Electronic 1 vs. Raise The Pressure

I'm going to go with Raise the Pressure. While the debut album had some solid tracks- Try All You Want, Getting Away With It, Get the Message- it seemed as if Marr was a little over-eager to get his hands on some synths as he was fresh off the Morrissey-held Smiths captivity. What is produced is something just a bit hard to discern, possibly an attempt at 'Synthrock', just a bit too awkward for me though.

There was a clearer distinction between Dance and Pop tracks on RTP however, which I like. The guitars are much more pronounced on this album than the previous, and either Barney picked one up himself or Marr had been listening to Technique during recording breaks because many of the guitars hark back to '89. For You, Forbidden City, and Visit Me sound like leftovers from Ibiza that Barney found buried in a suitcase he dug up.

Infinite Cheese, thy name is "For You." but it's my fave guilty pleasure. Raise the Pressure is great - just take out the dated house tracks and we're good!

I couldn't have stated it better, Mr. Hannett. By odd coincidence, I just finished listening to RTP when I read this thread, so I had to reply. The sound and production of RTP overall is much better than the first ablum. "Forbidden City" is one of my favorite Electronic Tracks, but the album is full of great guitars, loopy lyrics from Bernard, grooving beats, and a sense of affirmation.

Both albums are great. But when I'm honest you convinced me that RTP is better. I love "Dark Angel" very much. I always call the first album the "Pet Shop Boys"-one. It has this nice naive and slightly antique beginning-of-the-90s-Synthie-Sound (which the PSB had and in a way still have) while RTP is has more guitar and some nice sounds coming from Karl Bartos.

In other words: Nothing to add .

I've listened to both recently and I find it interesting that RTP gets worse reviews then the self-title debut. I think RTP is without a doubt a better effort.

Defo Electronic for me. RTP has too much of that already then outdated Italo-House-Pianao all over it.

Definately I would choose the eponymous debut.

I remember there was some anticipation about this 'supergroup' (containing members from my three favorite bands) that just seemed so exciting. What's best is that the album definately did not dissapoint.

"Some Distant Memory", "Try All You Want", "Get The Message", "Tighten Up", "GAWI", are all classic tracks....you can't compare. I remember when I bought this CD and first put it in and heard Barney rapping "my name is not important it's a signal a sign....." I thought...what the f*%k?!. But i quickly appreciated it as something fresh and different...and it worked....(for me at least). Very crisp production...and slick synths with Marr's recognizeable guitar....the album is always a treat to hear.

I do also REALLY like Raise the Pressure esp the track "How Long"... but thier first LP kicks (more) ass.

The debut was initially my favorite, but I'm warming up to RTP more and I think I like it. The problem is RTP has a few tracks I don't like at all, where as the debut has none.

Rtp for me, the lush guitars the flow throughout it are a welcome for me after listening the debut. Which I thought was a bit too PSB, who I don't like much. Although it had some great tracks on it, especially try all you want. But for me, rtp was not only my first electronic album, it meant something to me. It has more substance than the debut, I mean the booklet has that great writing by Bernard in it. And songs like Forbidden City, For you, Second Nature, and Visit me really hit home.

RTP is ahead!@#$% What, has the world gone mad?

The Happy One wrote: RTP is ahead!@#$% What, has the world gone mad?

If it makes you feel better, I voted nine times.

I've never been a fan of RTP, to such an extent that I didn't initially bother with Twisted Tenderness and the associated singles.

Twisted Tenderness

Electronic 1 (as you called it) is for me the best album of the 90's. Period. All the tracks are fantastic, maybe 2 or 3 of them now sounds outdated, but in that time were sooo damn cool. Raise The Pressure was so highly anticipated for me, and at the first listen, i was dissapointed. But after a week i was so happy with the album, the also is in my Top 5 ranking of the decade. But what is strange for me, was that i ended up loving the "band" tracks (forbidden city, out of my league, for you, etc) and not the electronic ones (except freefall) anyway, both are great albums, and twisted tenderness too.

