Customer Reviews

Movement

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was a huge fan of Joy Division and Public Image Limited in that time, and still love them. That said. I am a New Order fan. I was of the few in San Francisco that saw them at the I-Beam on the first sans Ian tour. They were touching. That said.
Strip them of their history and take this album as it is for the time it was released and even today, and still it holds as a very good set of songs about stretching across a blackened musical landscape of minor chords and sketchy guitar with guilt ridden vocals and the occasional dance-trippy melodies. Movement is a musical statement. It shows the now and the where to go of the later masterpiece, Power, Corruption And Lies. Movement is a gloomy record, but that's ok, the dark wave really did rejoice in it's melancholy and of course in it's layered sounds. Put this album next to PIL Metal BOX and Echo and the Bunneymens Heaven Up Here and you have a couple of dreamy hours into the netherlands of what was to become of Manchester and American Brit rock idolators. Great stuff, and a wonderful clarion call to what was to become the makings of the greatest dance single of all time from the darkness of Dreams Never End: Blue Monday. After the regrettabel suicide of Ian Curtis, who I hope has found some new incarntion better fitted to his damaged soul, New Order lifted spirits rathers than dampened them.

I watched New Order perform the content of this watershed album at Plato's ballroom in Liverpool - it was their first gig in the U.K. as New Order and they had just returned from New York where they had unveiled their metamorphic identity.

The place was packed.....and dotted among the audience were the luminaries of the North West scene, from Pete Wylie, manic, high, through to Tony wilson, dry and smirking....svengali-like, knowing what he had.

And suddenly there they were, legends already, Dreams Never End assaulting the thick smoky clubby atmoshere, fast, energetic - the link to the past, evoking memories of Transmission and Love Will Tear Us Apart....and Truth, the quirky drum machine....I forget the gig order now but they did the whole of this short album plus In A Lonely Place and Ceremony.

For me this album remains a memory of something very special.... the crysalis stage of something that blossomed into a glorious freedom of expression. In some ways this is a tough listen - a bridge to the swirling, delirious Power Corruption and Lies from the sombre Closer. It does get waylaid in places, but the high points - The him, and the breathtaking Doubts Even Here are reminders of how these people reached out and made us all wonder about things which in our more cynical moods we would dismiss as pretentious nonsense....like how modern music can approach the soul, and be art.

They might have goofed in front-loading their debut with the sprightly, catchy 'Dreams Never End'- -the rest of the album is pretty dour after such an auspicious beginning. It seems they couldn't make up their collective mind as to direction. Hence 'Dreams', which sounds like a hit single and, remarkably, like nothing in the Joy Division canon; the haunting 'Doubts Even Here', ostensibly the sequel to both 'Atmosphere' and 'In A Lonely Place'; and the sequencer-driven 'Chosen Time' which anticipates the follow-up POWER, CORRUPTION AND LIES and the direction the band would pursue throughout the 80s. Not surprising, really, as much of the material was probably written as Joy Division while Ian Curtis was alive and had to be finished without him. ('Ceremony', the debut single, was performed live with Curtis on JD's STILL.) A hint of cynicism concerning the band's audience pervades the album as well, though - - the vocals are treated in more than a few spots so as to mimic Curtis, most notably on 'Dreams Never End' and 'Doubts Even Here' in which Ian's ghost seemingly performs (it's actually Peter Hook). The band was definitely haunted by Curtis: his absence permeates the album. There are some great moments, to be sure - - aside from 'Dreams Never End', 'ICB' lopes merrily along and manages to transcend its own weight with its whoopy synth calls and ascending progression. And 'Doubts Even Here' is darkly beautiful. It's also rather aptly titled- -IS that Curtis? It isn't, but it's easy to imagine it isn't Hook, either. That's the thing about ghosts. They're there but they're not.

YES... highly. Many critics and other ignorants find this album to be quite disgusting. Why? It sounds too much like Joy Division. Well, I've got news for you, it IS Joy Division. This album was like a lone bridge. On one side, Joy Division. All the way on the other, New Order. The thing is, Bernard, Peter, and Stephen have just begun to cross. You can't go from Closer to Power, Corruption, and Lies with just one stride. This album came out almost right after Closer. Come on, give us a flipping break. It's Joy Division without the legendary Ian Curtis. That's it.

