NEW ORDER

Formed: 1980, Manchester, England

Members: Gillian Gilbert, vocals, keyboards (born Manchester, England, 1961); Peter Hook, bass (born Manchester, England, 13 February 1956); Stephen Morris, drums (born Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, 28 October 1957); Bernard Sumner, vocals (Bernard Dicken; born Salford, Manchester, England, 4 January 1959).

Genre: Electronic, Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: Republic (1993)

Hit songs since 1990: "World in Motion," "Regret," "World (The Price of Love)"

New Order, the innovative synthesizer pop band, formed in the mid-1980s in the wake of the New Wave movement, which emphasized dance music that relied on keyboards and programmed synthesizer loops. New Order grew out of the influential New Wave group Joy Division, which collapsed after the suicide of its lead singer, Ian Curtis, in 1980. Surviving members, vocalist Bernard Sumner (also known as Bernard Albrecht), Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris, picked up the pieces and created New Order in 1981. In so doing, they became one of the most influential 1980s bands. Tinkering with New Wave, they forged a new sound from synthesizers, effects-processed guitars, and real drums, rather than drum machines; they created an alternative kind of dance music that brought together elements of disparate genres.

New Order received much media attention because of Curtis's death. Their first single, "Ceremony," was written when they were Joy Division though it was released under the name New Order. Their desire to explore electronic music and its incumbent technologies surfaced in songs like "Temptation," a Top 40 hit in England. Committed to the club culture, the band became part owners in the Manchester nightclub Hacienda, which went on to become one of the most well-known dance clubs in England.

Mixing Elements

Combining dance music with slightly morose lyrics, New Order exploited the music's therapeutic possibilities. The epic "Blue Monday," released in 1983 in a 12-inch format, with Sumner's cool and plain vocals, is a signature song. It became the biggest-selling single in U.K. music history. Continuing the twisted bittersweet love song theme, New Order put together one of their most popular dance hits, "Bizarre Love Triangle," for their 1986 album Brotherhood. It enjoyed new life on the Billboard charts ten years later, thanks to its inclusion in their album Best of New Order (1995).

Much of New Order's music has been repeatedly remixed, even during their heyday, which was a relatively new practice in the mid- to late 1980s. New Order broke ground by collaborating with New York hip-hop producer Arthur Baker on "Confusion" (1983) and "Thieves Like Us" (1984). In true dance style, these singles went on for nearly six minutes, but New Order was not aiming for heavy duty radio play: The clubs were their audience.

The mixing and remixing continued with updated versions of their singles, one by renowned R&B producer Quincy Jones, who set his handiwork to the previously released "Blue Monday." Pet Shop Boys producer Stephen Hague co-wrote and mixed the single "True Faith," which helped to boost the song up to number three on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. In 1987 the band collected and released their best singles as Substance: The Singles 1980–1987. They even caught the attention of filmmakers. New Order appeared in pivotal scenes in 1980s films such as Pretty in Pink (1986) and Bright Lights, Big City (1988).

Two years later they issued Technique (1989), an album with nine bass- and drum-driven tracks, tinged with gravelly, ragged guitar work. With tracks like "Fine Time" it is clear from the start that this is a different, more fully engaged band. The ferocity, energy, and intricacy indicate an ensemble hitting its stride. Technique mixes lean dance-pop songs, guided by deft guitar work with club-ready electronic tracks, such as "Fine Time" and "Round and Round." The album peaked at number thirty-two on the Billboard Top 200 chart in the year of its release.

Shortly after the release of Technique, New Order had a surprise hit single, "World in Motion," which went to number one in England. The song serendipitously became a national anthem because the band is accompanied by England's World Cup soccer team on the track.

A New Decade, a New Sound

In 1993 New Order released the bright and vibrant Republic, and though it did not spawn a host of singles, it peaked at number eleven on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 500,000 copies. Buoyed by the straight-ahead, unequivocal, pop-dance track "Regret," the band's first bona fide radio hit in the United States, Republic is the band's most mainstream effort to date.

New Order never officially broke up, but band members took time off after Republic to engage in side projects. Sumner left the group and formed the band Electronic with the Pet Shop Boys and ex-Smiths member, guitarist Johnny Marr; Hook formed Revenge, while partners Gilbert and Morris went on to create a duo they called the Other Two. New Order issued a new album after a lengthy absence, cheekily titled Get Ready (2001). It peaked at number two on Billboard 's Top Electronic Albums chart, although the album seemed no more electronically oriented than its predecessors. It was hailed by critics and well liked by fans as the welcome return of a band that had disappeared for too long. The guitar-and-reverb-drenched "Crazy" fared well on the dance music charts. An intriguing, layered sound pervades Get Ready.

Although New Order was most prolific in the 1980s, the band created their most memorable work at the cusp of the 1990s. They are best known for innovating the way guitars and electronic music work together to create unerringly danceable songs.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Power, Corruption and Lies (Qwest/Warner Bros., 1983); Substance (Qwest/Warner Bros., 1987); Technique (Qwest/Warner Bros., 1989); Republic (Qwest, 1993); Best of New Order (Warner Bros., 1995); Get Ready (Warner Bros., 2001); International: Greatest Hits (Warner Bros., 2003).

SELECTIVE FILMOGRAPHY:

Pretty in Pink (1986); Bright Lights, Big City (1988).

carrie havranek

New Order, see Germany, 4; see also Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere.