Episode 49: Electronic’s “Electronic” (1991)

Summary

Accelerated Culture Podcast Summary
Episode 49: Electronic’s “Electronic” (1991)
Release Date: August 31, 2024

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Introduction and Shoutouts

In the latest episode of the Accelerated Culture podcast, hosts Lori and Scott Free delve into the intricacies of Electronic's self-titled debut album released in 1991. Before diving into the album analysis, Lori extends heartfelt shoutouts to dedicated listeners:

• Joe from Missouri: A loyal follower who also hosts the podcast A Carpenter and a Barber Walk into a Bar, with an upcoming episode featuring Lori's experiences with the Thrill Kill Cult.
• Jeff: A new co-worker and enthusiastic commuter listener, who Lori playfully hopes hasn't altered her professional image.
• Brian: Lori’s nephew who sparked interest in the Cocteau Twins, leading him to join the podcast's growing audience.

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Overview of Electronic’s “Electronic” Album

Electronic, formed by Bernard Sumner of New Order and Johnny Marr of The Smiths, emerged as a pivotal supergroup in the early '90s alternative music scene. This debut album represents a fusion of their distinctive sounds, blending synth-driven melodies with alternative rock elements. The hosts highlight the album's significance in charting the rise of alternative music post-new wave dominance in the '80s.

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Formation and Background of Electronic

The genesis of Electronic dates back to 1988 when Bernard Sumner, seeking creative rejuvenation during New Order's hiatus, collaborated with Johnny Marr following The Smiths' dissolution in 1987. Both artists viewed the collaboration as a creative outlet rather than a traditional supergroup venture. Sumner remarked, "Electronic was very much a pressure release valve for the two of us." Marr echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the need for a partnership that understood their respective band dynamics.

Their collaboration faced initial skepticism from Peter Hook of New Order, who likened the partnership to "seeing your girlfriend out with someone else." Despite internal reservations, the project flourished, leading to their first live performance opening for Depeche Mode at the sold-out Dodgers Stadium—a significant milestone that propelled the album's completion.

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Track-by-Track Analysis

1. Idiot Country

Lyrics Excerpt:
“We could do what we wanted to do and a young one live forever and the sun would shine through the blue if we got our hands on this nation we could do what we wanted to do.”
Timestamp: [27:09]

Lori and Scott express mixed feelings about this opening track. While Johnny Marr's distinctive twangy guitar delivers a strong start, Bernard Sumner's attempt at rapping received criticism. Scott notes, "You can't talk about this song without talking about that Bernard Sumner, white English guy, rapping." Despite the lyrical missteps, the song's choruses and instrumental elements maintain Electronic's musical strengths.

2. Reality

Lyrics Excerpt:
“I don't need you anymore I'm not the man you're looking for I don't need you anymore.”
Timestamp: [32:16]

Described as a quintessential New Order-style track, "Reality" features a 4-on-the-floor kick and syncopated piano chords. Lori praises the song's catchy melody, while Scott highlights its danceable nature, reminiscent of the Technique era of New Order.

3. Tighten Up

Lyrics Excerpt:
“How can we be free? We both need each other like sister and brother.”
Timestamp: [35:18]

Featuring drummer Donald Johnson, "Tighten Up" is lauded for Johnny Marr's unmistakable acoustic guitar and strong lyrical content. The track achieved significant chart success, reaching number six on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks. Additionally, David Copperfield utilized this song during his live shows, underscoring its widespread appeal.

4. Confession

Lyrics Excerpt:
“Can't you see there's nothing in your head and your body's on vacation.”
Timestamp: [54:07]

"Confession" stands out as a mid-tempo synth-driven march with notable instrumental diversity, including tubular bells and an oboe solo by Helen Powell. Scott praises the track for its unique elements, stating, "This is the best song on the album," while Lori resonates with its emotional depth.

5. Getting Away With It

Lyrics Excerpt:
“I’ve been walking in the rain just to get wet on purpose.”
Timestamp: [42:19]

The album's breakout single, "Getting Away With It," co-written by Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys, blends melodic synth lines with poignant lyrics. Morrissey critiqued the song in the press, humorously naming it after the band's perceived appropriation of his style. Nonetheless, the track's success—peaking at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100—cements its place as Electronic's most recognized single.

6. Gangster

Lyrics Excerpt:
“I'd like to read, I'd like to write but where I live I learn to fight.”
Timestamp: [52:09]

"Gangster" incorporates hip-hop inspired beats but falters lyrically, portraying the complexities of a white English gangster. The track's heavy synths and rock elements make it reminiscent of New Order's Technique era, though it struggles to fully integrate Marr's guitar prowess.

7. Feel Every Beat

Lyrics Excerpt:
“Have you ever been a victim in a violent fight?”
Timestamp: [73:16]

Closing the album, "Feel Every Beat" features dual drummers—David Palmer and Donald Johnson—to deliver a robust, beat-heavy track. Johnny Marr's compelling guitar riffs and the inclusion of Denise Johnson's backing vocals elevate the song, making it a standout conclusion. Marr has cited this track as one of his proudest achievements, reflecting the band's cohesive sound.

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Reflections and Impact

Lori and Scott agree that Electronic's debut album successfully merges the talents of Sumner and Marr, despite some experimental missteps. The collaboration, initially intended as a low-key project, evolved into a significant force within the alternative music landscape, drawing comparisons to their respective main bands while carving out a unique identity.

The album's fusion of synth-pop with alternative rock elements not only showcased the duo's versatility but also influenced the trajectory of '90s alternative music. Tracks like "Getting Away With It" demonstrated Electronic's ability to transcend their original bands' sounds, appealing to a broader audience and leaving a lasting legacy.

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Conclusion and Future Episodes

Wrapping up the episode, Lori and Scott reflect on Electronic's enduring influence and hint at the band's subsequent projects, including collaborations with artists like Carl Bartos from Kraftwerk. Looking ahead, the hosts tease the next episode's deep dive into Big Audio Dynamite 2's album The Globe, promising insightful analysis of another cornerstone in alternative music history.

Notable Quotes:

• Bernard Sumner: "Electronic was very much a pressure release valve for the two of us." [14:10]
• Johnny Marr: "The first time Bernard, Johnny, Neil, and Chris had written together was one of the easiest times I've had writing with anybody." [40:05]
• Scott Free: "Getting away with it... was just such a good song. An amazing single." [76:53]
• Johnny Marr (2007): "Maybe the track I'm most proud of out of my whole career." [61:11]

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Stay tuned to Accelerated Culture for more in-depth explorations of pivotal albums that shaped the alternative music scene. For more information and to listen to the podcast, visit AcceleratedCulturePodcast.com.

Transcript

[Lori]

Order for Jennifer C. Is this my double shot, double cream, double froth, double pump, double whip, double sleeve? Uh, yeah. Can you handle that much caffeine? Did you know Discover automatically doubles all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year? Oh, really? That's great.

[Scott Free]

Seriously.

[Lori]

Did you know Discover automatically doubles all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year? Yeah, you. You just said that. Did you say I just said that? Yeah. I'm cutting you off. I can't have any more. Why not? You earn.

[Scott Free]

We match.

[Lori]

Discover cash back match.

[Scott Free]

See [e-mail] credit card.

[Lori]

Welcome to the Accelerated Culture podcast. A sonic journey through the vibrant and revolutionary sounds of the 1980s and 1990s. And now 2024 Webby Honoree for best indie podcast. I'm Lori, along with my co host, Scott Free, and in this podcast we explore how new waves stormed the airwaves in the early 80s and gave way for the rise of alternative music in the ninet us on the [e-mail] hello, and welcome back to the Accelerated Culture podcast.

[Scott Free]

I'm Lori and I am Scott Free. Welcome back.

[Lori]

How's everything, Scott?

[Scott Free]

You know, crazy couple of weeks since I talked to you last, but I'd say things are going pretty good.

