Customer Reviews

Get Ready

5 star:		(120)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Even in my biased opinion, I have maintain some sort of objectivity. I believe that New Order is one of the most influential bands to ever strum a guitar, and well, that sort of brilliance is certainly hard at work again on this, their first studio work since 1993's mediocre (save "Regret") Republic.

The first track and single, "Crystal" is obviously the highlight of the album. The driving layers of synthesizers with the soaring melody of Hook's bass immediately adds this gem into the canon of classics. The next track, "60 MPH", which is coincedentally the second single is equally stunning, an instantly hummable modern rock song that will have its stinging chorus etched into your consciousness like a lawn dart.

The album turns more into an introspective and reflective mood after the singles, and while the individual tracks are not as spectacular, they form a wonderful atmosphere of strong beats, throbbing basslines and magnificent strings, achieving a surrealness that reminds this review of "Mr. Disco" from Technique - a monolith of wonderful creations, stuffed to the breaking point with bits of rock and dance.

The most poignant moment comes at the end with the wonderful "Run Wild". An acoustic number with Barney sounding as real as he's ever sounded, New Order finishes their album triumphantly with a tune that begs you to go back to "Crystal" and start the process all over.

After an eight year hiatus, New Order arrive alive at mid-forty something, going on twenty. GET READY is New Order's garage album. Gone are the signature, cathedral synth sounds, replaced by stripped down guitars. No milk toast here. Sounding somewhat juvenile and naive, you'd wonder if they'd done this type of thing before, then remember Joy Division. The immediacy of pithy guitars, swaggering, lugubrious bass, deliberate, sonic, drumbeats, and sparse, airy keyboards echo a past. All underlined by the innocent school boy eternal vocals and lyrics. Polar opposites in collusion - UNKNOWN PLEASURES meets BROTHERHOOD. If an enigma is truly wrapped in a riddle, then New Order remain a mystery, mostly to themselves. Although they don't strike any new ground, the musical material presented here sounds remarkably fresh, frisky, and alive. Cuts "60 MPH", "Run Wild", "Slow Jam", and "Someone Like You" loom as classic standouts. It's rumored that given time you can reinvent anything, including yourself. New Order, being proponents, serve notice with this current incarnation. Although Gillian Gilbert is noticealby absent, the remaining members have crafted a very solid, listenable album, deserving of many repeated plays. GET READY can take it's place in New Order's illustrious musical history with honor. The legacy is intact. Issue the medals, break out the rewards. Rediscover them.

It was certainly well worth the wait for a new album by one of my favorite synth-pop bands from the '80s. This album definitely is certainly one of best albums that came out of 2001. For me the highlight tracks on this album was "Crystal", "Turn My Way", "Run Wild" and "60 Miles an Hour". I love how the band finishes the album with the acoustic track "Run Wild" after listening to a mostly rock driven album. I'm not a huge Billy Corgan fan but the track he contributed "Turn My Way" is by far one of the best songs I've heard from New Order". That song would have sounded completely different without Billy Corgan's unintentional impression of an angry Big Bird. "Crystal" is a 6 minute epic that kicks off this great album. Originally I didn't care for "Crystal" but that was based on the few seconds I heard of the song. After hearing it in its entirety, it didn't take very long for me to love the first single of "Get Ready". While I do think this album has more of a rock edge and has less synth-pop edge, I still hear the traditional sounds of New Order. "Get Ready" is destined to be a classic like "Substance" and "Republic" (to some people.

I'm not a huge fan of New Order, just have their "best of" cd's mostly. All I can say is, this is a really good, consistent, and thoroughly enjoyable musical experience. The songs have a less electronic sound to it than "Republic" or "Technique". In fact, most of the songs seem to harken back to their really early 80's, less heavily-synthesized sound. The songs also have a surprising energy to it, as if they were made by an up'n coming alternative band and not a decades-old veteran band. In other words, none of that watered-down, commercial-sounding, "established" band blandness(which is a really nice bonus imo). Overall, they sound like the New Order of old, but with just enough freshness and energy to make it sound inviting for today's audiences. If you don't go in expecting, or hoping for, a bunch of "Blue Monday"-type songs or an emphasis on electronic/synthpop songs, you'll be fine. Great for repeated listenings. Personal faves: Crystal, 60 Miles an Hour, Turn My Way(with Billy Corgan), Primitive Notion, Slow Jam( i like the chorus), Rock the Shack(certifiable foot stomper), & Run Wild(most beautiful song on cd imo). And if you like this cd, get their 2k5 release for a similar audio experience.

