Music for Pleasure [Import]

Monaco | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 4, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• ASIN: B00025483I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Sheet music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,338,262 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. What Do You Want from Me?

2. Shine

3. Sweet Lips

4. Buzz Gum

5. Blue

6. Junk

7. Billy Bones

8. Happy Jack

9. Tender

10. Sedona

11. Sedona

Editorial Reviews

Debut album by New Order bassist Peter Hook's newband, featuring the singles 'What Do You Want From Me','Sweet Lips' & 'Shine'. 10 tracks total.NOTE: this is the U.K. edition, availabletwo-three weeks ahead of the U.S. (bumped up to July 1, inan effort to --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Newer Order, December 29, 2005

By 

psychomuse - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Music for Pleasure (Audio CD)

Monaco only proves that Peter Hook was/is much more than New Order's bass player. Clearly, Monaco establishes the fact that Hook was/is one of the primary songwriters in the band. He might be THE songwriting force behind the band. These songs echo New Order (especially when a certain and most distinct bass dances it way through every song). Any fan will instantly recognize the melodies, beats, arrangements, and overall feel of NO. Even the vocals could have been lifted right off of a recent NO release. And that is no bad thing. If it helps, think of this as another great New Order offering.

Song-wise, one could easily believe this is just a slight trip down a new path for the band. However, knowing this is Hook's post-Revenge side project, there are some creative twists and turns. Some hear an Oasis hook or two amongst Hook's hooks (sorry!) and I am no exception. There are moments when I imagine Peter and Noel Gallagher sitting in a room together (with bass and guitar in hand, respectively) banging out some very catchy tunes. Again, this is no bad thing. Both are master songwriters.

There are even hints of the Pet Shop Boys' pop-genius here. Certainly, Monaco has sprinkles of other-greatness flavoring every song. No doubt, David Potts (with Hook's Revenge) contributes no small part to this masterpiece. Blending what's best of the 80's with what's best of the 90's, this is one unique breed of sound.

This all happens in a context that is way past Hook's Revenge stage. No longer is he feeling the need to escape that New Order sound- his sound (that persistent, driving, melodic bass). Here, Hook embraces all that he is, all that New Order is, and ultimately, all that Monaco is. This is a mature, expansive, emotional, danceable, and beautiful thing. This is music for the sake of music. In one word... PURE.

Monaco is, in retrospect, after hearing NO's Get Ready and Waiting for the Sirens' Call, the fulcrum at which NO's past meets and welcomes the future. It is a seminal moment in New Order's timeline, and a completely unique thing unto itself as the transient but evolutionary Monaco. But it is truly impossible to deny that Monaco plays a pivotal role in the New Order story.

This cd oozes with melody. There's nothing here that will offend any New Order fan. Think of it as New Order bonus material. Really good bonus material. It is both transitional and original. It is certainly good and New. Inspirational and... music for pleasure, indeed!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasure to listen to . . ., April 17, 2006

By 

call me The Avi ("In my dreams I live in California......") - See all my reviews

This review is from: Music for Pleasure (Audio CD)

Although Peter Hook is first and foremost New Order's oh-so-distinctive bassist, his side work (Revenge, Monaco) has also been interesting and worthwhile. Music For Pleasure is no exception. Other reviewers have mentioned how different songs on this album sound like Oasis or Portishead tracks -- and they're absolutely right. There's also some techno, and even some disco (#3 - Sweet Lips) thrown in. In that respect, the album has a total lack of consistency -- there's no unifying theme and stylistically it's a hodgepodge. That would kill a lesser album (or a lesser group), but for Monaco it's a virtue. Every song's different, and every song is still a gem. Peter Hook's the centerpiece here, but the lyrics are thoughtful, and David Pott's singing and guitar work are great too.

This isn't New Order, but if you're a NO fan, this shouldn't disappoint. I actually bought this album and NO's Get Ready the same day, and I like this one muuuch better. It's a great album, and the name suits it perfectly.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars manchester gold, March 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Music for Pleasure (Audio CD)

Always in the shadow of Bernard Sumner's high-flying Electronic venture, Peter Hook's Monaco was bound to play second fiddle in the post-New Order order. However most of the criticisms of this album are incoherent. Derided as a gratuitous tribute to Hook's ankle-level bass playing and glam-rock proclivities, "Music for Pleasure" is indeed just that: solid Manchester gold to put into your CD player and turn way up. That's the reason I buy CDs. And will somebody please tell me why a song is bad if it's over five minutes long? To criticize a track on that basis alone betrays an absence of aesthetic sensibility. Maybe that's why music critics are music critics and not the successful musicians that they wish they were. Anyway, cheers to Hooky for this one--anyone who listens to "Music for Pleasure" will know where New Order got its groove from.