But I Don't Recognize All These Things

New Order has been one of my favorite bands since high school. While I recognize the importance and impact of their previous incarnation, Joy Division, on music, both mainstream and indie; I've always been partial to New Order. Here's a band that suffered the devastating loss of their singer, just as they were about to take the world by storm, but still managed to forge ahead and redefine themselves. Another thing that I've always loved about New Order is that they could knock out a groovy dance track one minute and then come back with a rocking pop song that was just as good, if not better. As a musician, I'm am constantly influenced by this band, whether it be their pop sensibility or their ability to balance upbeat numbers with thematic sincerity.

Ceremony/In a Lonely Place - March 1981 & September 1981

Joy Division is reborn as New Order with this debut single. "Ceremony" was written while the band was still Joy Division, it definitely feels like something completely different. Maybe it's the urgency of a band desperate to move on, but it's played with such fire that the song cannot be denied.

There's two versions of this song recorded in 1981. The March take feels a little sluggish but more raw. The September recording is the definitive version, in my opinion. The tempo is a bit faster, the playing is tighter, and Bernard Sumner's vocals have less reverb. Either way, it's really hard to mess with this song; it's so bloody brilliant.

The b-side "In a Lonely Place" is pretty unremarkable. It's New Order sounding like Joy Division. Where "Ceremony" is a musical look forward, "In a Lonely Place" goes the opposite direction. If anything, it's somewhat of an indication of the type of songs that will appear on the band's first album, Movement. However, "Ceremony" is such an amazing song, that the single is still a winner.

10 out of 10

Procession/Everything's Gone Green - September 1981

New Order follow up their debut single with one that's just as strong. "Procession" begins with a dreamy synth wash that soon gives way to an onslaught of drums, bass, and guitars. Sumner's vocal melody is trance-like and meditative, running counter to the faster pace of the instruments. It's one of his best performances and it's helped out by Gillian Gilbert's backing vocals. Near the last third, Sumner's guitar chops through everything and increases the intensity until Stephen Morris' snare roll signals the synth wash to return, thus ending the song. This is a really fantastic sophmore effort.

Like "In a Lonely Place" before it, "Everything's Gone Green" balances out the a-side's more live arrangement by being more drum machine/synth based. Vocally, Sumner is once again trying to channel the late Ian Curtis. As before, we're given hints of what Movement will be like with this b-side. The bouncy bass line intro, while distorted and choppy, gives hints of what the band's next single, "Temptation" will be like.

10 out of 10