New Order is an all time favorite band, but they seemed like they were getting bland. After my first listen to this CD I thought my impressions were right. I put it away for a couple months and decided to give it another try. New Order usually had at least a couple worth while songs and I wanted to find the other. When I payed more attention most songs sounded decent. Was this just consistent blandness or a better CD than I first thought. I played it again and my jaw dropped. This was darn good. It seems to rival their early work. Now with each listen I like it even more. This is a treasure. Each song has power and atmosphere that is infectious. A great new beginning

The sensous new Album 'Get Ready' from New Order, highlights the the bands ability in meshing together the two dominant musical genres of the last twenty years - dance and pop.
From the opening pop of one of their best ever singles 'Crystal' and the rhythmical pulse of '60 miles an hour' to the Joy Division like 'Primitive Notion' drilling low and hard with Peter Hooks' thumping bass oozing classic house chic, they provide positive proof that they remain the undisputed Kings when it comes to blending guitar and synthesiser sensibilities. It's not attempting to redefine or transcend, it's New Order at their thumping heart rendering best.
Where they appear to be so skillful as musicians is that they are able to tap into both dance and pop musical forms, borrowing from each and then merging so that a middle ground is found where the extreme scope of each genre clash with mesmerizing simplicity. 'Someone like you' illustrates this perfect pop synthesis better than any other moment on the Album. With it's pounding trance like bass and intoxicating sample layers washing over like the helpless surrender of an Ecstasy rush, Verse and chorus cascading throughout they sound like 'Love will tear us apart' twenty years on.
On 'turn my way' with ex Smashing pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan they sound like the disaffected teenager the smashing pumpkins identified with so profoundly has grown into a disaffected twentysomething less the angst. A comfortable sereness resonates while Billy Corgan and Bernard Sumner passively reveal "I don't want to be like other people are; I want it to be free; I want it to be true."
On the Primal Scream inspired 'Rock the Shack' with Bobby Gillespie and Andrew Innes adding vocals and biting guitar licks there's a complete change in direction sounding very unlike New Order and more like a Rolling Stones Shaun Ryder collaboration(imagine).
They then close their first studio Album in eight years with the glorious cheerful melancholy of Ballard 'Run Wild' where despite the at times cliched lyrical content "If Jesus comes to take your hand; I won't let go" and "Good times around the corner; I swear it's getting warmer" epitomize the New Order of today with the closing line "I'm going to live till I die; I'm going to live to get high".
'Get Ready' is a classically produced and arranged Album one of the must buy's of 2001, a genre defining band waving to the music Industry with arrogant ease. Is the wave a Goodbye or a Hello?
I think that's another reason the Album works so well. Trends in music come and they go. Throughout the decades New Order have witnessed the crash and burn of punk, the wasteland of 80's synthesizer pop, the rise and fall of Madchester and Kurt Cobain, the bubblegrunge of Limp Bizkit through to today's faceless 'popstars'. New Order remain unaffected, resolute in their defiance, never wavering from their emotive pop roots.
'Get Ready' has within it's twisting turns enough heart pounding moments for new and old fans alike. 'Get Ready' indeed. Ten reasons to say more and ten reasons to say 'Salford Rules'.