I haven't listened to RAISE THE PRESSURE for ages.I also took ages to buy this CD but own all the single CDs.I will play it soon and then reflect upon it.The FIRST ELECTRONIC album was a great one that i played a lot.Be interesting to compare all these years later.

'Electronic' without a shadow of a doubt for me. I'm really surprised this poll is so close. It was getting the first Electronic album, and absolutely loving it, which got me in to New Order :) I like Raise The Pressure but I don't think it's in the same league as the first album.

The first album is my favourite - by any band. Every single second is sublime. Just writing out the tracklisting says it all - it’s bursting with quality songs. Idiot Country, Reality, Tighten Up, Gangster, Get The Message, Try All You Want, Some Distant Memory, Feel Every Beat... I can’t believe how great it is.

Electronic. BUT... I quite like RTP and have no shame in saying so! Sure, it's slick and popish but it's a fun record. First album is practically a masterpiece even though it sounds a bit dated nowadays. The only track I skip off that album is Soviet. Other than that I like it lots. Feel Every Beat is a silly song but I've grown to like it over the years. RTP has the fantastic Forbidden City which arguably may be the best Electronic song ever, or at least one of them. It's pure perfection from start to finish, kinda like Some Distant Memory. ;)

ELECTRONIC- i think it has much better songs, tighten up, Getting Away with it , etc...

i think electronic's records got a little worse with every one.

Their first could almost pass as a NO order. No, nevermind...

I remember liking the first four songs from Raise the Pressure; breezed thru the rest once and wasn't impressed. No stand-out tracks; quite a forgettable album.

People will tell you what a New Order bore I am, and yet... And yet my favourite album of all time is not by New Order, but is Raise the Pressure.

I was beginning to think I was the only person who liked this album - reading the reviews and seeing it in so many bargain bins.

To me Barney's vocal on this album is second to none - he peaked at around this point. Better than on any NO album.

And I get so many of those 'hairs on back of neck sticking up' moments.

Electonic just sneaks it! Only for the fact that it has their best song on it - 'Some Distant Memory'. I only bought RTP this year but as mentioned earlier in this thread one of the top album's of the 90's

I bought the cassette when it came out, so RTP for me literally had two sides, and I never did get into Side 2. I love the first four tracks and "Second Nature"; everything after that is just a mushy sonic blur.

Debut album for me, please.

"Electronic" is a far better and more consistent "album" than RTP. However it hasn't aged very well to my ears and when I recently made a Best of Electronic compilation for my car I found that I included more songs from the RTP era (such as the sublime b-sides "All that I need" and "I feel allright").

RTP has some great moments but its weak spots are so bad that it really ruins the continuity of the album. And don't even let me get started on the "flower-child" cover or pseudeo-intellectual political essay on the inner sleeve. As has been mentioned before ad naseum, it seems they spent too much time polishing the rough edges off many of the songs so that they sound dull and uninspired. I think if we were able to hear demos or unreleased versions of the songs they may actually be better.

In a nutshell, RTP is a terrible as an album but has some great individual songs (and b-sides).

Oh, come on!

Electronic is six billion times better.

It fit perfectly into a period of dance/indie crossovers and and still sounds great today. RTP took 3 years, an over-rated Prozac binge and help from Kraftwerk but remains the Barnster's weakest moment. Just look at those CD singles, rehashing old B-sides! For the wankiest of wankers...

From time to time, there is an album that you seem to be the only one in the world to like. Or prefer.

I prefer Second Coming.

I prefer Raise The Pressure.

So it is with quite a suprise that I view those results today!

I remember a review in a local paper, when RtP came out. It got bashed like I never thought possible. But ever since Sigue Sigue Sputnik released their first album, I know that sometimes, the critics are dead wrong :^)

Mart

I didn't buy Raise The Pressure for years because I thought half of Electronic1 was average...

Kicked myself badly when I did buy it, because I think it's what i'd call 'the best NOrder album they never made'.

