In keeping our Thanksgiving weekend tradition, we are coming out of hiatus to post our year-end music lists for the year. As 2020 was a year like no other, the music has been incredible. Here is the first of three lists dedicated to our favorites of the calendar.
Instead of presenting everything over the course of three weeks as we did last year, we are going to just get them all out now over the course of this weekend.
Here is our first list -- Honorable Mentions -- records that were good but not strong enough to crack our top 10. As we always do, we breakdown the list in short form and then with explanations.
2020 Honorable Album Mentions (Short Form and in No Particular Order)
- Spoek Mathambo - Tales from the Lost Cities
- Deftones - Ohms
- Sparta - Trust the River
- Yves Tumor - Heaven to a Tortured Mind
- Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain
- Gorillaz - Song Machine
Now, in long form in no particular order.
Spoek Mathambo - Tales from the Lost Cities
The South African rapper, producer, artist extraordinaire returned with one of the most thought provoking albums of the year. Tales from the Lost Cities makes you dance and think at the same time and no artist since The Specials has been able to pull off such a feat. A key to the world around us and is a year where travel was all but non-existent, this was a great way to escape.
Deftones - Ohms
Moody metal plus synths plus the energy of their live shows boiled down to 47 minutes. Ohms was all of our collective rage, loss, desperation and desires of the year brought to us by a special band that get better with age and continue to push themselves for our entertainment but to get their creative juices going. This record is one that will sound incredible once we can see concerts again and Deftones will deliver on it.
Sparta - Trust the River
In their first record in 14 years and fourth album overall, Sparta returned with one of the most underrated comeback albums in recent memory. Trust the River is Jim Ward's signature style and thumbprint but it is grown up and mature giving us a new life and new era for the El Paso band as they surge forward.
Yves Tumor - Heaven to a Tortured Mind
The fourth album from the Miami experimental artist is their best work yet. Heaven to a Tortured Mind is as if David Bowie produced a JPEG MAFIA duet record with Tyler, the Creator. It is everything from rock, rap, R&B, and with so much soul and pain thrown in it is hard to not to be blown away by it.
Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain
With their first album in 19 years, the British new wave icons returned in a big way. A gorgeous demonstration that even though they were away for 2 decades that can come back strong as ever. Made of Rain is a new wave album made for the 21st century and we are all here for it.
Gorillaz - Song Machine
The best album Gorillaz have released since 2010's groundbreaking, Plastic Beach. Song Machine is a compilation based off their 2020 animated internet series and features an abundance of artists like Peter Hook of Joy Division, Robert Smith of The Cure, Elton John, Beck, St. Vincent, Slaves, Slowthai, Schoolboy Q, 6lack and many others. This is a fun record that features like the best playlist ever assembled.
There are artists that wish they could find success in one outlet but the rare instance they find glory with two is enough to cement their place as iconic.
For Peter Hook, the former bassist of Joy Division and New Order, acclaim, success, and hits is what anyone in any musical outlet today wish they could have. To prove this, Hook and his band, The Light returned to New York City for the first time in over a year-and-a-half to display the power of songs he created in his two previous bands with a packed gig at Brooklyn Steel.
The British musician has been touring the work of Joy Division and New Order yearly since 2010 in North America and in between, Hooky has released two acclaimed books about the live of both of the acts, and through that, he has connected with his audience on levels that have not been done before because now it is personal.
The fans now know his side of the story and see how accessible the music pioneer has been this decade and now he is seeing the reward with his largest solo show ever in the Big Apple.
Over 2,000 fans packed into the Brooklyn warehouse Friday night to hear the Substance record, which is the hits of Joy Division and New Order, come to life. It is part dance party, party trip down memory lane, and part awe inspiring that an arsenal of this many quality of songs he was apart of writing.
Opening the show with a 90-minute New Order set, everyone from all age ranges inside the venue were ready to shake off the worries of the work week and get ready to open their weekend. Dancing to tunes like "State of the Nation," "Age of Consent," "Bizarre Love Triangle," "True Faith," "Blue Monday," and "Temptation."
Hardly addressing the crowd in between songs, Hook just let the music do the talking and kept the tempo up before a brief intermission.
After returning to stage, he realized they didn't do "Too Late," which addressed and then performend before kicking into his Joy Division set.
For the first time in 8 years, his son, Jack Bates, is not touring with the band due to fulfilling a duty as the new bassist for The Smashing Pumpkins, something Hook joked about.
