SONG OF THE DAY (#175)

'touched by the hand of god,' by new order

i remember the day i got a cassette copy of 'substance.' it was probably 1988 and i was at the university mall with my mom. we walked into the musicland, and being the budding audiophile i was, i carefully looked over racks and racks of tapes. i found 'substance' (i didn't know, at that point, that it was a collection of 12" singles. all i did know was that 'blue monday' and 'bizarre love triangle' were on it. that was all that really mattered) and i wanted that cassette desperately. i asked and my mom if i could get it and she bought it for me. i doubt we could have even afforded it at the time, but she bought it anyway. i don't think she knew how much it meant to me (or maybe she knew exactly how much it meant to me) and i don't know that i ever thanked her properly. and if i didn't, thanks mom! you're the best!

i remember riding the bus to timpview high school with a walkman i traded my friend for. i don't know what it cost me, but no price was too small and i never once had a second thought about that swap. for weeks i got to listen to 20 minutes of new order every morning. and it was great. i don't know what happened, but eventually i moved on from new order. i listened to them every now and then, but depeche mode was eventually crowned king of matt's kingdom with erasure the queen (haha. that's funny), and o.m.d the....the....royal chef? i dunno.

but in the last two years or so, i've rediscovered new order. i don't know exactly the why or the how, but gradually they seeped back into my world. i started listening to them again. and a lot. i don't think more than a few days went by where i didn't listen to them. maybe it started was the morning i literally woke up with the keyboard line to 'thieves like us' playing over and over in my head, but whatever it was, i cracked open those records and i swear, they sounded brand spankin' new. it was like discovering a new planet for the second time. maybe it's because i've grown up a bit. maybe it's because i understand music better. maybe it's because i can now see how revolutionary new order really was. who else was blending electronica and rock in 1984? no one.

and i didn't even go back to 'blue monday' and 'bizarre love triangle.' it was 'ceremony,' 'everything's gone green,' 'thieves like us,' and 'love vigilantes.' it was 'brotherhood,' 'power, corruption & lies,' and 'technique' (possibly the greatest dance record ever). looking back, they could do no wrong. remember the first time you heard 'blue monday?' (still the highest selling 12" of all time, and for good reason). remember the first time you saw the video for 'round & round' on postmodern mtv? remember the first time you heard peter hook's bass? remember seeing stephen morris pounding away at his electronic drum kit and still looking cool? and what about gillian gilbert: ubersynthbabe? i loved that she always looked classy and never fell into the angry-rock-girl cliche. her keyboards lines are often the stars of the new order show.

when it comes down to it, the most important bands to come out of the UK during the 80s are the smiths and new order. can anyone really even argue that?

and now i don't really care that peter hook has quit new order (again?). i don't really care i never got to see them live. i don't care that gillian left the band a long time ago (but i'm glad that she and stephen married and have a family!). i don't care that bernie and hooky have added a few pounds, wink wink. i don't care because i still have loads of new order songs to listen to. and when i do, i'm 14 again and i don't have a care in the world. and thanks, mom, for making a 14 year old kid the happiest kid in provo. :)

my faves:

��� new order: touched by the hand of god
��� new order: thieves like us (12")
��� new order: run
��� new order: regret
��� new order: every little counts (just 'cos it's hilarious)

p.s. if you need more proof that new order rules, just check out bernie's awesome wardrobe in this video taken live from the bbc in 1984. priceless.