Around 1978 or so, a bunch of guitar-wielding lads decided to start a band on a lark. It just so happened that these four lads were the greatest modern poet, the greatest modern bassist, one of the greatest modern guitarists, and one superb drummer. They created Joy Division (the best band ever), and released four albums' worth of flawless music. Then the poet fellow killed himself over a woman. Ouch. Quite understandably struck by this event, the remaining lads weren't quite sure what to do. But after having thought it over, they decided to keep going. Not as Joy Division, no - that would just be disrespectful to their friend's memory. No, they formed New Order, recruiting the drummer fellow's wife to play keyboards (which she did very well). While New Order never rose to the majesty and nobility of Joy Division, it still made some of the best dance music ever. Then in 1993, they decided they'd had enough of it, and closed shop. New Order was no more. Well, that's understandable - after all, innovations in dance music come and go very fast, and it's hard to keep up. Having split up, the four members of New Order took their immense musical skills to side projects, but let's face it - none of them were any good. Not even Electronic, which had Johnny Marr. That's just how it goes.

Then in the next millennium, they decided to come back together and show the world how it's done, on a lark. And the result is Get Ready, a very sparsely presented album (there are practically no liner notes, and aside from the spine of the CD case, the album and band names appear only once in the entire package, on the disc itself) and the appropriate reaction to it is "How did we ever get by without these guys for eight years?" For while Get Ready is not a world-changing, deeply moving album like those of their Joy Division days, it is the best record of 2001 by far, and a great rock record period. In fact, it's their most straightforwardly rock record since their early years. There's no extensive keyboard noodling here; Sumner's guitar is up close and personal, and I happen to like it that way. Sumner is, after all, the man responsible for much of Joy Division's sound; he practically single-handedly invented a whole new style of guitar playing. And he is complemented perfectly by Gillian Gilbert's keyboards (which are reduced to backup, but do their job admirably), Stephen Morris's drumming (the man really is unmatched; just listen to the drums on "Primitive Notion"), and the inimitable bass of Peter Hook, the man with the most apt last name in history.

So yeah, musically speaking there's really no criticism possible. By now, New Order are masters. And they retain their mastership by not deliberately trying to be "hip" or do anything that they don't have their heart in. Now, a common criticism of this album is Bernard Sumner's lyrics, which often are quite daft. To which I say: this is New Order, guys. Where have you been? They've always been that way. Remember "Age of Consent"? The lyrics to that were just as inane. Expecting the poetry of Ian Curtis from Sumner is completely futile, and misses the point completely. The thing is, Sumner delivers even his most cringe-worthy lines with such unabashed enthusiasm and warmth that you can't help but sing along to them. It's just irresistible.

Out of all the tracks on this CD, there's only one misfire - "Rock the Shack." The production is very un-New-Orderly, Bobby Gillespie's guest presence doesn't help, the chorus is plain awful, and while the rowdy, dirty guitar licks might sound good for someone else, they don't for New Order, and sound completely out of place given the rest of the album. I really wish they had saved this one for a B-side or something - doing so would have made the okay-but-not-too-stunning tracks, like "Slow Jam" or "Vicious Streak," seem better. The other guest collaboration - "Turn My Way" - isn't great, but isn't bad either. Thankfully, Billy Corgan doesn't botch it, but it's not quite the album's best point. _However,_ the album boasts six other tracks. On side A we've got "Crystal" (one of their best singles ever, period, with an immediacy that reminds you at once just how much New Order were missed), "60 Miles An Hour" (great rocker, certainly; not the album's best track, but very good nonetheless), and "Primitive Notion." The last of these is really amazing, featuring a stellar guitar line and a beautiful chorus (for along with the daft, Sumner's lyrics often feature the emotionally resonant; it's this duality that makes them endearing).

But lest you think that this is one of those albums that is front-loaded with its strongest material then gets weak towards the end, the last three tracks are excellent as well. "Someone Like You" is relatively subdued (especially compared to "Rock the Shack," which precedes it) and very pretty. Perhaps the most keyboard oriented song on the album, it reminds you that no one does dance better than New Order. That's followed up with "Close Range," one of Sumner's most moving and urgent songs (does anyone else love that "remember in the park where we used to play, the grass looked ten foot high?" couplet as much as I do?), and "Run Wild," the last track. This last one is a very slow, fragile acoustic strum with some lovely strings - possibly the most atypical New Order track ever, showing that they're far from rehashing some old formula. And while the song wears its heart on its sleeve, Sumner's earnest delivery makes it another winner.

