This is the first in a series of my own reviews of some of my favourite singles, first posted in the Cookd & Bombd forums, as part of their "Verbwhores 1000 best singles" thread.
Hope you enjoy.
NEW ORDER "Fine Time"
Factory FAC 223-7
Chart pos #11
New Order go to Ibiza and come back with this.
My first reaction to hearing this single on the radio for the first time was “What the fuck….?”. It sounded absolutely mad. Now I’m talking about the 7” version here. Not the album version, which is longer, rearranged with time to breathe. No, the seven inch, which compacts everything into a three-minute package of dance mentalness (which is odd really as you can’t dance to it).
This wasn’t, and still isn’t typical New Order. The track screams in all guns blazing, with Barney’s semi-angry vocal “You’re much toooooo youuuuuuuuung..” over a busy squelchy acid backing (apparently the genre called Balearic, m’lud). There’s no chorus to speak of. A pastiche of a Barry White lurrrrrve monologue (“Oooooohhhhhhh. Sophisticated laydehhhhhhhhh”). A dead stop in the middle of the track. Weird synthesized voices. No trademark Peter Hook bass until the end. And sheep noises. Add a beautiful Peter Saville sleeve (as ever) and Barney doing Bez-type dancing on prime-time TOTP and you’ve got a winner.
We thought that the “Technique” album would be more of the same. It wasn’t, and I’m glad, because this track stands on it’s own as a gem to be cherished. It hasn’t dated because it sounds like nothing around at that time or since. As innovative as “Blue Monday” but it’ll never get the praise. Except here.
Factory FAC 223-7
Chart pos #11
New Order go to Ibiza and come back with this.
My first reaction to hearing this single on the radio for the first time was “What the fuck….?”. It sounded absolutely mad. Now I’m talking about the 7” version here. Not the album version, which is longer, rearranged with time to breathe. No, the seven inch, which compacts everything into a three-minute package of dance mentalness (which is odd really as you can’t dance to it).
This wasn’t, and still isn’t typical New Order. The track screams in all guns blazing, with Barney’s semi-angry vocal “You’re much toooooo youuuuuuuuung..” over a busy squelchy acid backing (apparently the genre called Balearic, m’lud). There’s no chorus to speak of. A pastiche of a Barry White lurrrrrve monologue (“Oooooohhhhhhh. Sophisticated laydehhhhhhhhh”). A dead stop in the middle of the track. Weird synthesized voices. No trademark Peter Hook bass until the end. And sheep noises. Add a beautiful Peter Saville sleeve (as ever) and Barney doing Bez-type dancing on prime-time TOTP and you’ve got a winner.
We thought that the “Technique” album would be more of the same. It wasn’t, and I’m glad, because this track stands on it’s own as a gem to be cherished. It hasn’t dated because it sounds like nothing around at that time or since. As innovative as “Blue Monday” but it’ll never get the praise. Except here.
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