[Lori]

In all the time that you have been doing this with me, I can't think of a single time where you said, oh, yeah, I had a relaxing, boring two weeks. It's always a crazy week.

[Scott Free]

They're always crazy weeks. It's true. That is fair.

[Lori]

It's really, really storming right now as as we're recording, and I am really hoping that we don't lose power. So, yeah, we'll see what happens here.

[Scott Free]

Yeah, we're in the. Experiencing a micro burst here in Chicago. So hopefully you all out there in podcast land are warm and dry and ready to settle in and hear about a very good album.

[Lori]

Awesome. Well, hey, before we get into today's album Deep Dive, I've got a couple shout outs I want to give.

[Scott Free]

Oh, yes.

[Lori]

Okay, so the first shout out is Joe in Missouri. Joe's been following our podcast for some time now, and he's always leaving comments and likes. And Joe has a podcast called A Carpenter and a Barber Walk into a Bar, so I urge everybody to check it out. Actually, he just teased that they're working on an episode about my life with the Thrill Kill Cult.

[Scott Free]

Oh, nice.

[Lori]

Yeah, so I cannot even imagine how.

[Scott Free]

A podcast about a carpenter and a barber walking into a bar, which I Would think would be a podcast about jokes, but it could just as easily be a podcast about skilled trades. Manages to have an episode about my life with a trochial cult. That seems worth a listen. Thanks, Joe.

[Lori]

It's basically two friends just kind of riffing on everything and they kind of go all over the place. So I don't think the entire episode is going to be dedicated to that. But Joe, we really appreciate your support.

[Scott Free]

Yeah, thanks for listening, Jeff.

[Lori]

I also want to give a shout out to my new co worker, Jeff, who's been listening to us on his rides to and from campus. And Jeff, I hope this has not totally ruined your impression of me.

[Scott Free]

She's still the consummate professional, but the consummate professional with the history and very specific taste in music.

[Lori]

And a potty mouse.

[Scott Free]

And the potty.

[Lori]

Yes, yes. So, Jeff, thanks for tuning in. Nice to have you with us. And then the third shout out I want to give is to my nephew Brian. He texted me earlier this week and he asked me, have you ever heard of a band called the Cocteau Twins?

[Scott Free]

Never heard of them. Oh, wait.

[Lori]

So he started listening as well. So, Brian, love you, kiddo. Thanks for listening.

[Scott Free]

Thanks for listening, Brian.

[Lori]

All right, well, I chose the album this week and I really excited because this is one of my favorite albums of 1991. We are talking about the eponymous first album by the super group Electronic.

[Scott Free]

Electronic. Yeah. I remember vividly when I first heard about this group because the first single came out well in advance of the album and being particularly excited about the whole supergroup concept.

[Lori]

The two core members of Electronic are Bernard Sumner, who is the lead singer of New Order, Johnny Marr, the former guitarist for the Smiths. And the idea was that they would have like a rotating lineup of guests. And on this first album, the guests are Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of the Pet Shop Boys.

[Scott Free]

Yeah, and you know, I. I remember hearing about the group when it came out. It was hyped up on MTV's 120 Minutes. And I saw the first CD single on the shelves with a write up at Warehouse Records in Ann Arbor and it was promoted as a supergroup. And you're music fans, you all know what we're talking about when we say supergroup. Like the original supergroup was the Yardbirds, and the early 80s had Asia and the mid-80s had the firm. We hadn't seen a big supergroup in a while here. And this was really the first supergroup of the new wave and alternative era. That said, researching this episode and seeing interviews With Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr, they both bristled at the supergroup label. They really saw it not as, as one of them said, a refuge for celebrities, but as just a team up between the two of them. This was two guys who either had seen the big band that put them on the map, end in the case of the Smiths and under somewhat acrimonious circumstances, and New Order, who was taking a break, it was the two of them. They were doing things that they would not be able to do in the context of their own bands. And so this was really just a songwriting and performing duo who was gonna have a guest here or there. Once you add that third group with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, it really takes on the look of a supergroup, whether it was intended to or not. And particularly with the singles that they released, it sure as hell looked like a supergroup. If it walks like a supergroup and it talks like a supergroup, it's probably a supergroup.

[Lori]

Nice. Before we get into the history of how this project came about, I'd like to mention where I'm getting my information from. I guess that's the academic in me, right? I always have to cite my sources.

[Scott Free]

That is fair.

[Lori]

The three books that I've been drawing on for this episode. The first one was Shadow the Rise and Fall of Factory Records by James Nice, chapter and Verse, New Joy Division In Me by Bernard Sumner, and Set the Boy the Autobiography by Johnny Marr. So I've been hitting the books pretty hard this week, Scott.

[Scott Free]

I, on the other hand, never learned how to read, so I'm mostly going with videos as seen on YouTube from MTV Europe, MTV News of the day, a Japanese TV interview from 1991, and then your obligatory Wikipedias and others. So I'll name drop those as we go.

[Lori]

Hey, this actually originated back in the first half of 1988. New Order was on a bit of a hiatus.

[Scott Free]

There was talk that New Order might be done. Particularly the British music press loves to Rumor Monger and Sensationalize. So, oh yeah, Rake is tantamount to the end. And so there was a lot of speculation about it at the time. Actually, the origins of the band go even farther back. Bernard Sumner says, and this is from electronic 1991 EPK, Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner in conversation. Sumner says, I was producing a record by a Manchester group called Quando Kwongo, which was Mike Pickering, the Hacienda DJs group. And Johnny came to do a session on guitar and I produced the session and we just got on Then and later on, we agreed to work together. From this Japanese TV interview. Once again, great Johnny Marr quote. It goes on for a bit, but bear with me. Somebody told me that Bernard was working on a solo project and that he was interested in writing with me. So on a trip to America, I arranged to meet Bernard after a New Order concert and we met up and discussed it. And then when the tour was finished, we met up at my place in Manchester and discussed it further and started cracking on it.

[Lori]

1988, 89, if I'm not mistaken, that was the New Order show in San Francisco.

[Scott Free]

Wow. Oddly specific, but I'll take it. Yes. And so when we first started the record, first started writing, Bernard was rehearsing stuff for Technique, the 1989 New Order album. What are your favorites? If I'm not off my mark.

[Lori]

Yeah. And as a matter of fact, Rob and I did an album deep Dive on that one. So go back and give that episode a listen, guys. It was a good one.

[Scott Free]

I of course, listened to that and enjoyed that episode very much.

[Lori]

Thank you.

[Scott Free]

I totally did not listen to it, but I will.

[Lori]

Okay, so. No, that's fine.

[Scott Free]

But he was writing stuff for Technique and I was working with and rehearsing on Mind Bomb, the album side note. I love the. The so very much.

[Lori]

Okay.

[Scott Free]

And for their first two albums, even to say their first two albums. For the first two albums, it was Matt Johnston's albums. He is very much a solo visionary. The third album, Mind Bomb, he brought Johnny Marr in as the guitarist and had a full on band, really, for the first time in the creation of the album, start to finish. And so again, as a huge Dada fan, having Johnny Marr on there, also being a huge Smiths fan, I was pretty excited about that. So that's the context in which hearing that a Johnny Marr project was also a Bernard Sumner project, very excited.

[Lori]

And as I understand it, and this struck me as odd because I found this in all three sources, Bernard disagreed with the rest of the band because he wanted to explore using synths more. And the rest of the band, I guess, didn't. Which is really weird because I think of New Order as a synth band.