"My son is not with us tonight because he has gone off to join the fucking Smashing Pumpkins," the Manchester man said. "How ungrateful kids can be these days?"
His latest bassist, Hook says, had to learn 40 songs in a week, and has not skipped a beat.
Doing an hours worth of Joy Division material which included "Transmission," "Warsaw," "Shadowplay," "Isolation," "Dead Souls," "She's Lost Control," "Atmosphere," and the closer, "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Ending the night on the high in which he did, everyone inside the massive and overheated venue left with pleasure they had known and expected to have.
Next month, Joy Division and New Order's Peter Hook and his band, The Light, will return to North America for their 2018 tour which will see them bring Factory Records' Substance albums to life.
The compilation record of Joy Division and New Order material was released in 1988 on Factory Records. This tour will mark the first time this record has ever been played live before from start to finish.
We have covered every single tour Hook has done with the Light and each experience gets better and better. It really is amazing having these songs come alive and Hook, ever the showman, is having the time of his life doing it.
The
tour begins in late April '18 and sees The
Light play a mammoth 28 dates over nearly seven weeks ending up in
Florida in early June '18. Some of the reaction to the band's previous
North American Substance dates below:
Thu 4/26/18 Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA
Fri 4/27/18 Brooklyn Steel , Brooklyn, NY
Sat 4/28/18 Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA - SOLD OUT
Mon 4/30/18 Fairmount Theatre, Montreal, QC - SOLD OUT
Tue 5/1/18 Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON - SOLD OUT
Thu 5/3/18 Royal Oak Music Hall, Royal Oak, MI
Fri 5/4/18 Metro, Chicago, IL- SOLD OUT
Sat 5/5/18 Majestic Theatre, Madison, WI
Mon 5/7/18 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Tue 5/8/18 Venue, Vancouver, BC
Thu 5/10/18 Neptune Theater, Seattle, WA
Fri 5/11/18 Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
Sat 5/12/18 Warfield, San Francisco, CA
Mon 5/14/18 Brooklyn Bowl, Las Vegas, NV
Tue 5/15/18 Metro Music Hall, Salt Lake City, UT
Thu 5/17/18 Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ
Fri 5/18/18 Wiltern Los Angeles, CA(Exclusive Unknown Pleasures/Closer Show)
Call it the right place at the right time. As the neo-New Wave moment of the mid 2000s started happening with bands like The Killers, The Bravery, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Editors, Scissor Sisters, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, were breaking through, the godfathers of the genre returned to show the kids how it was done. New Order released Waiting for the Sirens' Call in 2005 at the height of his new movement brought on by the younger bands and the veterans were putting a stake in their territory. The record, which would be the band's last with bassist Peter Hook and first without Gillian Gilbert on keyboards, was textbook New Order but had a subtle modern twist. Featuring vocals from Anna Matronic from Scissor Sisters, the band were pushing themselves to a whole new audience and decade. When the record arrived, it received polarizing reviews but over time, it has showed what they were not only trying to do but give a blueprint as to how you can last so long as a band. The band would go on hiatus a few years later and Hook was later fired from the group, forcing him to go solo. In 2012, New Order reunited with Gilbert and without Hooky, and continued to tour and make new music, including the fantastic Music Complete in 2015.
Peter Hook's latest book, Substance: Inside New Order, is the ultimate biography of the band and it is told by the man who lived and saw it all. New Order formed shortly after Joy Division singer Ian Curtis took his own life. The surviving members formed New Order and took the 1980s and beyond by storm. Hook, who was in the band until 2011, gives practically day-by-day account of what happened from making music, playing gigs, to the sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
"The writing process has become easier
as it's my third book but as I think people can tell each book has taken a lot
of time and they're quite in depth. The New Order book is some 800 pages long
but it does deal with twenty six years of the band. As for rediscovering the
past I find it sometimes weird, especially when you're concentrating gig by
gig, session and trying to remember precisely the details but it can be
interesting when a revelation appears. It can sometimes be a little unnerving but
I have learnt to deal with it by now," he told Officially A Yuppie earlier this month.
While Substance is a lengthy read, the book is everything a fan would want to know. As he looks back on his life, Hook tells it from an honest point of view of how the highs were high and the lows were the worst one could imagine. As the band continue on without him, Hook gives a candid account about his departure and his life today.
