The Unheard Music (Volume III)

Well, the first week of this series was a resounding success, I saw a huge spike in the amount of page views (partial thanks to Jefito, who linked to me and gets tens of thousands of pages views a day) a song that resonated with a lot of you and a lot of comments.  Week two was like a clearance sale, half the amount of page views, one sixth of the comments.  So, I've got my rally cap on and I'm hoping for a bases-clearing double this time.  It's not that I really care much how many (or few) of you visit, I just want you to enjoy it and the only way to objectively quantify that is by looking at my stats pages and the only real subjective feedback is via the comments. To that end, the most 'searched' post ever on this blog is the one I did about a New Order gig I saw in May of 2005 at The Aragon Ballroom.

For context, click on that link above to read my impressions of that show from May of 2005.  I said it then and I'll say it again now: it was not only the best New Order show I've seen (third time's a charm) but one of the best shows I've ever seen, period.  Part of the appeal for me was redemption, after seeing a few mediocre New Order shows, it was great to finally see a great one.  And unlike some of New Order's peers who are content to trot out there and do a "Best Of' set without any new material, NO continue to release new material that sounds great live and on record, if maybe not quite as superb as their earlier work.  That said, Waiting For The Siren's Call (2005) is a far superior album to Republic (1993) which with the exception of "Regret" was shite.

I mentioned in my 'review' that among the highlights were the performances of three (!) Joy Division songs which before that tour hadn't been played live in twenty-five years, since Ian died in 1980.  And since Joy Division never toured the States, it was the first time those songs were ever played live in Chicago.  Through the comments of my 2005 post, I was able to secure a copy of this show, complete with New Orderesque artwork and a comprehensive track listing. For a Mini-Disc recording, the sound quality of this show is pretty great, good job, Drew and thanks, Andy. For today's 'The Unheard Music' post, I've included two of the three JD songs New Order did that night, a rare treat indeed. Enjoy!

"Transmission" New Order 5/3/05 Aragon Ballroom  comes complete with a Peter Hook dedication to Joe Shanahan, a Chicago legend, click the link to read about him.

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" New Order 5/3/05 Aragon Ballroom  And yes, it does seem odd to have Bernard Sumner singing the vocal on this but it's still a stirring track.

I guess that I have a copy of this show makes it even more valuable now if this is true.  In the comments, indicate of you're a Joy Division or New Order fan and/or any personal JD/NO memories.  Have a great weekend.

Comments

[Jeff]

Are bands like New Order allowed to break up? Surely they just diffuse after a tour and then regroup when they need a bit of cash.

Great tracks this week - but is that you singing along I can hear? Also, New Order shouldn't speak - they sound like Mancunian door men!

Trouble with last week is that you called them a 'local' band. That'll sink interest by 90% for sure. Call them the next hot indie act from somewhere cool like Bristol or Vancouver next time ;-)

[ken]

It's not me singing. I didn't 'boot' this show, our pal Drew did, I think.

Also, you're totally right about the 'local' angle, I was initially put off by the local thing at first with those guys. It's an unfair stigma, Chicago has had a pretty amazing track record of outstanding local product over the last two decades. I shoulda called them a Wicker Park band, as they are, that's hipper than local.

[Jeff]

Yeah - no one could knock Chicago's music - but 'local' could mean Arlington Heights.

[mattbarr]

Didn't New Order break up once before? In fact, I have a Monaco CD to prove it. Nice tracks- I love the crowd reaction when the band starts playing. You can hear one guy saying, "oh my GOD!"

[Jay]

It sounds a lot like Ian is singing when Peter Hook chimes in on the chorus of Transmission. Definitely a great recording for a minidisc. Drew is the king of rare Joy Division/New Order recordings.

I'll bet money New Order hasn't played their last show. It's amazing what a little time apart and large check can do. Monaco, Electronic, and The Other Two don't seem to have too much going on either. New Order's last Chicago show should be at Metro.

[Justin]

I'm with Jay on all counts.

[drew]

And not a minute too soon do I check this blog ;)

Yeah, I minidisc'ed this gig. Hadn't booted a gig in years and forgot to set the "preamp" switch on the recorder for a loud source, hence it's a bit distorted. But not bad, and surprisingly to this day I don't think there's another source for this show.

Ken's comments are spot-on. This was only my 2nd New Order gig (first one being the World in '93) but it rawked. And it was the first gig I'd been to at the Brawlroom since 1990 having sworn off that arena forever - took these guys to bring me out of my boycott. Well worth it too... BTW my wife spent the entire gig standing next to Sean Hayes and his gang, while I was up front recording.

Guess I can open up about this a bit now - when the Joy Division remasters/reissues (in 2-disc packages) come out in the UK on Monday, and the US at the end of October, check the credits for the Closer and Still releases ;)

drew