[Scott Free]

Well, it's a yes, but okay. Those of you who have been listening along for weeks, months and years now will recall our episode on the Happy Mondays, Pills and Thrills and Billy Aches where we talked about the Manchester scene. And you can't talk about the Manchester scene without talking about Joy Division. And you can't talk about Joy Division with noting the unceremonious scene, what I did there end to that band. Rest in peace, Ian. And then the formation of New Order. And when New Order started, there was a rock band that made songs that were suitable for a dance floor at the Hacienda, the famed Factory Records dance club. But they weren't electronic dance songs per se. As New Order kept making albums, more and more synths, more and more drum machines, more and more sequencers got worked into it. But they were still at their heart, a rock band. There was always a guitar presence. There was a bass presence. Until you start getting into some of the huge 12 inches that we then saw compiled onto New Order substance. Where, yeah, go looking for a guitar riff on the blue Monday 12 inch mix. It is a churning synth and sequencer drum machine, machine making these songs. So for the band to kind of come to odds about Bernard wanting to do more synths, it's like, how many more synths can you cram in there, really? The rock aspect had kind of largely dropped out of the band by this point.

[Lori]

Bernard Sumner described it as going on strike from New Order. And then Johnny Marr was coming straight off of the breakup of the Smiths in 1987.

[Scott Free]

So it had been a few years.

[Lori]

Yeah. But I get the feeling that there was still some bitterness there.

[Scott Free]

Right. Can you imagine being in a breakup with Morrissey and not being bitter?

[Lori]

I guess that's a good point. Yep.

[Scott Free]

Right. There's no such thing as an easy breakup with Morrissey.

[Lori]

Yeah.

[Scott Free]

Look at the entire Smith's catalog of lyrics.

[Lori]

There you go.

[Scott Free]

For evidence.

[Lori]

Well, okay, so I have a couple quotations. Bernard said electronic was very much a pressure release valve for the two of us. The Smiths had actually split up. Whereas I just needed to get a bit of distance between New Order and myself in order to revive my creative energy. What I like most of all is the writing, the invention. And in the late 80s, that creative spark needed reigniting in Johnny. I found the perfect partner at the right time. That's one. And then Johnny Marr in his memoir said both of us needed to work with someone on a personal level who understood the trip that both of us had been through with our groups. We were two musicians who wanted to get away from the suffocating politics of the band. At the same time, it was okay for duos and DJs and non groups to make records. And that really appealed to Bernard and me. We saw ourselves more in the tradition of Bern and Eno, with a lot of technotronics and fx.

[Scott Free]

Sure. I have One quote from Bernard Sumner about the band as well, and that was, the advantages are in that we've got much more freedom, you know, and there's less egos to deal with. What the disadvantages with that there are less. So he liked being able to work with Johnny one on one and not have so many people in the band trying to put in their two cents. It was the two of them. And as we'll talk about as we go on, their recording process was such that sometime it was just one of them. One of them would lay down the instrumentals and they were sometimes working asynchronously. One would come to the studio and be like, okay, here is what the other guy has saved on the computer so far. And it's a pretty fully fleshed out song. Then they would do the lyrics and the vocals last, and sometimes that would be at the 11th hour where it's just a, hey, we gotta come up with something right now.

[Lori]

Yes, and I'm sure we'll get to that, the. The whole 11th hour thing for sure. So then, from what I understand, Johnny Marr really was enjoying working with the synths and was trying to learn as much as he could about the synth programming. And Bernard said I could play as many synthesizers as I wanted without sensing bad vibes. Yet while I was delighted with that, I was still keen for him to carry on playing brilliant guitar.

[Scott Free]

Yeah, I will tell you, excited as I was when this album came out for this team up, New Order plus the Smiths. Because implied in the Johnny Marr Smiths angle is we're gonna get some Johnny Marr guitar work. On my first listen to the entire album when it finally came out. Boy, you can listen hard. And there are only a few areas where there is distinctly Johnny Marr guitar happening. But it's also not a New Order album. It walks that line. But if you're looking for a Smith's album, you ain't gonna find it here.

[Lori]

Yeah, that's absolutely accurate. And then back to your comment about the rumors that New Order was going to break up. I did read that Peter Hook was really upset when he found out about this. He said, yeah. He said when Barney was doing electronic with Johnny Marr, it was like seeing your girlfriend out with someone else.

[Scott Free]

Yeah.

[Lori]

Yeah. So I guess In March of 1988, the project expanded with the addition of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. They spent several days at Johnny Marr's home studio, and what emerged was that first single that you had mentioned. And we'll talk about a little bit More when we get to the deep dive. And that is called getting away with it. Bernard had said the intention was to record an album first, but it was such an obvious single that we had to put it out.

[Scott Free]

Yeah.

[Lori]

And then we'd be waiting 18 months for the album that followed to be released.

[Scott Free]

That was a long wait.

[Lori]

It was.

[Scott Free]

So the first single came out at the end of 1989 in the UK, 1990 in the US, and the album didn't come out until May of 1991. That's an insanely long wait from first single till album drop.

[Lori]

Yeah.

[Scott Free]

So they're taking break from their project. We were working on really long weekends and their respective main projects and then come back again to work on the weekend. And then Bernard went to Spain to record Technique and Johnny went to London to do Mind Bomb. And then Bernard went on to do a tour. Eventually they were doing other projects, remixes and things like that. And Johnny did some work with Stax and with the Pet Shop Boys on their album Behavior. Anyways, that takes them around to the time they did the first gig. In the same interview, Bernard continues, the first concert we played was with Depeche Mode at Dodgers Stadium, because we got a phone call from the group and they asked us to play a concert at Shea Stadium. We thought it'd be a wacky thing for electronic to play their first concert at Shea Stadium, but they couldn't make the Shea Stadium one work, so they did the Dodgers Stadium one instead. Which is like only when you were a supergroup of this caliber can your first live show be at a stadium. One of the biggest in the us. But hey, they're opening for Depeche Mode. It's going to be a big show.

[Lori]

And it was a sold out show, too.

[Scott Free]

Love it.

[Lori]

And that was a very powerful motivator for them to finish the music. So I have another quotation from Barney here. Incidentally, Barney is Bernard's nickname. In case our listeners are wondering. Who the hell is Barney? His nickname's Barney Rubble. Seriously. So Barney said, you usually finish the album, then start programming it all to play live. We did it all about Face. The gig made us get the album finished. We just couldn't stop writing and we needed to stop at some point just to get any of the ideas completed.

[Scott Free]

So that was their debut at that Dodger Stadium show. No one had ever heard those songs before. That was the first time they had been played live or on album. And so, as you're saying, yeah, they premiered them to a sold out Depeche Mode show. And then we're like, oh, yeah, we should really finish these songs.

[Lori]

Yes.

[Scott Free]

And.

[Lori]

And it's my understanding that Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe did join them on stage at that show in la.

[Scott Free]

Yeah, the Pet Shop Boys were opening for electronic. We're opening for Depeche Mode. Or is that the correct order? Was it electronic? Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode?

[Lori]

I don't know. But, man, wouldn't it be awesome to have a time machine and be able to go back to that show?

[Scott Free]

Yeah, that's a hell of a trip.

[Lori]

With the Violator Tour and everything. Oh, my God, I would give anything to see that they're with you, sister. Yeah.

[Scott Free]

This collaboration was, as I've already talked about, sort of a between other projects thing. And a great quote, this is from a 1991 MTV News interview, quote is, we thought, somewhat naively, that we could slip records out the back door of the factory, that they weren't necessarily intent on producing whole albums at a time, as was the case with New Order and the Smiths. Oftentimes they would just put out a single. Neither of those bands really released a single. It would be a single with at least two other tracks that you generally release them three at a time on an EP or maxi single. So they thought they were just going to be able to throw out a record here or there, and that would be the project. And then it just sort of evolved. The music industry and the music press in particular, took note of this massive collaboration. And so the hype machine sort of mandated a bigger, higher profile version of the project. But let's see here, the other one. We thought electronic was going to be more low key than it was. Oddly. The plan was to continue putting out electronic content in between New Order and the project, but that is not how it played out. Okay, one other quote was just on the nature of this collaboration. And again, this is Bernard Sumner. I don't think that what we do is too radical anyway. I think that it's got a hint of radicalness in it, but it's not, by no means, you know, unapproachable. They were making pop music with slight rock elements, but it was intended for dance floors. But it wasn't intended necessarily with the Listen to the album at home listener in mind as much as anything. This was dance floor music, as was the Manchester way, really.