Some artists are lucky enough to be in one band and make a
career out of it. Some artists are lucky enough to make music that changes the
world. It is even odder to find an artist that is in two bands that not only
were successful but shaped music forever.
Peter Hook was lucky enough to experience an occurrence as
rare as Haley’s Comet.
The bassist played in both Joy Division and New Order, two
bands that shaped indie music, rock, and generations forever. The 60-year-old
has documented his career with New Order in a new book called Substance: Inside New Order.
We spoke to Hooky about his new book, his legacy with both Joy Division and New Order, and if his favorite club, Manchester United have a shot at glory this season. Take a look:
As music continues to evolve, a
new appreciation for the sounds of New Order come to life each year. Why do you
think that is?
Well that was all to do with the uniqueness of the sound and equipment
that we were utilizing in the Eighties. It really was a new sound that was
brought forward by new equipment. It is quite recognizable as being from that
period and has a very individual and distinctive sound. If you hear an Eighties
record now, even though you know it's from the Eighties, the production values
make it still sound contemporary and current. That's why it stands up to the
music of today in my view and long may continue to appeal to new audiences and
fans. All good music is timeless really, and most of the music we did in the
Eighties, we're lucky that a lot of what we did falls into that category.
I have seen you on each and every single tour you have done since you began
the albums gigs with "Unknown Pleasures," but I must say
"Substance" was by far the best. Were the shows as much fun to play
as they were to watch?
It was difficult I have to say. New Order "Substance" is a beast of
an album to play so it was a tough nut to crack but we all put a lot of work into
getting it right, Joy Division always feels a lot more natural to me to play
but yes they've all been great fun, each of the albums in turn. The funny thing
is I've developed a fondness for a lot of tracks that I've never been
particularly enamored with before such as "Shellshock",
"1963" and "State Of The Nation" Now I've grown to love
them as much as the other tracks. It has been a strange but gratifying
experience rediscovering those tracks.
Still playing with your son, what
is it like to have Jack play your parts each night?
The way it works with me and Jack is
that he plays the bass parts when I'm singing and we both play bass together,
kind of dueling with our instruments during the instrumental parts. It is
great to have Jack in the band with me, he's very hard working and also a very
gifted musician. He has been on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins as well but
he's very dedicated to The Light and to the material. It's fantastic for me as
a father to have his son playing in the band. When I look over and see him on
stage, I get an enormous sense of pride."
With the new book, you give us the intimate look on New Order as you did
with Joy Division many years ago. Looking back on these stories and works, was
it harder to put together than the Joy Division stories since there was a
beginning and end with that band. While New Order continues to play, but
without you?
The weird thing is that none of the
books have had a happy ending which is the most frustrating aspect of the whole
thing. You would love one of them to have a happy ending. Maybe it'll be the
next one. Was it easier, the difficult thing was the length of time. The Joy
Division book was my musical childhood, at three, four years. The Hacienda book
was 16 years and New Order was 31. So the sheer quantity of time is what
dictated how long it took.
I also wanted to balance out the excesses, the sex, drugs and rock and roll
with the hard work and graft that went into producing the music. That was why I
included the "geek alerts" about the equipment we were using because
I wanted people to realize how hard we worked and how difficult it was to
create that sound. You've got to give all of us, Barney, Steve and myself, the
credit for doing that.
Has
there been any contact with your old bandmates? Will there ever be?
Only through lawyers as it
stands.
When putting together the new book, what surprised you the most?
It struck me that New Order were an
absolute product of the Eighties, beginning in May 1980 and then finishing in
June 1990 with the England World Cup single. Ten absolutely fantastic,
wonderful years. It was action packed,
it really was an intense period of time. Looking back on it, I am amazed we
managed to survive it all. I was amazed that we all survived The Hacienda after
I wrote that book but I'm even more amazed that we managed to survive New
Order.
One thing I did realize is that time
flies by so quickly, that was the biggest surprise. To be here and think that
this is 41 years since we started the group as Joy Division following the Sex
Pistols gig. I can't believe its gone in a heartbeat. I long for it constantly,
to have it again, I wouldn't mind that 41 years back.
What was it like to remember all
of this? How did you manage to recall all of these stories and incidents?
The writing process has become easier
as it's my third book but as I think people can tell each book has taken a lot
of time and they're quite in depth. The New Order book is some 800 pages long
but it does deal with twenty six years of the band. As for rediscovering the
past I find it sometimes weird, especially when you're concentrating gig by
gig, session and trying to remember precisely the details but it can be
interesting when a revelation appears. It can sometimes be a little unnerving but
I have learnt to deal with it by now.