So there you go. It won't turn your universe upside down, but it does its warm, earnest, sonically wonderful bit to make the world a slightly better place. How did we get by without these guys for eight years?

I've been listening to New Order since before they even went by that name. I will never tire of Joy Division classics like "Transmission" and "Shadowplay." They started out as a hard rock band. With "Get Ready" they have gone full circle. From the opening strains of "Crystal" through the rest of this very ambitious work, they have revisited and revitalised what they originally set out to do. It's like they have taken everything they have learned from Joy Division, New Order and all of their side projects, combined them, shaken them up and this is the result. A brilliant work that transcends anything they have done before including "Blue Freakin' Monday!" I'll never forget all the bad reviews I read about their last album, "Republic." That's funny, when I went to the concert in Dallas it was sold out and everyone in the crowd of 20,000 knew all of the words to "World" long before it was a hit single. "Regret" was like a Beatle song, flawless. Well, this album is "Republic" times ten. "Turn My Way" with that wonderful Billy Corgin will be a huge hit if they ever decide to release it as a single. It's so Melon Collie. To list the other classics on this gem would simply entail listing the rest of the album, but there are some stand outs. "Slow Jam" is unlike anything I have ever heard from this venerable band and I appreciate surprises. "Viscious Streak" is broodingly glorious and "Rock the Shack," much out of character for this band, ROCKS THE SHACK! It tears the roof off the sucker! But the most touching and poignant moment here is "Run Wild." New Order has never done an acoustic ballad like this and it breaks new ground. This song could have been written by Lennon/ McCartney, it's that good. Even if you hate everything else on this disc, you will love this song. It's that good. The final verse reads "I'm gonna live til I die, I'm gonna live to get high." And that's it. It's over. And then you hit play again and again and again. I always knew that New Order was a musical force to be reckoned with back when they were cranking out gems like "The Perfect Kiss," "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "Temptation," but I had no idea they could last this long and still remain vital. God knows they have!

New Order
Get Ready
Reprise/Warner

Like the phoenix from the flames, New Order rose from the ashes that Ian Curtis left behind to produce some of the most memorable pop music over the last 20 years. 1993's Republic was overshadowed with the demise of New Order's home base, Factory Records, along with the continuous threat of the group's impending break-up. Side-projects, rehashed greatest hits and re-re-released remixes aside, Get Ready, is New Order's "comeback" record for a band that never really went away. They unknowingly shaped the backbone of electronic music without ever really caring. They just did it. "Crystal" has all the proper elements for a New Order single, dynamic guitar jabs, Peter Hook's well-hung bass-playing to subtle synths and Bernard Sumner's school-boy vox. Think their 1993 summer hit "Regret". "Slow Jam", "Rock The Shack" give nods to Primal Scream's laudable Brit-Pop, "Turn My Way", "Vicious Streak" and "Run Wild" set the somber mood, while "Primitive Notion", with its Chemical Brothers'-ish tech/breaks fade out, and "Someone Like You" churn out classy alterna-pop reminiscent of their earlier works. Highly anticipated, true to their form, New Order are as predominant in modern pop music now as they were when they created the genre.

It appears that NO has released an album that is getting a "love-it-or-hate-it" reaction from fans and reviewers. I will certainly concede to the critics of this work that the album suffers from weak lyrics; tongue-in-cheek works well if targeted, but not on nearly every song. It is for this reason that I will have to deduct a full star for my review. With that said, the band has nevertheless been able to pull off something that has been long worth the wait. The best thing about Get Ready is that it corrects the production mistakes that flawed Republic; while one may actually argue that the latter has much better lyrical content, there is not doubt that Republic was done an injustice by severely drowning out the guitars (including Hooks bass). Not on Get Ready, where all the band once again shines: Hooks bass is plentiful, Sumner's voice is confident and his guitar dominates, Morris' drumwork is as dynamic as ever, and Gibert's keyboards, while playing a more supportive role, sound more lush and convincing than ever. Stand out tracks are "Crystal," "Primitive Notion," "Someone Like You," and "Close Range." While I would recommend either Substance or Technique to a newcomer, at some point this is a must have.