New Order was a major force in the early 1980’s dance/club scene. Born from the ashes from Joy Division, New Order has always done things their own way. While the band New Order is no longer together due to personal infighting amongst its members, still their legacy lives on. On March 9, 2010 there was a New Order tribute CD released; Ceremony; celebrating the life and death of Tony Wilson. Wilson was founder of Factory Records, the label where New Order had their success. Peter Hook, bassist for New Order and Joy Division, recorded an opening for the record and there are many fine spots to this tribute CD.
Before even talking about the songs on Ceremony, I was just impressed with the names and volume of the artists who participated on this recording. The varied nature of these covers really shows the depth and breadth to which New Order the band reached out to. The Cloud Room, Detachments, Sunbears, Rabbit in the Moon, The Dark Romantics, Light Yourself on Fire, and John Ralston are just a few of the more than 30 names attached to this two disc CD compilation.
From the Ceremony press sheet which came with my promo copy I can tell that there are multiple playings of many of their more legendary songs like Blue Monday. Unfortunately the promo disc I was sent only had 15 selected cuts so I wasn’t able to contrast the tunes. Rabbit in the Moon did Blue Monday on the disc that I had and his reading of it was fairly true to form; maybe the thunking backbeat throughout was a smidge quicker; the whole of the song was maybe a little more industrial than the original. Rabbit in the Moon also used reverb on his vocal track which was a turn from the most straight on delivery in the original.
Thieves Like Us was a rollicking anthem very faithfully interpreted by Sunbears! “It’s called love and it cuts your life like a broken knife,” may read somber or cryptic but in this song it’s totally sung out and the lyrics reach for the heights. All Day Long is a shuffling rockabilly which is nasally sung by John Ralston and the version of Ceremony I had on my copy was by the band Yes But No which is apparently a group fronted by a pair of sisters; 10 and 13 years old.
While it doesn’t look like New Order will ever get back together and while Tony Wilson is passed, their music will continue to be played and interpreted and listened to and that’s really the best kind of reward which any artist can have; that their work remains relevant. The longevity which New Order have experienced is pretty remarkable; even more remarkable is that for all the future musician they influenced, there still are so few who come close with their original work to gelled synthesis and steady grooves of New Order.