Considering Bernie has his book
out as well, many of his accounts seem to be different than yours, which is the
real tale?
Well the audience
will be the judge, jury and executioner there. It's a matter of who you choose
to believe. Bernard and I were never able to agree on anything so ultimately it's
down to the reader to decide.
New York plays a massive role in the story of New Order. Does the city still
inspire you?
Yes it does actually. I had a little downtime a couple of days ago on
the book tour in NY and I had a wander around West 44th and a meal in the Red
Flame Diner for old times' sake. It really does make me smile, the Iroquois is
now a four star hotel. I might have to book in.
New York is a very vibrant city. It's never changed. It still rocks. When you
walk down any hour of the day and night, it is still very, very vibrant. I'd
love to go to a few clubs again to see what they are like nowadays. I suspect
they'll be similar to what we have in Manchester, people going nuts having a
great time.
Looking back on it, working with Arthur Baker, who remains a great guy and great
friend, as well as the clubs of the New York, especially Danceteria was an
absolute inspiration to us. Every time I go back there, I almost feel like it's
a second home. We owe a great debt to Ruth Polsky for bringing us over.
As you have toured both of your old bands works, has there been discussion
of original material featuring The Light?
We've discussed it many times but I'm not really looking to record with The Light
because I consider The Light as a band for playing my back catalogue. That's
what people have come to expect so I'm not sure it would work. However since
Pottsy, David Potts has joined The Light, he was my writing partner in Monaco
and we're planning to work together on new material for Monaco this year so you
can look out for that.
Dance and electronic music owes a great debt to you and New Order, do
you listen to the modern electronic and dance music of today? If so, who?
All the time, most bands now use a combination of dance and rock. In
fact most acts are like that, even if you listen to Rihanna or Beyonce, it's
the same recipe so I listen to all of it. I'm a great consumer but I tend on
the whole to prefer groups at the moment.There's a band from Stockport, near Manchester called Blossoms doing
very well, the NY band, Cults and a London band, Savages, those are my picks
for now.
You have seen and been a part of all facets of the music world, what advice
do you have for a young musician wanting to make a career out of this?
Never, ever, give up.
As we always do when we chat, let's discuss another passionate topic
--- Manchester United. Do you think the price tag for Zlatan and Pogba were
justified?
Well Zlatan was a free transfer although obviously he's on a good screw
out of it. Bringing Pogba back also made a statement but of course it was
justified. To make our team great again is worth any price.
I was there when Rooney scored that 249th goal to equal Bobby Charlton's
record which was a great moment. I was delighted to be at the ground when that
happened. I felt sorry for Bobby but happy for Wayne who has taken a lot of
stick but been a great player and guy for both United and England
Where do you think United will end this season? Will they make
Champions League?
Top three and definitely. I think we could also wind up with a couple of
cups, we're in the league cup final and I wouldn't be surprised if we added
either or both of the FA Cup and Europa League to that. I think we have some
very strong players and after a bit of bumpy start, we are looking formidable
in the cup games.
Is Jose Mourinho
still "The Special One" or has that gone to the Italian managers that
have invaded the Premiership?
No, he's definitely still the special
one. It's nice that it's made United fans come up with a new song, based on the
Herman's Hermits track "Something Tells Me I'm Into Something Good".
We're playing well and seem to be looking good, and we have Jose to thank for
that.
Depeche Mode have released the tracklisting for their forthcoming album, Spirit. Singer Dave Gahan said in a press release of the record: "We are exceptionally proud of Spirit, and we look forward to sharing it with everyone. With James Ford and the rest of the production team, we've made an album that I believe is truly powerful, both in its sound and its message." Take a look at the tracklisting, below: Going Backwards
Where's the Revolution
The Worst Crime
Scum
You Move
Cover Me
Eternal
Poison Heart
So Much Love
Poorman
No More (This is the Last Time)
Fail
H.R. from Bad Brains is in need of serious PMA. The hardcore legend has to undergo brain surgery after suffering trigeminal neuralgia, a rare a neurobiological disorder. Our thoughts are with him for a successful operation.
Incubus guitarist Mike Einzinger took to Twitter to announce that new details of an upcoming album from the SoCal band are coming "soon." L.A. radio station KROQ has heard some of the music, saying it is "mid-tempo rock," and the record could arrive in April.