[Lori]

So, Scott, do you know how they came up with the name Electronic?

[Scott Free]

I do not.

[Lori]

Oh, this is a fun story.

[Scott Free]

All right.

[Lori]

Johnny Marr and Bernard were meeting with Peter Saville to discuss the COVID Artwork for the single Getting Away With It. And they did not have a name for a band yet. Peter Saville, the legendary graphic designer who did a lot of work for Factory Records. And Peter was pressing them. Hey, what is the name of your band? So Bernard looked around the room and saw an air conditioner, and the air conditioner had the word electronic on it. So he pointed to the air conditioner and told Peter Seville, we're called electronic. See, I knew you'd get a kick out of that.

[Scott Free]

Yeah, brilliant.

[Lori]

Yeah.

[Scott Free]

It's one of those stories that is so dumb it has to be true.

[Lori]

Well, you know, there's an even dumber story about when the guys were touring to promote this album.

[Scott Free]

Oh, yeah?

[Lori]

Yeah. So they were in New York to promote the album, and Johnny and Bernard were out looking for a party. They went to a soul club. They didn't like it, so they just went outside. Bernard said there was a pickup truck parked outside with a group of people in the back who I decided looked like they knew what was going on. I called out to them and asked them if there was a party going on anywhere. A voice replied that there was and we should jump in the back of the truck. So we hopped in. I said, we just arrived and we're looking for a party. When I asked where we were going, he said there was a house party in Harlem. So off we went. Then someone else turned round and said, fucking hell, New order. It turned out to be Seal.

[Scott Free]

Wow.

[Lori]

Yes. Now it even gets better.

[Scott Free]

Sorry, sorry, but dare I say that's a little bit crazy? Lyrics to his single Crazy Never going.

[Lori]

To survive unless we get a little bit crazy. Ah, okay. So anyway, they were out partying with Seal all night, and then the next morning, they had to be at a radio station to do a promo. Bernard was really, really in a bad way. I mean, he had a serious hangover. And then Johnny said, don't worry, Bernard, I'll handle this one on my own. You just stay here. So Johnny went to the radio station to do the interview on his own. He was trying to cover for Bernard. And so here again, this is Bernard in his memoir. Oh, it's really Bad News, he said, summoning all the gravitas his stinking hangover could muster. Bernard spent the night in the hospital with his stomach ulcers. This was the story we'd put out in Chicago when we'd had to cancel the Detroit gig. Good thinking, Johnny, I thought. But then the DJ said, really? That's strange, because we had Seal in just before you. He Said you and Bernard were both still partying when he left you at 7:00 this morning, but I just thought that was hysterical.

[Scott Free]

Good times, you know, I think that pretty much tells you how the album came to be. Let's see how the album shaped up. Let's do that track by track. Well, let's start at the beginning. Track one. Idiot country.

[C]

We could do what we wanted to do and a young one live forever and the sun would shine through the blue if we got our hands on this nation we could do what we wanted to do.

[Scott Free]

Okay, so right out the gate. I love the kind of Mad Chestery, but even harsher, Fuzzier Wawa guitars. I'm a sucker for a Wawa, but this has a harsh metallic tone to it. This, I believe it's safe to say, is some Johnny Marr guitar work. So starting strong, giving the fans of all this music what they wanted out of an electronic album. And then Bernard Sumner raps, sort of. I don't. I don't. I don't love that.

[Lori]

You know, that's funny. So here's exactly what I wrote in my notes. Begins with Johnny Mars twangy guitar. Barney, please don't rap. It's a good song otherwise.

[Scott Free]

Yeah. So, like, you can't talk about this song without talking about that Bernard Sumner, white English guy, rapping. You get lines like, I get a lot of fun emotion, I get none. If I use you I would crawl across the ocean so I could not abuse you that is. That is not great.

[Lori]

But the sung choruses are really, really good.

[Scott Free]

Yes. An open act of defiance.

[Lori]

And it's aimed direct with you. We could form some kind of alliance we could do what we wanted to.

[Scott Free]

Do and the young would live forever and the sun would shine through the.

[Lori]

Blue if we got our hands on this nation we could do what we wanted to do all right, so now that's good.

[Scott Free]

And that's playing to the band's strengths.

[Lori]

Absolutely.

[Scott Free]

That could be a New Order chorus, but the verses are unfortunate.

[Lori]

That's a good word.

[Scott Free]

But then the melodic keyboard line comes in with that chorus and the sort of whistling later mirrors those keyboard lines. I like that. It feels like a New Order sort of thing. The chorus again, this feels like it could be a track from New Order's 1989 album Technique. And then at 3:09, there's an actual honest to God guitar solo. And again that distortiony wah, wah. And it's not your typical melodic solo, just a big, loud, fast, strummed set of chords. But I Like that.

[Lori]

And Johnny Marr really isn't known for the guitar solo. He doesn't do those very often.

[Scott Free]

Not a lot, no. So you know, it's more of a guitar feature than a solo per se. It's not a melodic line, it's a. A lot of chunky chords, fast. So here's the thing then back to the verses and Bernard Sumner rapping. I am not just an aficionado of classic alternative. I am also a huge fan of classic hip hop. And in fact, before you invited me to co host this podcast several years ago, I was the producer and co host of a hip hop comics sci fi podcast called the Fly Nerd Group Shout out to my Flying Nerds. I miss you guys. Which is all to say that I know a thing or two about rap lyrics and flow and this is not good. The rest of the song is great and in fact if you like, I do cringe at that aspect of the song. There is a 12 inch single remix called Idiot Country 2 that leaps straight into the parts of the song that you like and leaves the Bernard rapping out entirely. It's a better song.

[Lori]

I did not know that. I'm going to have to look for that one.

[Scott Free]

Idiot country two. That's the way.

[Lori]

Idiot country two.

[Scott Free]

Okay, so it is an inauspicious start to the album. I also remember that excited having gotten the CD single for getting away with it, the first single from the album and then I put in the album for the first time and hear that and it's just like oh you oh oh no. But also there's good aspects to it. It's not a write off, it's not a total loss but it leaves you wondering what this album is going to shape up to be and you start to find out on track two, what.

[Lori]

Is that second track Lori Reality.

[C]

With a feeling of frustration. I always thought that if you understood you'd clean up this mess and you do me some good. I don't need you anymore I'm not the man you're looking for I don't need you anymore.

[Lori]

You know this song gets stuck in my head actually. I don't know if you've heard me when, when we took a break earlier I was humming it. It just gets. It gets stuck in my head especially you know that I don't need you anymore I'm not the man you're looking for. And it's just a really good all around song.

[Scott Free]

This feels like a straight up Technique era new order track.

[Lori]

Yes, it does.

[Scott Free]

Like this could be a B side from one of the singles from Technique. And you would not think twice about it. 120 beats per minute. 4 on the floor kick. It's an electronic dance track. Yeah, it's got those early 90s electronic snare rushes and some very new ordery drum machine sounds, including an electronic cowbell thing bell that just sort of, you know. It's syncopated but Bellaric house. It could be heard on a dance floor in Ibiza at the time. And you'd be like, huh, I did not know that. New order Trek. And you wouldn't think twice about it. The chorus, which if you don't remember the song by name, reality, the chorus, you might remember. I don't need you anymore. I'm not the man you're looking for. That's just pure New order right there. But then Johnny does come in with some chucka chuck wah wah guitar. And again, you're happy about that. It still has that rock, even though it's a straight up or on the floor dance floor track.

[Lori]

Absolutely.

