Skip to main content

"... but I've no passion for this hate"


We're down to the final two, and today's entry in the Top 10 Albums list is so good, aside from being rather nostalgic for yours truly.

#2 - New Order / Republic (1993)

1993 opened the floodgates for me when it came to music as an late-teen/young adult. A lot of great music was released that year, and I was paying attention to it. I devotedly listened to the radio, watched MTV, VH1, Friday Night Videos on NBC, and even recorded a sort of countdown show with a friend, of our favorite songs of the week.

Friday Night Videos is where I first became aware of Regret, the lead single off of New Order's Republic album. I came late to New Order. They rose from the ashes of Joy Division in the early 1980s, after Ian Curtis' suicide, and Bernard Sumner took over lead vocals. The group evolved over the years and I have, in retrospect, enjoyed most of their work.

Republic is, of course, my favorite New Order album. It was the first one I listened to, it arguably sounds the most polished, it has a sound that was (at the time, anyway) very fresh. It sounds... very early '90s, in a good way. Much of this can probably be put down to the production of Stephen Hague. He is one of my favorite music producers, and also produced my #1 favorite album of all-time (hint for tomorrow).

Many of the lyrics found in Republic's song are typically New Order. That is, they're fairly barmy. But that's partly why I love it. Following is just a sample of what I mean:

"I turn sideways to the sun, keep my thoughts from everyone
It's a jungle, I'm a freak
Hear me talk, but never speak"

"I was a short fuse, burning all the time
You were a complete stranger, now you are mine"

"You are a color and you are a number, 
We need a sanction to see one another"

"I would brave the rainstorm in my car,
Maybe you can leave but you won't get far"

And so on. I love Republic. It has a special place in my heart and, every time I listen to it, I'm transported back to 1993 (to the good parts). When I was young, when music seemed fresh and new, and when emotions rode the rhythm of the sound.




Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yesterday's Restaurants

The local newspaper has a feature from one of Champaign-Urbana's most legendary restaurateur's, John Katsinas, on what his favorite area restaurants were that have now since closed (or will soon be closing).  It's a nice little read, and has made me stop and think about the restaurants that have come and gone that have left an indelible (and edible) impression on me throughout the years. Here we go....
Post a Comment
Read more

Watching The Hours

A Twitter friend named Paula has asked for folks to submit ideas for a blog-a-thon about what we think will be the classic films of the future. In other words, what relatively recent movies (namely, from the 21st century), do we think will be considered classics in the decades to come, possibly airing on such venerable stations as Turner Classic Movies ? While a number of films come to mind for such a category, one in particular stood out from the rest, and thus is my entry for Paula's blog-a-thon.
5 comments
Read more

To the beat of his own Drum

Tonight I learned that Kevin Drum has died. He passed away on Friday, March 7th, from Multiple Myeloma (the same illness that took my uncle Paul several years ago). Drum's diagnosis came in 2014, and he talked about it openly on his blog , up to and including just a few days before his death. I knew of Kevin Drum through his blogging. During the early aughts, when I started to become more politically aware and involved, I began reading certain online musings by folks -- Andrew Sullivan and, on a local level, IlliniPundit, to name a couple. Drum's blog at that time was Calpundit . Eventually, he began blogging at Mother Jones . When they parted ways, he started what would be his final online venture. So, yeah, I've been reading Kevin's musings for over twenty years.
Post a Comment
Read more