Peter Hook took to Facebook to announce that he is releasing live records of his band The Light performing the music of Joy Division and New Order in May. Take a look:
Dave Hause will release his third solo album, Bury Me in Philly, in February.
At the Drive-In have confirmed they will release their first album in 17 years next year. The album will not feature guitarist Jim Ward who left the band earlier this year.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of ATD-I has linked up with Dale Crover and Buzz from the Melvins, Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes have joined forces to form the band Crystal Fairy. The band will release their debut next year.
The U.S. release of Peter Hook's New Order autobiography, Inside New Order, will come on January 31.
Ryan Adams took to Twitter to announce that his new album, Prisoner, will arrive in February.
It has been 2 years since Peter Hook & The Light played New York City to perform music from his bands New Order and Joy Division. In that time, the bassist of the timeless bands wrote a book about his time in New Order, due next month in the UK and later in the US, he also toured Europe for a while.
On Thursday, he made his welcomed return to the Big Apple with a mind full of memories and fondness as his kicked off his latest tour which hears him and his band playing New Order's compilation record, Substance, in full as well as Joy Division hits set. In the first of 2 packed nights of inside the iconic Manhattan venue, the legendary bassist took fans down memory lane and reminded everyone, even his biggest fans, why both of his bands mattered so much.
In the 2-and-a-half hours he and The Light were on stage, it was hard to fathom how many hits New Order and Joy Division had. Just within the first hour, there were enough songs that some artists today wish they could both write and have in their arsenal. That is what great chemistry in a band does. As New Order have continued on without Hooky, his nostalgia tours rival the band that has most of the original members. In fact, at points, he does it better with less.
As close to the weekend as it was, the audience inside wanted to let loose. It was a combination of NYU students and adults that could be their parents paying tuition for their kids to go to school. The range was incredible, for some, it was reliving their youth, for others, it was seeing something they only heard or read about and finally get to experience. Hooky would pause from time to time to remember Ian Curtis and Tony Wilson, he would also describe certain events that happened to New Order while in New York, but mainly left it all up to the music. Webster Hall did suffer a few technical issues with his sound but no one seemed to mind. The music is all that mattered.
U2 have confirmed that their new album, Songs of Experience, will arrive in 2017. Speaking to U2 fansite, U2 Espana, bassist Adam Clayton said that within the next six months fans can expect an announcement of sorts.
Linden Boulevard and 192nd Street in St. Albans, Queens, New York will officially be renamed Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor Way in honor of the late Tribe Called Quest emcee that passed away earlier this year.
Slaves have confirmed that their new album will be "very different" from last year's brilliant debut, Are You Satisfied? Singer Isaac Holman told DIY: "We’ve done all the music, it’s just the finishing touches now; it’s about concentrating on artwork and tracklisting, things like that.” No official release has been given.
Speaking to Ultimate Guitar, Nirvana producer Butch Vig has said the band's signature sound on Nevermind came thanks to Dave Grohl. Vig said: "I just kept pacing around the room and going, ‘Oh, my god. This sounds fuckin’ amazing.’ Dave is an incredible musician. He really is. People always say, ‘How’d you get that sound on Nevermind?’ and 90 percent of it is Dave Grohl… it’s just how Dave plays and he’s just so, so powerful.”
Prince Paul has started a new group with Digable Planets' Ladybug Mecca, Don Newkirk and Brazilian musician Rodrigo Brandao called Broozkill. The band's debut, Throwback to the Future, will be released in October. Take a look at the tracklisting, below:
Macumba 3000
Raise The Flag
Saudade Songbook
Nascido No Céu
Amigo Estranho Amigo
Maralém
Mad Dog In Yoruba
BROOKZILL!
Suite
S. Bento MC5
Mysterious
Todos Os Terreiros
Let’s Go (É Noiz)!
Peter Hook will release his memoirs about his time in New Order in the upcoming autobiography, Substance: Inside New Order in October. Take a look at the cover and pre-order info, below:
Danny Brown took to Instagram to announce that his new album will be called Atrocity Exhibition and it is indeed named after the Joy Division song, which the Detroit rapper later posted the lyrics to on social media. No official release date has been set.
Sting is currently working on his new album, 57th & 9th, the singer told Rolling Stone that his new record will be a rock LP and that it is "impulsive." He says he was inspired by the deaths of David Bowie and Prince to record the album, which currently does not have a release date.