Why do I say this? In my view it's the spin off disc that is closest in tone and mood to Technique...

Electronic is way better.

...although i like them both.

elmarto wrote:

I prefer Second Coming.

wow...you're in uncharted territory with that one. :D

anyhoo, it's the eponymous album for me. more memorable moments on it, beginning with the sublime idiot country.

My vote goes to the first album. Saying that, though, if you tried to take either of them away from me you'd have a fight on your hands! (BTW, TT is actually my favourite out of the three.)

Electronic 1 for me,i just recently bought the first album on cassette at a car boot sale for 50p what a bargain

RTP is great. I never really cared for TT. It just didn't ever seem to get off the ground. Vivid is good, warning sign great but the rest is not good to me.

strange choices my friend.

The debut is 7 billion times better than Raise The Pressure. I cant get what people are saying about more guitar on RTP?

Come on guys, what on RTP matches the wah-wah of Idiot Country, the acoustic guitar of Tighten Up and Get the Message, or the work on Feel Every Beat??

For You is the best guitar track on RTP but no classic (maybe in 100 years people will say its a classic though). Theres too many other bland dolly-birds-round-handbags naff house tunes on there for my liking.

The debut shows Barney was right to break from the chains of New Order and strike out in his own right (ok so he had Marr on board).

RTP is too much going through the motions and has samey songs. The lyrics are appalling and repetive. Plus the final track (Time Can Tell) is the worse thing Barney has ever done.....ever (sounds like a boy band song).

Update: My CD of RTP has been nicked :(

I prefer Second Coming.

Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, woah.... deep breath... woah woah woah woah woah.

E1 gets my vote. It came out when dance and hip hop were my favorite genres, so this album had everything for me. "Reality" is still a wonderful song. Also, the singles had great remixes.

While Raise the pressure was good album (Forbidden city, Out of my league..), I still prefer the debut.

The instrumentation (mostly electronics) had a bigger impact on me than RTP. Plus, I thought the arrangements seemed to have a bit more 'magic' to them - Soviet, Getting away with it and especially the ending on Some distant memory. _

Edward

Electronic was a good album, with some great tracks, but some not as great too. I think Raise the Pressure is definitely better. Each song is a great dance tune which lives up to the group's name of "Electronic".

Hard choice, both are good.

Raise the pressure

electronic one is it. RTP just sound too dated. A couple of good songs but that's it.

Electronic is of course top class. Still, I have been listening more to Raise the Pressure recently and there is really more to the album than I found first when I was listening to it when it came out. I found it a bit cheesy at the time of release but there is more depth to many of the songs and it is one of these rare albums that gets better with every listening. Many of the last tracks of the album are especially growing on me.
Shame how badly it was received, but then again it was not promoted at all. - I saw the album on sale in Denmark with a sticker on it that it featured Johnny Marr. ..No mention of Barney. RTP sold 100,000 copies against 1 million for the debut. Not good when you think about the amount of time the duo invested in the follow up.

Even though I knew who was what, when I first heard Disappointed, I was like "PSB broke up, Chris got shunted off while Neil got some great record deal.".. I was a kid, I was silly.

So for a good while, even though I knew it was just a side project for all concerned (roughly), I was firmly convinced that the Electronic album was like.. too PSB, even though I was a big PSB fan.

Over the years, I rocked that album a lot, regardless. Then RTP came, and I went ahead and bought it despite the dreaded sophomore album syndrome always beleaguered in the press.

After a few years of listening to the first album, RTP was a welcome sign of change. More polished, more focused, and better blended, IMO.

Listened through the track listings again tonight, and still wind up prefering RTP over E(1). May have a lot to do with the fact I listened and over listened to E(1) through my preadolescence, and it has become dated and jaded.

(Even if I still love GTM, SDM, FEB and Idiot Country)

More songs off RTP made my "Could listen indefinitely" list.

Time Can Tell, though slick, was a quick fave, as was Until the End of Time. The rest of the album soon followed. It was a nice interlude between NO's Republic and Monaco's M4P.