Nice piece - can it be 40 years!?! I’d include Technique in their golden period as well. From first time hearing State of the Nation at the Festival of the 10th Summer I’ve always thought it a weak song and glad it wasn’t on Brotherhood.
To the point that I played all of technique today and couldn’t find a flaw. It might actually be better than brotherhood and the bass is front and center like it should be.
This is one of the best articles I have read since I joined Substack. I absolutely love it. I have mixed feelings about "Brotherhood." While I love "Bizarre Love Triangle," the rest of the album fails to deliver on the promise of "Power, Corruption & Lies" and "Low Life." Additionally, I had just seen the band live on a BAD night in Pittsburgh, and this concert held the distinction of being the worst concert I had seen (out of hundreds) until I saw Dylan and Bowie a decade later. Nevertheless, I still love this band, and I would travel anywhere to see them live, including to a show in L.A. last year. Thank you for such a wonderful piece.
I know all about New Order’s performances on good vs bad nights.
I saw them for technique and it was the best show I’d seen. They played Ceremony. I’m trying to remember if they played a JD song but not sure. I was in high school at the time and a friend of mine saw them in a different city and we compared notes. She saw them on a “bad” night and it was the worst concert experience for her.
Since then I’ve seen good and bad.
But glad I saw them when they started doing encores of a full Joy Division set.
I was crushed when I saw them in Pittsburgh. I was in college and they were my salvation (along with the Cure and The Replacements). They were abysmal. I was heartbroken for many years. At this time, I was seeing approximately 100 live shows per year, so the hurt faded, but not a lot. I dismissed them until a few years ago until, after watching some live performances on YouTube, I was ready to give them another chance. I am glad I did.
This is a VERY strong piece because you manage to write about Brotherhood with real affection without letting affection blur the argument. What came through most clearly for me is your sense of the album as both a peak and a beginning of the end. That gives the essay real weight. I especially liked the closing reframing of the title, because you take something that seems almost incidental and make it feel like the emotional truth of the whole record. You also do a fine job resisting the urge to reduce Brotherhood to “Bizarre Love Triangle plus surrounding material.” This keeps the focus where it belongs: on the album as a full statement, and on the band as a still-functioning unit at a very specific moment before the cracks widened. Strong piece.
Thanks Howard. It helps that I heard it as a kid who liked more of the guitar based Joy Division stuff. So I was really happy to hear more of the guitar-based songs on there.
But yeah it was tough striking the balance and it’s what I was aiming for. So the fact that you caught that really makes it all worth it.
Substance came out a year later. That was my intro to them. But yeah I think we r around the same age and Same here I began discovering Jarre and Kraftwerk etc.
Nice piece - can it be 40 years!?! I’d include Technique in their golden period as well. From first time hearing State of the Nation at the Festival of the 10th Summer I’ve always thought it a weak song and glad it wasn’t on Brotherhood.
You know Paul you are completely right.
To the point that I played all of technique today and couldn’t find a flaw. It might actually be better than brotherhood and the bass is front and center like it should be.
This is one of the best articles I have read since I joined Substack. I absolutely love it. I have mixed feelings about "Brotherhood." While I love "Bizarre Love Triangle," the rest of the album fails to deliver on the promise of "Power, Corruption & Lies" and "Low Life." Additionally, I had just seen the band live on a BAD night in Pittsburgh, and this concert held the distinction of being the worst concert I had seen (out of hundreds) until I saw Dylan and Bowie a decade later. Nevertheless, I still love this band, and I would travel anywhere to see them live, including to a show in L.A. last year. Thank you for such a wonderful piece.
David I’m so humbled by your wonderful comment.
I know all about New Order’s performances on good vs bad nights.
I saw them for technique and it was the best show I’d seen. They played Ceremony. I’m trying to remember if they played a JD song but not sure. I was in high school at the time and a friend of mine saw them in a different city and we compared notes. She saw them on a “bad” night and it was the worst concert experience for her.
Since then I’ve seen good and bad.
But glad I saw them when they started doing encores of a full Joy Division set.
I agree that nothing touches PC&L.
I was crushed when I saw them in Pittsburgh. I was in college and they were my salvation (along with the Cure and The Replacements). They were abysmal. I was heartbroken for many years. At this time, I was seeing approximately 100 live shows per year, so the hurt faded, but not a lot. I dismissed them until a few years ago until, after watching some live performances on YouTube, I was ready to give them another chance. I am glad I did.
Great piece on a great record. I’m looking forward to popping in my BluRay Audio disc and checking out the Dolby Atmos mix hopefully this weekend.
Have always loved Brotherhood. BLT and All Day Long are epic tracks.
Surely no one has written as much on Brotherhood! One of my faves, as well. Excellent research and writing.
This is a VERY strong piece because you manage to write about Brotherhood with real affection without letting affection blur the argument. What came through most clearly for me is your sense of the album as both a peak and a beginning of the end. That gives the essay real weight. I especially liked the closing reframing of the title, because you take something that seems almost incidental and make it feel like the emotional truth of the whole record. You also do a fine job resisting the urge to reduce Brotherhood to “Bizarre Love Triangle plus surrounding material.” This keeps the focus where it belongs: on the album as a full statement, and on the band as a still-functioning unit at a very specific moment before the cracks widened. Strong piece.
Thanks Howard. It helps that I heard it as a kid who liked more of the guitar based Joy Division stuff. So I was really happy to hear more of the guitar-based songs on there.
But yeah it was tough striking the balance and it’s what I was aiming for. So the fact that you caught that really makes it all worth it.
Really enjoyed this. I totally get feeling too close and in love with them to write about but thanks for doing it. Some wonderful insights.
This was a very cool piece. I’m really looking forward to The Church entry, and hope it’s in 10 parts or more.
Substance came out a year later. That was my intro to them. But yeah I think we r around the same age and Same here I began discovering Jarre and Kraftwerk etc.
Thanks Paul they’re coming soon. Next is Go-Betweens.