[Scott Free]

Just a little bit more of the lyrics that I enjoyed. Can't you see there's nothing in your head and your body's on vacation kind of a diss track. And then there's those syncopated piano chords. It is still Manchester in the early 90s, so that's very much Madchester sound. And then at 4:16 you have some very new order ish synth sequencing. And it's what you would expect out of a Barney Rubble project.

[Lori]

Okay, so what's next?

[Scott Free]

Ah, that brings us to the third track, Tighten Up.

[C]

Better than noise that we love and hate Remember the moments we loved Whenever I feel I can't Interstate There used to be a way but there ain't no more Tell me why because we need it I used to run away but I can't come on. Cause I feel that I can't be it I used to be away but I need no more There used to be a way but left me lo how can we be free?

[Scott Free]

So as we talked a little bit about earlier, while this was promoted in the very excited music press as a super group, in reality, the vast majority of the album is just Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr. For the most part, it's the two of them doing most of the work. There are a few tracks, however, where you get special guest drummers, and this track, Tighten up is one of them. Drums and percussion by Donald Johnson, who very few people will likely remember. From another Factory Records band favorite of Tony Wilson, Donald Johnson. From a certain Ratio, Yeah. Wow.

[Lori]

I love Johnny's acoustic guitar on this one. I mean, it's unmistakable. His contribution to this song, for sure. This is another one where I just really love the lyrics on this one.

[Scott Free]

What do you got?

[Lori]

There used to be a way but there ain't no more Tell me why because we need it I used to run away but I can't no more Because I feel that I can beat it There used to be a way but there ain't no more and then there's a verse. How can we be free? We both need each other like sister and brother. You mean that much to me. So this is a very complicated relationship that he's singing about. I really enjoy this song a lot. It was released as a promo single in the usa. Now, it wasn't released over in the uk, but when it was released it reached number six on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks charts.

[Scott Free]

Right on.

[Lori]

And something else I didn't know. David Copperfield, the magician. Yes. He used this song during his live shows when he would leave the stage to look for audience members to participate in the show. Isn't that fascinating?

[Scott Free]

Tighten up, yeah.

[Lori]

Wikipedia would not lie to me.

[Scott Free]

Fascinating.

[Lori]

Yeah.

[Scott Free]

I guess when you're talking about the driving dance beat with the guitar strumming and those big, big orchestral strikes, I could see that. I'm gonna feel like it was probably a looped mix where he didn't get the vocals coming in because again, it just sounds so damn new ornery. I would be interested to see footage of that, but. Except how interesting is footage of David Copperfield going through a crowd to pick audience participants.

[Lori]

But you know how he overacts everything with the eyebrows and everything. So, you know, maybe. Yeah. All right, so the next track is the first one on the album that has Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. The patience of a saint.

[C]

And if I drove a fast a car I drive it bloody well how could I change? I live without restraint and I will try the patience are the same.

[Scott Free]

And.

[C]

I will try the patience.

[Scott Free]

All right, so not only does it have vocals by Neil Tennant, this, the lyrics and the music were co written by Johnny Marr, Bernard Sumner, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. Yes, Chris Lowe writing the keyboard lines in particular.

[Lori]

And this one actually predates the album. It was written soon after their collaboration on the single Getting Away with it in 1989.

[Scott Free]

Funny point with the co writing of this. The music on this track, Patience of a Saint, was written in about 30 minutes. Johnny Marr said in the 1991 Japanese TV interview. That I saw. This is the first time Bernard, Johnny, Neil and Chris had written together. As Johnny said, it's one of the easiest times I've had writing with anybody. He also said of working with Neil in general, he gives us lots of encouragement from the sidelines. He's like a favorite uncle.

[Lori]

Nice.

[Scott Free]

And Neil Tennant really does make his presence felt on this track. Like, this could be a Pet Shop Boys song from the era Behavior, the Pet Shop Boys album, which came out in 1990. This would fit right in on that album. Again, you wouldn't think too much about it. Feeling out of place, but a New Order song? No, not so much. It does not feel like it. The drum programming, the synth voices, and especially Neil Tennant's voice itself. The whole damn thing, though, feels like a Pet Shop Boy song, and that is not a problem. Again, if you're looking for a supergroup, you don't want it to sound like any one member of it. And we're now, at this point, getting a nice variety of tracks sounding distinctly like specific members. Influences are coming through strong.

[Lori]

Yeah. Especially after that misfire on track one. I think they've redeemed themselves, for sure. This one has a really nice kind of atmospheric instrumental. I'm not super in love with the lyrics, but, I mean, I also get, you know, that I would try the patience of a saint. I totally get that.

[Scott Free]

Yeah.

[Lori]

And Neil Tennant and Bernard Sumner both have such very distinctive, unmistakable voices. Oh, absolutely, yeah. That's a good pairing, I think. Speaking of.

[Scott Free]

Well, yeah, if you want a pairing where you get to hear both their voices coming through strong, what you want is track five, Getting Away With It.

[C]

I've been walking in the rain Just to get wet on purpose I've been forcing myself not to forget Just to feel worse I've been getting away with it all my life Getting away However I look it's clear to see that I love you more than you love me However I look it's clear to see I love you more than you love me I hate that mirror. It makes Smith feels so worthless.

[Lori]

Oh, I love this one so much.

[Scott Free]

Oh, for sure. Again, we've mentioned this a couple times already. This was the first big single. Predated the album by over a year. So this was what helped get the Hype Machine really in high gear for this album. And it's a great single.

[Lori]

Absolutely. Now, interestingly enough, this track did not appear on the first UK edition of this album.

[Scott Free]

Fascinating.

[Lori]

Yeah. And from what I understand, Bernard Sumner wrote the verses, Johnny Marr Wrote the chorus and the lyrics were co written by Neil Tennant and Bernard Sumner. And it was intended as a parody of Morrissey, Johnny Marr's former partner in the Smiths. Just the way the song opens, I've been walking in the rain just to get wet on purpose. And you know, Morrissey's lyrics are always so like mopey. Mopey, yes. Over the top mopey. And so that. That's just perfect.

[Scott Free]

Yeah. And funny enough, Morrissey did react to this song in the press. In an interview, he criticized the song as totally useless and joked that the song had a very apt title. That the band was in fact getting away with it. The it being ripping him off. Yeah, of course Morrissey would think that. Yeah. This song was written and produced by Bernard, Johnny and Neil Tennant. Also, this track has an additional artist other than the main core drum programming by David Palmer. One of two tracks that he appears on.

[Lori]

He's the one from the the.

[Scott Free]

Yes. He was drums with the the on the Mind Bomb album and abc.

[Lori]

And Chris Lowe recently, within the last few years, has come forward and said the bass line was his.

[Scott Free]

Right.

[Lori]

And the one that really excited me, Anne Dudley, really? She was one member of the Art of Noise. She later went on to do a number of scores for movies. She scored all of the strings and they actually brought in a full orchestra. Those are not synth strings at the end.

[Scott Free]

She was actually the conductor for that orchestra.

[Lori]

Yes. And I am a huge, huge fan of hers.

[Scott Free]

Right on.

[Lori]

There was, side note, a collaboration that she did with Jazz Coleman from Killing Joke.

[Scott Free]

Oh, there we are.

[Lori]

Ann Dudley and Jazz Coleman did a collaboration called Songs from the Victorious City. The name of the city, Cairo, is actually the victorious City. And it's a lot of like Middle Eastern, Egyptian inspired music. It's actually a really cool album. So I encourage everybody to check that one out. If you're looking for something completely different.

[Scott Free]

I don't know that, but I do like things that are completely different.

[Lori]

It's a really kind of cool instrumental. I actually discovered it. Believe it or not, Scott, for many years I took belly dance lessons.

[Scott Free]

We're gonna go ahead and believe that.

[Lori]

Okay.