If you ever wanted to see what Jeff Buckley had in his record collection, now you can. His estate has crafted a site to show what the late musician was into. Take a look HERE.
GorillazNorthAmerica points out that in a recent interview with BBC, Damon Albarn said that the new Gorillaz LP should be done "fairly soon." No word on an exact release date but older reports suggest it could come next year.
According to recent reports, Prince purchased the home that was used in his film, Purple Rain, last year. The Minnesota home was on the market, so The Purple One bought it, according to findings. Prince also purchased other homes in the Minneapolis area.
Just a few years after his former bandmate Peter Hook released his autobiography about the account of what happened within Joy Division and parts of New Order, Bernard Sumner got his rebuttal. In 2014, the leader of New Order and former guitarist of Joy Division released his autobiography Chapter & Verse: New Order, Joy Division & Me. The book chronicles his childhood in Manchester to being in two of the biggest and influential indie rock bands of all time.
The book, which is much more cut and dry than Hooky's, is an introspective and interesting read but at often points Sumner has a hard time telling a story. However, for any fan of either of the bands it is a worthwhile pickup, simply because the accounts and details of what went on behind the scenes is enough to make you want to start your own band and hit the road.
Factor Records owner Tony Wilson passed in 2007, now, some of his closest friends and colleagues have coming together in the tribute video "St. Anthony: An Ode To Anthony H Wilson." Iggy Pop, members of New Order / Joy Division, The Fall's Mark E. Smith, Steve Coogan (Who played Wilson in 24 Hour Party People) star and perform in the video by Mike Garry and Joe Duddell. Take a look!
Ian Curtis' Manchester home, which he took his own life, has been purchased by a fan and will be turned into a museum.
Sad news to report, Ross Dawson drummer of Late of the Pier has died in a very sudden and tragic accident the band's former label, Parlophone, has confirmed. The band has been broken up since 2010, and former members have yet to comment on the passing. Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig has confirmed that the band are gearing up to begin work on their fourth album. No date as to when they will begin working on the record or when it will be released.
Speaking to VLAD TV, Ghostface Killah gave a hilarious interview when he discussed the first time he heard Action Bronson. He said, "I thought he was me.I'm asking myself, 'When the fuck I do that verse?'" Since Bronsolino has arrived on the scene he has often been mistaken for Ghost on record.
Marvel really loves Run The Jewels, then again, who doesn't?! The hip-hop duo will be honored with their third comic-inspired cover for an upcoming Deadpool issue. Take a look at the cover below:
Courtney Love is currently on tour with Lana Del Rey, but touring with Love is Hold Steady guitarist Tad Kubler who has joined her band while his main band is on break.
Janet Jackson has announced she will release a new album this year, her first in seven years. It is rumored to be called My Conversation.
Joy Division's catalog - their two studio albums and two post-breakup compilations, will be reissued on 180 gram vinyl in July to celebrate the 35th anniversary of "Love Will Tear Us Apart."
Lamb of God will release their new album,VII: Sturm Und Drang, in July.
Also celebrating a 35th anniversary is Pulp, who spoke to NME about their very first concert which took place at Leadmill in Sheffield, England, in 1980. Jarvis Cocker said of the gig, ""It was a festival and we were the second band on in the afternoon. It was the first time we’d been on a proper stage, and when our bass player started experiencing feedback he didn’t know what to do, so he started walking towards the front of the stage and fell off it. People found us entertaining, but only because we were a bunch of mad kids who didn’t know how to play. We also made one of the best entrances of all time. There was a man across the yard with a mobile grocer’s van, and we used that to transport our equipment. We stunk of cabbage."
Noel Gallagher spoke to Noisy about that scrapped Amorphous Androgynous album that was supposed to arrive in 2011. He said, "The album got finished. We spent a lot of time working on it, but the way that they work is that they get me in and I play all day then they take it away. Then the next thing you hear, you go 'Well, that's not what I was thinking'. It became apparent that they weren't making a record for me but I was making a record for them. You know me, that's not going to fucking work. There's no bootleg because I own the master and I destroyed it. My manager's not even heard it. I wouldn't play it. It was so underwhelming to me that I never played it to anybody. I'm not going to put records out to please people and their imagination, then they hear it and go 'Actually, it's a bit shit'. I know it's shit that's why it's not coming out and that's the end of it."
