantastic little tune. ridiculous, yes, but they know it's silly and you can picture barney blushing as he's laughing through the lyrics--there's something endearing and unaffected about it. i also love the way all the instruments come together as the song reaches the end. a perfect way to finish the album.
Love this album very much and still rate it in the TOP 3.
Wish i had bought the METALLIC LP VERSION though cos i still don't own a copy of this on VINYL!
I've always liked this album a lot. In fact, bordering blasphemy, I think I might like it more than Low Life.:evil: I've always like "Paradise" and "Weirdo" and of course "Bizarre Love Triangle", but "All Day Long" is just an amazing track. "Angel Dust" is underrated too. Overall, I think this album doesn't get it's full credit. It's not polished like others, instead being more raw. You can tell Barney's singing has much improved on this one compared to earlier albums (Face Up, anyone?).