[Scott Free]

Did you take those belly dance lessons with Sonja?

[Lori]

I did. You know Sonia?

[Scott Free]

Of course I know Sonia.

[Lori]

Everybody knows Sonia. Yeah, Sonia's amazing.

[Scott Free]

Shout out to Sonya Blacker. Several of my friends as a belly dance instructor.

[Lori]

Cool. So I probably know them too. Small group.

[Scott Free]

Right. So more about the music in this one. Musically, you know, that's got that chime and glockenspiel mirroring the chorus, vocals, and then that full orchestra, of course. Johnny Mark comes in with an actual guitar solo, like with individual notes and everything. This one is arguably the best melding of all of the different members of the supergroup. If you decide to categorize it as a supergroup, really coming together. Each of their voices are heard, each of their past projects. You can feel the influence, but it's really its own thing. The video was notable and big in hyping the album up. It's Bernard Sumner in front of a very saturated blue screen. Then it switches to all desaturated monochrome white. You get similar treatment of Neil. And also two women.

[Lori]

Sure.

[Scott Free]

Close ups, lots of shots of eyes. There's one bit in the video that I really dug. One moment, the line that Bernard sings, I hate the mirror. It makes me feel so worthless. And right when he says mirror, the shot is of a disco ball, which I thought was a nice, clever little moment. I'm an original sinner but when I'm with you I could care less. You know, these lyrics aren't lighting the world on fire, but it's a danceable pop song. It did what it needed to do and it thrust the group into the spotlight.

[Lori]

Absolutely. The first time I remember hearing anything by electronic was when this video came on on mtv.

[Scott Free]

Sure.

[Lori]

Right away I recognized Neil Tennant's voice. And so I went running into the living room. I wanted to see, oh my gosh, what is, you know, is this a new Pet Shop Boy song? And then I saw Bernard Sumner and I'm like, holy crap, what's going on here? But, yeah, I mean, the video was everywhere at that point. So this, to this day, is Electronics best known song. And it was their biggest selling single, selling 350,000 copies in the U.S. coming.

[Scott Free]

Out the gate strong.

[Lori]

Yes. Went to number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, number seven on the Hot Dance Music chart, number four, four on the U.S. alternative Airplay chart. And Johnny Marr has expressed surprise that of all the songs that he has written, that this would be his most successful song ever in the U.S. yeah.

[Scott Free]

I mean, the Smiths were popular among a certain mopey subset of American teenagers and college students, but they never really broke big, you know.

[Lori]

Right.

[Scott Free]

So this. Because also you could dance in a certain style to the Smiths, but this was dance music. This was going to be popular at parties. This is going to be popular on dance floors at bars and clubs. So, yeah, I can see his surprise. But that does bespeak a certain Misjudging of the audience, who his audience was and how big it was.

[Lori]

Right. And then speaking of it being danceable, this is one song that if I'm in a bad mood, I can put this song on as loud as possible and just dance around my living room like a complete goofball.

[Scott Free]

I could see that.

[Lori]

Yeah, you've seen my dancing. You know, I dance like a goofball. But no, I mean it's just. It's one of those songs that despite the lyrics being kind of mopey as you say, it's to me this is a very mood elevating song.

[Scott Free]

Yeah. Again, that aforementioned glockenspiel line and sort of sing songiness of it. Yeah. It can be sad, but it can make you feel good. That's true of all of the members past projects. That's part of what they do.

[Lori]

Absolutely.

[Scott Free]

The only other thing I would say I have mentioned that first CD single I bought had the B side track Lucky Bag, which was an Italo house instrumental. Both Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner really liked Italo disco and this was their sort of nod to that.

[Lori]

Oh, okay. And the single cover, as I had mentioned previously, was designed by Peter Saville. It's a whiskey glass, I believe is a whiskey glass.

[Scott Free]

And the typographic treatment is considerably different than what would happen on the actual album. But you know, as you would expect from a new orders or Pet Shop Boys or Smith's descendant project, the graphic design was just on point. Beautiful use of image paired with type. Simple, clean, good looking stuff.

[Lori]

Okay, so the next song is called Gangster. Let's give it a listen.

[C]

Up In a cell I'd like to be at home but on my own I didn't been to look at me I always get the flame But I can't even learn to spell my name. I'd like to read, I'd like to write but where I live I learn to write. So don't you ask See that we're the same.

[Lori]

You know Scott, you said earlier that you thought which one was it? Was it reality? Sounded like a could have been off of technique.

[Scott Free]

Yes.

[Lori]

I think this one sounds like a New Order song. This one would be right at home on technique.

[Scott Free]

For me it's a yes, but my own notes here I have starts off with a programmed beat that is straight up hip hop like it is a hip hop beat. But then things get real new ordery but with that Manchester syncopated piano chord thing. So yeah, not out of place on Technique. I'm still like, did Johnny Marr, take a nap on this track. Like, is he just nowhere? And that's not fair. Obviously. He's much more than just a guitar player. He's co writing the songs. He, as you said, was getting heavily into experimentation with synths. So when you're hearing what sounds new or rotary, it may well be him, but straight up, he ain't even a guitar player on this track.

[Lori]

Speaking of those synths I have in my notes here, love the chiming synths and the rich swooping sounds.

[Scott Free]

That's apartment description.

[Lori]

Yeah.

[Scott Free]

Confession.

[Lori]

Okay.

[Scott Free]

When I bought the album back in the day, I never paid attention to the lyrics of this one.

[Lori]

Okay.

[Scott Free]

Another more recent confession. Having now read them, I wish I had not and had. Yeah, like, dude, this is a very white, very English man who has been a musical star since he was in his early 20s. He was born in 1956, Joy Division was formed in 1976. And he is telling the story of an incarcerated gangster. And now it could be a white English gangster. Certainly.

[Lori]

I went through all the months of January locked up in this cell. I'd like to be at home, but on my own, I didn't do too well.

[Scott Free]

Yeah, no, for me it's the. I don't need a doctor telling me I'm full of juice. Like, ah, that one, that one just hurts me a little.

[Lori]

Yeah. But you know, I do like that. Look at me. I always get the blame, but I can't even learn to spell my name. Well, okay, maybe I don't. That seems. That's a little bit. That's a little bit juvenile. I like to read, I like to write, but where I live, I learn to fight. So don't you ever say that we're the same.

[Scott Free]

Yeah. Like I. You and I have talked. We both like songwriters telling stories.

[Lori]

Yeah.

[Scott Free]

And those stories don't have to be stories that they necessarily have lived. Nick Cave, one of my favorite songwriters, Notorious. When asked what inspired you to write this song, he'll say, I was telling a story. It's not me. Don't confuse the songwriter with the singer with. Or at least say that they are the same person. I don't know, I. I like the music. The lyrics. Eh, they're not my favorite. What am I.

[Lori]

What are you gonna do? I. I think Barney was watching a few too many gangster movies when he wrote this.

[Scott Free]

May have been watching a few too too many gangster movies. For me, it was the combination of the hip hop inspired beat. Then it's called gangster, and I'm thinking it's 1990, 1991. Gangster hip hop beat gangster rap. Is he trying to write a gangster rap song? Because it doesn't. It doesn't land for me. And it may well be he's talking white English gangsters, but I don't know, just the whole thing was just don't listen too hard to the words.

[Lori]

What's next, Scott?

[Scott Free]

What's next is track seven. All right, so the shortest song on the album by a lot. Almost all of the tracks are in the 4 minute 20 to 5 minute 40. Like they're all decent. Long dance, maybe a little rock songs. So if you had two minutes. It's a mid tempo synth driven march, I guess in the Soviet Russian style, kinda. It's really a long interlude more than anything else. I'm not entirely clear what it's doing here.

[Lori]

You know, I kind of like it. It feels to me like a little bit of a musical palette cleanser. And it's also the only instrumental on the album. But no, I. I really like this one. This one is a nice, you know, especially the second half of the song where you've got the. The synth strings that are really just kind of building. I enjoy this one.