We have all been to that one gig that has changed their lives. Whether that gig was in a small club or stadium, it had an impact on us in attendance. But, what if there was one gig that changed the course of music forever? On Friday June 4, 1976, The Sex Pistols played Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England. The punk band's set was so blistering and inspiring that those in attendance started bands. Those in the crowd were the likes The Fall's Mark E. Smith; Joy Division's Peter Hook, Bernie Sumner, and Ian Curtis; Morrissey; Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley of The Buzzcocks. In the wake of that gig, the friends who entered that show left forming bands or looked to join a band.
In 2006, author David Nolan wrote about the impact of that concert and how it changed the music world forever with I Swear I Was There. In essence, that concert ushered in the post-punk movement which was spearheaded by The Smiths and Joy Division. The book chronicles the back story of how the show was put on and it's lasting impact and why it remains the most important concert of all time.
Most music biographies and autobiographies are told from the perspective of what it is like inside the band and the forces on the outside that may have influenced decisions. Very rarely is a biography written about a musician that is on the outside looking in. Twenty years ago, Deborah Curtis, the wife of late Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, told her memoirs. She explains what it was like being the wife to the singer of a band that was one of the most rapidly growing and successful bands in Europe and married to a man that suffered depression and epileptic seizures which played a factor into Ian's suicide on the eve of Joy Division's first U.S. tour.
Touching From A Distance, which would later be the basis to Anton Corbijn's directorial debut, Control, is one of the most heartbreaking and candid stories you will read about this band. Deborah details her beginnings with Ian, his rising fame, medical conditions, infidelities, and volatile personality. This is a must read for any fan of this band and Deborah treats fans to lyrics and handwritten notes Ian had of songs never recorded. A unique and powerful look on what it was like being on the outside of the band but still within the inner circle.
Each year massive box sets, reissues, and compilations emerge from top
artists to celebrate an anniversary of a landmark record, highlight an
artist's career, and simply see who is a casual fan and who is a
die-hard fan on whether customers will buy one of these. In an effort to
showcase what to spend some left over holiday money or how to use those
pesky gift cards you may have gotten, we have broken down the best
reissues and compilations of the year. Take a look!
Miles Davis - Miles at the Fillmore
The third in a series of authorized bootlegs was recorded over a four night residency Davis had at the legendary Fillmore in June 1970. The four disc set features hardly any overlap and with his brilliant band of that era, Miles comes alive again.
Orange Juice - You Can't Hide Your Love Forever / Rip It Up / Texas Forever / The Orange Juice
The influence indie Britrock band that paved the way for Oasis, Belle & Sebastian, Glasvegas, Stone Roses and countless others, had their first four albums remastered and rereleased via Domino and never sounded better.
Led Zeppelin - I / II / III / IV
Thanks to the vinyl craze some of the classic rock albums fans have found while crate digging have now been cleaned up and remastered and instead of hearing the hiss, cracks, and skips, of the original LP's, the Led Zeppelin reissues have by far been the best. Jimmy Page oversaw the entire project which also gave fans remastered demos and live cuts on the CD versions.
Soundgarden - Superunknown
The landmark Soundgarden record turned 20 this year and Superunknown, the grunge Gods biggest album never sounded better. Packed with B-sides, alternate mixes, demos and rehearsals, plus a Blueray featuring live performances, music videos, and documentaries.
Mobb Deep - The Infamous
Mobb Deep's 1994 breakthrough, The Infamous, wasn't the only landmark record that turned 20 this year but it was one of those records that still after all of these years sounds as fresh and as vibrant today as it did then. Also packed with this reissue are studio outtakes and demos that were never before heard until now.
Nas - Illmatic XX
The greatest hip-hop album of all time turned 20 and like Nas' Queensbridge neighbors, Mobb Deep, Illmatic's themes, discussions, and ideas sound as clear as day now as they did 20 years ago and prove why this album is not just classic but iconic. The CD reissue features remixes as well as Nas' infamous interview on The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito show in 1993.
R.E.M. - MTV Unplugged 1991 - 2001
Back in the 90's MTV's Unplugged was one of the most important and impactful programs on TV. It featured artists turn another cheek and audiences live in the studios saw their favorite bands and singers as musicians. It wasn't that they were going acoustic, it was showing what they could do with less. So many artists like Eric Clapton, Nirvana, Jay Z, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Oasis, LL Cool J, Bruce Springsteen, and countless others crafted such memorable performances they go down in music history as some of the best ever put to record. Another one of those artists, R.E.M., did it more than once and did it with such grace that this compilation of their Unplugged moments makes audiences long for the series to return to it's importance and not just show what is hot in pop culture now.