MOVEMENT is New Order's debut following the suicide of Ian Curtis and the dissolution of Joy Division. As such, it complements CLOSER perfectly, yet I consider it superior to that exalted album--blasphemy, I know, but MOVEMENT has a richer, more nuanced sound than the repetitive, intentionally deadened beats of CLOSER. But enough of pointless comparisons: MOVEMENT is very much a must-have album for anyone's musical collection. Why, you may ask? Well, I shall tell you: even though it's the most underrated and disliked album in New Order's canon, it has the most intensity, the most feeling of all their recordings. Bernard Sumner's voice has an emotional depth and purpose not seen on later drippy pop noodlings like the majority of 1993's REPUBLIC--or even 1989's TECHNIQUE for that matter. Also, the lyrics actually make sense. Imagine that! Though many fans lambast Sumner for attempting to replicate Curtis' irreplaceable poesy and heart-wrenching, mind-numbingly depressing style, I think Barney takes the band in a different direction than it had done before and since. Sure, MOVEMENT has, at face value, the same proto-gothic style a la CLOSER, but it has an energy and defiance that the latter lacks. MOVEMENT shies away from the completely abject self-loathing so ubiquitous in Joy Division and instead concocts that famous New Order romanticism: lonely teens anywhere can relate to the impassioned lyrics which concern nostalgia, lost love, and reflection. MOVEMENT may be rather gloomy, but it's more from an observational viewpoint than a personal one. Consider "The Him" or "ICB": both are presumably Sumner and the band's reaction to Curtis' death. MOVEMENT broods but never to the point of suicide. Although this album is magnificent in itself, it would have been even better if the singles and B-sides had been included, as well. New Order during this time ('81-'83) was at its most inventive, and this disc certainly proves that.

[3.5 stars]

'Movement' is a very ironic title, because if ever a band sounded stuck in the one spot and desperately uncertain where to go next, it's New Order on their debut album. To be fair, the death of Ian Curtis greatly affected the band, creatively as well as personally. Without him, New Order seem caught in two minds; unwilling to just rehash Joy Division's sound, but seemingly unable to boldly push their music forward.

A few new ideas are evident, though. There are some tentative steps toward pop ('Dreams Never End'), electronica ('Truth') and upbeat dance ('Chosen Time'). But for the most part, the songs fall through the cracks a bit, lacking both the gut-punch of Joy Division and the dance hooks of later New Order. They're dark and introspective pieces that all seem to reference Curtis' death in some way, with lyrics about "strange days", "the last reaction", "no reason ever was given", "so far away", and "it frightens me" popping up in every song. Bernard Sumner's singing is very subdued and somber, with none of the boyish ethusiasm of his later work. Peter Hook's bass remains at the low end of the reigster, and apart from 'Chosen Time', Gillian Gilbert's keyboards are relentlessly gloomy and gothic. The real star of 'Movement' for mine is Stephen Morris, who turns in some outstanding tribal-influenced drum beats on several songs.

The big problem with 'Movement', however, is the production. Despite their arty dark image, Joy Division could still rock really hard when they wanted to. If the songs on 'Movement' had the visceral energy of 'Unknown Pleasures' or 'Closer', they could have packed a real emotional punch. In contrast, 'Movement's sound is flat and colourless, and producer Martin Hannett needs to take the blame for this. Hannett crushes the life out of the album with a suffocating production that robs the songs of any impact, keeping us emotionally distant and removed. And his trademark scratches, squeaks, and sound effects are carelessly applied, winding up distracting instead of interesting. 'ICB' in particular is ruined by those annoying bleeps.

It's worth seeking out the 'Peel Sessions' CD or the 'Taras Shevchenko' 1981 concert to hear rawer, more immediate versions of these songs, all of which sound much better when liberated from Hannett's clasutrophobic shell.