[Scott Free]

Feel free.

[Lori]

Okay.

[Scott Free]

And you know, my last line is, it's fine. Fine. Is it my favorite track on the album. It is not even close, but it is, as you say, a palate cleanser. Two minutes that get you out of gangster mode and into what's next.

[Lori]

Get the message.

[C]

And when you go away I start to weep. You're too expensive guilt to keep. Isn't it sweet? I don't know where to begin. Living in sin. How can you talk? Where you been? I counted the nights. Living in sin. How can you, you look where you been? Take my independent point of view.

[Lori]

I. Oh, wow.

[Scott Free]

Yeah.

[Lori]

I'm not even sure where to start with this one. My notes begin. Here we go again with the beautiful acoustic guitar intro.

[Scott Free]

Oh, yeah.

[Lori]

You have that gorgeous Johnny Mar guitar. And then the synth drums come in and takes it in a totally different direction, but it totally works for me.

[Scott Free]

The drums on this track are so great. And it is mostly because of that one drum fill that keeps coming in that it's so good. It's so satisfying every time. And they lean on it again and again and again. And I'm never mad about it.

[Lori]

This is a really, really good one.

[Scott Free]

Whereas a lot of tracks on the album and singles are dancier. You're more standard somewhere in the 120BPMs. This is 105. It's more of A mid tempo track which does make it stand out quite a bit and again makes that drum feel. I just cannot say enough good things about that drum. Feel that.

[Lori]

Yeah, I think it is really good.

[Scott Free]

This, for my money, is the best song on the album.

[Lori]

Okay.

[Scott Free]

It's the one where the band fully finds its own sound, its own voice, and it doesn't sound like New Order or the Pet Shop Boys. It is its own thing and it is spot the fuck on.

[Lori]

I agree with you. I think that this probably is the best track on the album. In 2007, Johnny Marr said that it was maybe the track I'm most proud of out of my whole career.

[Scott Free]

Wow.

[Lori]

And then two years later, he reiterated that it was the best song I've ever written. Lyrically, it's so interesting. I always thought of you as my great wall. Built like an angel six feet tall.

[Scott Free]

Someone in particular, he makes it very.

[Lori]

Clear because later he says you're a too expensive girl to keep. So obviously this is a woman he's singing about. But six feet tall, this is like an Amazon. What?

[Scott Free]

Let's not get carried away, all right? Yeah. Some lyrics that I particularly liked as well. Here. Take my independent point of view I've loosened my wallet thanks to you don't do me any favors Hark the Herald Angels Sting Please repair my broken wing why won't you look at me? I live and breathe.

[Lori]

Lyrically, this seems like a continuation of some of the themes that Bernard explored on Technique with New Order. Hang on, I can't think of the name of it can't you see why don't you look at me? It's not your right to be, you know. What's the name of that one? Loveless. Loveless by New Order it seems like lyrically, it's a continuation of that. I worked hard to give you all the things that you need and almost anything that you see I spent a lifetime working on you and you won't even talk to me and now with this song, we've got what you just talked about I loosened my wallet thanks to you and then why won't you look at me? I live and breathe so I definitely see parallels there, for sure.

[Scott Free]

Also, another notable thing about this track is another voice.

[Lori]

Yes.

[Scott Free]

Most of the album, you've got mostly songwriting by Bernard and Johnny, and mostly the voice of Bernard, sometimes Neil, occasionally Chris. And here some very prominent female vocals by Denise Johnson from Primal Scream. Is that right?

[Lori]

Yeah, yeah. She's doing the backing vocals.

[Scott Free]

So, again, supergroup, maybe not entirely out of left Field, as Bernard and Johnny would have you think it really changes the tone of the song. And again, it's just something different than you would hear on any of their respective previous projects.

[Lori]

Yeah. So last night I revisited the music video. I haven't seen the video in a long time.

[Scott Free]

I don't remember that one.

[Lori]

It was filmed in the Philippines.

[Scott Free]

All right.

[Lori]

And as you know, I am married to a Filipino, so I had him watch the video with me, and he recognized a lot of the locations.

[Scott Free]

They're right.

[Lori]

Yeah. So he was naming them off. And I'm furiously scribbling and taking notes. So there's the Payatas dump site.

[Scott Free]

Good.

[Lori]

There's the Tal Taal volcano, which is still an active volcano, and the La Paz sand dunes. And there's a bunch of, you know, like 20 or 30 kids with kites on the sand dunes. And he said that kite flying is actually a big deal in that part of the Philippines. It's an interesting choice, though. I don't really understand why they chose this particular location. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the. With the song, but it's still, you know, visually it's very interesting. So, yeah, go back and look at it again.

[Scott Free]

The vacation on the record company.

[Lori]

Oh, yeah, there you go. But I don't know about the Payatas garbage dump, but yeah.

[Scott Free]

So got the message.

[Lori]

Yes. So what's next, Scott?

[Scott Free]

What's next is track nine. Try all you want.

[C]

It's a perfect situation I'm trying hard to understand you make my life a celebration and then you never let me down if you want to go I just can't say no if you want to go I just can't say no.

[Lori]

You know, this is another one that would be really at home on Technique.

[Scott Free]

Yeah, get the Message was very much an electronic track that didn't sound like anybody else, but was synthesis of all of its constituent parts. Try all you want. This would be right at home on Technique. It's a new order track, straight up, absolutely ready made for the dance floor at the Hacienda. But the keyboard chords are just sorta rote, a little canned. I don't know.

[Lori]

Okay, that's fair.

[Scott Free]

But there is that percussion break sequence at like a minute nine. And for my money, that is the one that DJs are going to take and loop and make their own and mix into something else. Memo to self. Sample. Try all you want. The percussion break at minute nine. Sample it and make it your own. I got a hit on my hands here.

[Lori]

I'm just reading the lyrics again.

[Scott Free]

There are lyrics?

[Lori]

There are lyrics. If you want to go. I just can't say no. This one. The lyrics seem a little bit contradictory.

[Scott Free]

Say more about that.

[Lori]

It's a perfect situation. I'm trying hard to understand. You make my life a celebration and then you never let me down. So that sounds like it's very positive.

[Scott Free]

Things are going well.

[Lori]

Yes. But then the next verse. You've got me hanging on a string I find it hard to turn the other cheek. You know, it doesn't mean a thing. I could be through with you within a week.

[Scott Free]

I think we've all been in that relationship.

[Lori]

Yeah. So I guess starts off really good. You make my life a celebration. But then he's talking about turning the other cheek and. And you know, and it doesn't mean a thing really. So I don't know. It's interesting. I. I do like this one. This is an enjoyable song.

[Scott Free]

Yeah, I'm. That's New Order track.

[Lori]

Yeah. Especially with the percussion in here.

[Scott Free]

Yeah. And again, I. Part of what makes it feel like it could fit right in with Technique Era new order. It's 127 beats per minute. This is a relatively fast paced dance floor track. And yeah. Was this for five minutes? 38. So it's a long one. Plenty of chances for DJ to come in and remix. As I was saying.

[Lori]

Oh, see, I didn't even think about something like that. Yeah. Okay. The next song is called Some Distant Memory.

[C]

I don't know if we could get lost in a city this size if we wanted to and I don't know if I could survive without seeing you and every time I see your face I feel out of place it's so easy. Why are you leaving? It's just because I've grown afraid of you I wish, wish we were at the beginning it would be so good to be with you.

[Scott Free]

You know, this could be another Technique Era New Order track. And that said, I really like the opening line. I don't know if we could get lost in a city this size if we wanted to.

[Lori]

Oh, yeah.

[Scott Free]

Love that.

[Lori]

And you know, being from Chicago or Detroit. Right. I mean, we're both from big cities. You can get lost and sometimes that's a good thing, you know, you just want to get lost. Be anonymous, you know.