Oasis - Definitely Maybe / (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
The biggest Britrock band of the 90's reissued their classic and best albums to celebrate their debut's 20th anniversary. Following the death of grunge, no band captured the attention of the world such as Oasis, they had the rock and roll attitude that every person that starts a band want but also had the songs to back it up. While these records are timeless, it is the additional material packed in that showcases how fantastic they were and how good these records were that even so many amazing B-sides were left off.
Joy Division - An Ideal for Living
For the first time since it was released DIY in the late 70's, Joy Divisions debut EP was reprinted on wax from the original tapes and while fans have bootleged the original for decades, this 10" makes you remember that while Joy Division were known for ushering in post-punk, they were a punk band that had the chops to compete with everyone else in England's top flight. Repackaged without the original and controversial Hitler youth art, An Ideal For Living is the sound of an iconic band that many never expected to hear again.
The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen at 21
The Afghan Whigs had a huge 2014, with a phenomenal new album, fantastic live show, and return to form, it was time to celebrate the record that brought them all of their acclaim 21 years ago, Gentlemen. Fueled by the singles "Gentleman," and "Debonair," The Whigs took grunge and mixed it with R&B, classic rock, and funk. The reissues features fantastic live cuts and demos and takes you back that had this record not come during the height of the grunge era, this band could have been in the stratosphere.
For the last five years, former Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook as been taking his old band's classic records and bringing them back to life with his band The Light. What started out in 2010 with Joy Division's flawless debut, Unknown Pleasures, has now lead to New Order's Low Life and Brotherhood to be put on the road and into the eyes and ears of fans around the world. On a packed Friday night at New York's Irving Plaza, a place that New Order last graced in 1997, Peter Hook and The Light brought out the expected records and surprises.
Taking the stage at 8p.m., Hooky and the band opened the night by doing a handful of Joy Division tracks, something they had done on the last tour as the surprise opener, Slaves of Venus. This time, it was marketed with a JD set. Opening with "Atmosphere," Hooky dedicated the song and the set to the Michael Shamberg, the man who oversaw Factory Records U.S. business affairs as well as produce a majority of New Order's iconic music videos. Shamberg passes away earlier in the week after a battle with an undisclosed illness. Hooky crafted the mood and tribute straight away to his late friend. After a near 40-minute Joy Division set, the band retreated for a brief break before coming on to play Low Life in full.
While Hooky's voice is comparable to Ian Curtis', it is a far cry from Bernard Sumner's. Yet, the bassist still pulls it off and puts his own vocal spin on the timeless songs. Playing the record in the tracklisting order, Hooky and the boys had Irving Plaza transformed into the Hacienda as fans danced and jumped around like they were in the iconic Manchester, England, club. While the record was the follow-up to the flawless, Power, Corruption, and Lies, Low Life does have it's moments and it is these gigs that make you remember that. Of course the biggest movement and joy from the crowd came during "The Perfect Kiss," it is the live remixes and jam sessions that Hooky and the Light have that really make the record come alive, this would be continued with Brotherhood.
After a second brief break, the band returned to plug in and play Brotherhood, the fourth New Order album and the record that solidified their place as a band who were transforming indie rock and music culture in the 1980's. While these records are nearly 30 years old, the music that they have influenced is nearly infinite and while it may not be the traditional New Order playing them, these albums are getting their dust off and getting the live treatment they deserve and the treatment a generation of fans, including myself, didn't get to experience. With Brotherhood tracks like "Paradise," "Bizarre Love Triangle," "As It Is When It Was," "Every Little Counts," the room felt so alive and excited that this was the start of their weekend.
As the lights on the stage faded during "Counts," many were beginning to leave, thinking that a near three-hour set comprised of two full albums and a set of material from Joy Division would be it. Yet, those were the fans that have not seen Hooky before. Coming back for a New Order greatest hits set for the encore and to cap the night off at a three-hour run time, Hooky brought out fellow Manchester resident and another influential musician from another influential band, Andy Rourke of The Smiths to join him and his son, Jack, on bass to play "True Faith." I dare anyone in New York to try and tell me they started their weekend off better than this!
