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    STUDY HALL:
    New Order

    Ironically I had just started first grade, you know the time when the 64 Crayola crayon box was trumped by the kid who sat next to you with the 124 box? In either case, my point is I was young, very young, and yet my life was changed forever the first time I listened to my cousin's Joy Division LP. It's been almost 27 years since the untimely death of Ian Curtis and still, his legend lives on every time I hear New Order play today.

    Out of the rubble of Joy Division rose New Order, one of the most influential and notable bands of the 1980's. Undoubtedly, New Order was ahead of their time with their enigmatic electronic sounds heard by many that frequented the underground club scene. With the perfect blend of new wave and dance, many found a way to express their selves and quite frankly found meaning to many of the moves they displayed on the dance floor.

    As New Order pumped their synth pop tunes into the souls of club goers, it's hard to believe that only 4 years ago in 1976 Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Ian Curtis were all at a Sex Pistols show and soon after announced they would be starting a band of their own called Joy Division.

    After Ian hung himself on May 18, 1980, the remaining distraught members banded together to keep the beat alive and recruited Gillian Gilbert on keyboards. Sumner took over the lead vocals and in March of 1981 New Order debuted with "Ceremony". Check any diehard alternative fan's LP collection and you are sure to fine a gently loved copy of this piece of artwork. Soon after, "Movement" was released and Ian's followers were soon to pass judgment and dismiss New Order's efforts. It wasn't until the release of "Everything's Gone Green" that the use of synthesizers were thrown into the mix and in 1982 "Temptation" started a major trend among club goers.

    So if you're reading this and were born after 1985 this might come as a shock to you, but "Blue Monday" was not originally released by Orgy. It was in fact originally released by New Order in 1983 and was a break through for the band. I might add it was cleverly packaged in a sleeve to mock a computer disk with absolutely no information or flare about the band, giving New Order the undeniably mysterious image. "Blue Monday" was the best selling LP release of all time selling just over 3 million copies around the world. Continuing in the success of 1983, the group teamed with Arthur Baker for the first time to record "Confusion", which eventually won the eye of Quincy Jones' Qwest label. They released a couple of singles you might have heard such as "Thieves Like Us" and "Murder", but once again they took a siesta for about a year and it wasn't until 1985 that we would hear from them again.

    Emerging from the depths of wherever they were hiding and releasing yet another brilliant single "The Perfect Kiss", 1985 brought cheers to the club scene once again with the release of "Low-Life". It was actually the first time they included press photos of all the members with their albums, giving it a personal touch for the fans. 1986 brought the release of "Brotherhood", which included one of my personal favorites, "Bizarre Love Triangle". Unfortunately to their loyal followers, this song is like a dagger to the heart due to the mainstream followers it attracted. In 1987, a collection of singles and remixes were arranged and the release of "Substance" was born. This marked a break through for the band as they hit the Top 40 in the states.

    After the success of "Substance", the band agreed upon another siesta. Hook rounded up another band and called it Revenge while Morris and Gilbert teamed together for a few recordings. In my opinion, the best team up was with Sumner and ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys; they hit it big as Electronic with the single "Getting Away With It". Finally, in 1993 the planets were aligned and New Order came together once again and brought us the release of "Republic", one of their biggest hits to date.

    - Kris with a "K"
    Guidance Counselor, The Edge 101
    Kris with a "K" on MySpace

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