[Scott Free]

Yeah. But these guys, both wildly successful touring musicians at this point, they've seen a lot of the world and they've played a lot of towns where you couldn't get lost if you wanted to.

[Lori]

And then you end up in A pickup truck with seal.

[Scott Free]

There you go.

[Lori]

Yeah. You know, I, I, I gave this one a listen again over the weekend. And this is another one, though. I mean, it's never really left my playlist. You know, it's always in the mix, but I'm listening to it with a new set of ears. And particularly the lyrics of this one really kind of hit me because they remind me of somebody that I really care about. If it's so easy why are you leaving? Is it just because I've grown afraid of you? I wish we were at the beginning it would be so good to be with you. Yeah, yeah. And that's something that somebody said to me about being afraid of me. And this one really hits hard for me.

[Scott Free]

Well, dang.

[Lori]

Yeah.

[Scott Free]

I do love also the big tubular bells that come in.

[Lori]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Scott Free]

Somebody's digging a little deeper into their synthesizer's voice set. And, you know, that's distinct, different from everything we've heard up to this point. I love it. Once again, I was like, two minutes into this track, and I'm like, where is Johnny Mar in all of this? And then at the 2:10 mark, there he is doing an acoustic guitar solo. Like, again, notes and everything.

[Lori]

You know, when you mentioned the tubular bells, my first line in my notes. Love the synth strings and the chiming bells.

[Scott Free]

Yeah. And then at 3 minutes, 7 seconds. Is that an oboe? And in fact, it is an oboe. Not just a keyboard, an actual oboe, really. Compliments of Helen Powell. It is lovely. I cannot think of another dance track in history with an oboe solo.

[Lori]

You know, I didn't catch that. I'm gonna have to. All the times I've listened to this, I'm gonna have to go back and listen again because.

[Scott Free]

Oh, yeah, it is there. 307.

[Lori]

All right, I'll check it out.

[Scott Free]

Yeah, you know, it's. It's a solid track straight up. One of the things I recall from my take on this album at the time it came out is it feels a lot like New Order technique. And so many of the songs could blend in with that. And sometimes the synth voices that they were using were. I don't want to take away too much, but they feel sometimes samey. The big string voice, synth chords that, as I've talked about a few times, syncopated piano thing, that was very Manchester sometimes that didn't feel like they were pushing the boundaries too hard. But then when you're talking about a tubular bell line or an oboe solo, that really stands out and makes you take notice. And that's one of the reasons I really dig this track.

[Lori]

Cool. So we both like this one.

[Scott Free]

Yeah. That brings us to the final track on this album. That is Feel Every Beat.

[C]

Have you ever been a victim in a violent fight? When you know it's not true and you know it's not right? Got not 1 ounce inch control, you got lust for blood running in your soul, you know it. Every person upon this earth became the image of the mother in a violent birth. We got so the seed to stop the sand and heal this brutal beat up land. Baby, why don't you come with me? Listen to your father, listen to your brother Take every chance that comes maybe you'll find someone. We don't need to argue we just need each other.

[Scott Free]

So. So we talked a lot about the personnel on this album. Usually it's the same cast of characters, mostly Bernard and Johnny. On this one we have drums by David Palmer, his second appearance on the album. And also we have drums and percussion by Donald Johnson, his second appearance on the album. They had to call in two drummers to create what is essentially a very 1991ish pop hip hop beat.

[Lori]

Well, I guess if you're going to call the song Feel Every Beat and you want people to feel every beat, two drummers is the way to go. Right.

[Scott Free]

That will do it. There's also those much talked about by me, at least. Syncopated Madchester piano chords and a very satisfying Johnny Marr big guitar one chord riff with some metallic twangy and maybe a little flanged sound to it. Something like that. The organ line that comes in is also very unexpected. Again, I'm always happy when they start digging deeper into the synth voice bank.

[Lori]

Yeah. Basically what you've just said is mostly what I have in my notes. There's that Manchester sound. It's a party.

[Scott Free]

Yeah.

[Lori]

But then the very last line. Please stop trying to rap, Barney. He opens the album and he closes the album with an attempt at rap.

[Scott Free]

It is a pair of unfortunate choices. But, you know, this track would not feel out of place on Happy Mondays.

[Lori]

Exactly.

[Scott Free]

And you know, it's the Manchester era, so why not?

[Lori]

Yeah, no, absolutely. And it is a fun song and I think it is a nice, happy way to end the album, you know?

[Scott Free]

Yeah. And the track ends with some gentle guitar strumming and a beatbox way off in the distance and then the album is over.

[Lori]

All right.

[Scott Free]

Yeah.

[Lori]

So this is the point, Scott, where I'm going to ask you. But you already said, and I think you and I are in agreement that the best track on this album, hands.

[Scott Free]

Down, not even a contest. That's track eight. Get the message. That is just such a good song. An amazing single. Does everything this band was trying to do and lets you know that it's a band, not just one guy's brainchild that another guy was working on. This is all of the parts coming together and that whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

[Lori]

Yes. So this was the first of three studio albums that electronic would do. And you know, I'd mentioned at the beginning of this episode, the idea was it was going to be Bernard and Johnny with a rotating roster of guest musicians. And the second album raised the pressure. They brought in Carl Bartos from Kraftwerk, which I thought was very interesting.

[Scott Free]

Absolutely, yeah. And the third album they brought in. Who did they bring in?

[Lori]

Jed lynch from Black Grape.

[Scott Free]

There we are.

[Lori]

And bassist Jimmy Goodwin from Dubs.

[Scott Free]

Perhaps lesser known bands, but still counted as a super group, no matter how much Bernard and Johnny tried to deny it.

[Lori]

Yeah, they never actually formally broke up or anything. I think it just kind of. Johnny Marr actually said the band had reached its natural conclusion and that he was happy that it ended on an up note, so.

[Scott Free]

Right.

[Lori]

So Scott, where are they now?

[Scott Free]

I think we just said.

[Lori]

Okay.

[Scott Free]

Order continues to be new order, although not as often, but they're still a thing.

[Lori]

Yeah.

[Scott Free]

What is Johnny ma do these days?

[Lori]

Oh, you know, actually he is. I'm going to be seeing him in concert.

[Scott Free]

Oh, yeah, he's touring right now. Oh, man. Johnny Marr is touring right now.

[Lori]

He's touring with James.

[Scott Free]

Oh, wow. And he's doing tracks of his whole career or what's. Whose songs is he doing?

[Lori]

I'm not clear on that, but the show here In Chicago is October 17th, Scott, if you want to go with me.

[Scott Free]

Well, I will have to get back to you on that, but I am intrigued. James. I remember saw james@lollapalooza 1997 and they blew me away.

[Lori]

Amazing.

[Scott Free]

So fun.

[Lori]

Yeah. And you know, a lot more James.

[Scott Free]

Songs than you might think, you know, but whatever. It's not about James.

[Lori]

Well, you know, eventually I want to get to I think 93. I think we're gonna do Laid by James when we get to 93.

[Scott Free]

Oh, fun. Yeah.

[Lori]

So, Scott, any thoughts about what we're going to do for our next episode?

[Scott Free]

I do have thoughts. And the album that I am bringing to the table is the culmination of a spin off project from one of my all time favorite bands. That band being the Clash 1991 gave us the second reincarnation of Mick Jones's band, Big Audio Dynamite, and gave us Big Audio Dynamite 2 and their album the Globe. That, Laurie, will be our album for next episode.

[Lori]

God, I love that album. I listened to it so many times when it came out. It was. It was the soundtrack for that part of my life. So I'm really excited. I'm really excited for that one. All right, well, we'll be back in two weeks then with the globe by Big Audio Dynamite 2. Until then, goodbye from me and from me.

[Scott Free]

Thanks for listening.