The dark and often depressing nature of the songs, the lack of sonic variety, and the dense production make 'Movement' a very challenging listen. But the combination of a hesitant and uncertain New Order and a heavy-handed Hannett means the album doesn't quite reward the effort that you need to put in. There are a few strong songs and some pointers to the band's future, but ultimately 'Movement' doesn't rank up there with the best work of Joy Division or New Order. However, for all its flaws, 'Movement' is an important transitional album between Joy Division and mid-period New Order, making it essential for dedicated fans of both bands.

I have to give this one 5 stars since I'm both a JD and a NO fan. And this album really seems to be the "between" point that is missing if you only heard "Love Will Tear Us Apart Again" and "Blue Monday". Of course, you really have to like both incarnations of the band to like this CD, but for those few, this is one to own.

This album, as almost everyone knows, is one of New Order's least critically acclaimed albums. The reasons are very simple--aside from a few more experiments with drum machines, there seems to be virtually no new territory covered from their time as Joy Division. And when you have Barney taking Ian's place, it only seems to get worse.

But you must consider that this was released a year after Closer. Of course, Joy Division grew by leaps and bounds from their punk days to Unknown Pleasures, and thence to Closer, but this level of growth could not be maintained by any band, especially one that lost their lead singer only a year before. They should be applauded for "moving" on--what Movement is all about.

And what about the music? If you are a fan of Joy Division's music, you will likely be a fan of this; I hear distinct echoes (but not rehashes) of "Atrocity Exhibition," "Komakino," "Insight," and "Decades." And if you are a fan of New Order's early singles or Power, Corruption & Lies, you will probably like this, too, with certain tracks looking forward to "Blue Monday" and "Age of Consent."

This album is very, even surprisingly, enjoyable despite its historically lukewarm to negative reviews--it has both Martin Hannett's atmospheric, moody mix and some of the experiments with electronica that Joy Division was already starting to experiment with. If anything, the energy and brilliance of Movement should convince anyone that Joy Division was not Ian Curtis's solo act (as undoubtedly important as he was). And if this were viewed by critics as a debut (which it arguably is) instead of as a disappointing follow-up to Closer, it would have had the fair reception it deserves.

Here is a review I wrote when I was in Holland. It became the perfect cure after the somewhat horrible mess that occured during the end of the trip. It grew on me quite a bit and at times the lyrics are fairly hilarious such as " Some people go down on me / I hope they like what they see "

Incidentally I lost the CD to this album and I want to get it back but I can always buy it again when I have the time as it is a terrific album

Anyway here is that review

" This has been unfairly treated as the band's worst album which I think would be more suited to their most recent album , Get Ready . Having said that I give it four stars for the fact that it is not an album that most New Order fans can take . If you were a fan of Joy Division and also New Order this would be essential although you do notice the flaws in the album . But then again I wonder how would I feel if I were in there shoes and Martin Hannett would be yelling to make the music " more helium like ".

There are times when you feel that Barney is scared when he sings as there is this nervousness in his voice signalling that if he didn't sound like Ian Curtis , Martin would possibly yell at him and add on effects to make him sound like Ian .

Overall this album is very good . Flawed yes but under those circumstances and also with Martin Hannett still shocked that Ian was gone and starting his own decline , it's little wonder that the end result came out as it did . But you have to applaud the guys for the work they did under the trauma they went through . But saying that , buy this album if you love Joy Division and wondered how they came through and survived to this day . If you cannot tolerate Joy Division , stick to the others - this maybe a bit too much doom and gloom for your liking "

Okay this isn't classic New Order. But its still a damn good record. People seem to forget that for changes to occur a transition period is needed. Well this is it. I mean MOVEMENT as a title says it all. They haven't got there yet they are still in motion. So these are closer to their Joy Division roots. But THEY ARE JOY DIVISION after all, with a different name, its not as if thats plagarism. Dreams Never End is fabulous, Hooks voice is more appealing than Sumners in my opinion. And of course Hannett has done a top job on production. This album is one of lifes unknown pleasures which needs to be experienced. Perhaps if Ceremony and In A lonely Place had been released on this LP instead of just a single then fans would have it in a higher regard.