Customer Reviews

New Order - 316

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

 

 

this is the best New Order on DVD and I am waiting for the videos of NewOrder on DVD the songs on this DVD are almost all the best songs,this DVD


the songs on the DVD

New York 18 November,1981

1)ICB
2)Dreams never end
3)Everything's Gone Green
4)Truth
5)Senses
6)Procession
7)Ceremony
8)Denial
9)Temptation

READING FESTIVAL 30 August 1998

1)Regret
2)Touched by the Hand of God
3)Isolation
4)Atmosphere
5)Heart and Soul
6)Paradise
7)Bizarre love triangle
8)True Faith
9)Temptation
10)Blue Monday
11)World in Motion

Bonus: in conversation

Highly Recomended for New Order FANS

This DVD is a good value as it gathers both the New York 81 show (previously available on the VHS Taras Schevchenko) and the Reading Festival 98 show. You get New Order 17 years apart, from the young men (and woman) leaving behind Joy Division to the older men (and woman) cranking out tunes again, getting ready for a comeback.

The 1981 show is far more interesting than the later date. The spare, moody lighting, the full yet cold electronics and the silent efforts of the band come across very well. Even the opening shots of the venue are very fitting. If you love this portion, I can't recommend the Peel Sessions CD enough. It has the feel of this show and then some.

As one reviewer noted of Taras Schevchenko, the band does not speak with the audience or even to each other. Their heads are down and they play some great songs that sound much richer than some of the mixes from Movement. I love the haunting "Truth" and a real treat is an early live version of the classic "Temptation".

It might just be me, but lately I find most music videos to be almost unnecessary and generally unrewarding. If you really love listening to the music, you might not gain much from watching the people play on a DVD or video. You may even be turned off by it. Case in point is the Reading material. The 98 show is significant because it was a sort of comeback show for the band, albeit several years before they would release a disc of new material (Get Ready in 01). New Order never went in for big stage shows, favoring simple lighting and playing and avoiding pyrotechnics and movies and other assorted gimmicks. The show sounds great, but there is nothing to see. The band looks a little crustier, and Peter Hook appears to be bombed, which makes it distractingly funny at times. The version of Temptation is fantastic though; it was release on the 60 Miles An Hour Maxi single in 2002.

Highly recommended for fans though. It's a solid value gathering two disparate shows from this unique, important band.

I saw part of this Reading concert on TV once and had wanted it ever since. When I found out that you also get a 1981 concert on the same DVD, I knew I HAD to own this immediately.

I think I must have been shown the best part of the 1998 concert (the part of the set from "Bizarre Love Triangle" to "Blue Monday"). And yes, they are undeniably great here. But viewing these two concerts back to back has given me a very different feeling. -- (Cue tacky sound bite from Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon": - "what you ha~d, and what you lost...")

The 1981 concert was held at a venue called the Ukrainian National Home in NYC. Its stage just happened to have a portrait of Ukrainian national poet Taras Shevchenko hanging above it, so they took advantage of this rather bizarre combination by naming the concert after him. The concert begins with some overly-long shots of various posters in the lobby written in Ukrainian. (Ooh look, it's words written in Cyrillic!") I guess particularly in 1981 at the height of the Cold War they must have seemed quite exotic, but the shots dwell too long here, and combined with some cheesy early video effects, this is the only part of the concert that really looks dated to me.

The performance itself is pure brilliance from end to end. The band's sound still retains the dark intensity of Joy Division that I LOVE, and Sumner's voice seems to hold an echo of Ian Curtis. And on some songs we even get to see Gillian strap on a guitar and rock out with the boys. How I miss those days, and what a versatile performer! The moody lighting also enhances the magic of this concert.

Fast forward 17 years, and we have the now veteran group playing to a packed stadium. They are by no means bad here. The drumming is every bit as dead-on and inventive as 1981, and Gillian is great as always. So what is it that bothers me here?

Hook has grown crustier though the years, and with experience has developed a bravado for playing to the audience. But at the same time, I can't help feeling I detect a tinge of "rock star" to him completely absent from the 1981 concert, where the band was completely unpretentious and totally absorbed solely in the task of bringing their music to the people.

Sumner in particular seems to have changed his singing style over the years, and while it is perfect for their later hits, I had to cringe when they performed a few old Joy Division songs. While he could easily have pulled it off in 1981, Sumner's voice is just too sweet now, and I found myself wishing they had given Hook the vocals on these instead.

Sumner also seems to have picked up a habit of throwing random "whoops" into his songs, which he over-uses till it becomes annoying, especially on songs like "Touched By the Hand of God" and "Paradise", which I did not enjoy at all. And he has also acquired a habit of striking a typical "rock star" stance with right hand held aloft, which he again over-uses throughout the concert, making me long for the sparsely expressive and earnestly intense band of 1981, which seemed the diametric opposite of such stadium-rock posturing.

The absence of surround sound on the 1998 concert is missed, but I felt it did not affect my enjoyment enough to warrant taking off a star.

The band interview segment is interesting, but the sound level is too low, and combined with the band's accent (-- not to demean the way any of our British brothers and sisters speak, but --), made it difficult for me to understand at times. But thankfully Rhino has included optional subtitles here, and I found I understood about 50% more with them turned on.

Reading this review, people may mistakenly assume that I did not enjoy the 1998 concert. This is not true. I loved many songs, even including their much-maligned soccer stadium anthem "World in Motion" (--which I never even realized was a New Order song till I saw this concert, its sound being so different from what I think of as the N.O. sound). But perhaps it is fitting that the second concert ended with this song, as it truly brought home to me the distance they have come from their early roots. While I do indeed love their more recent dance-oriented songs, seeing the first concert really reminded me of how, --once upon a time--, they had been so, soooo infinitely much MORE than just a great dance band.

I am so thankful we have this precious record of their early days on the boldly risk-taking and experimental cutting edge available to us today. I hope that more concerts from the years between '81 and '98 will become available to us on DVD too (as well as their music videos and ANY Joy Division stuff, please~!!!). In the meantime, I'm going to go and check out "511" as well to see how they fared without Gillian.

As a relatively hardcore NO fan, I loved 511 (especially for the 5.1 sound). This one, while in stereo only, bests that dvd by a nose simply for the Taras Schevchenko footage from 1981. This is the New Order I would have loved to have seen. They are the epitome of cool at this show: the strange stage with the moody lighting and bizarre picture of (I assume) the aforementioned Taras S. suspended above. The band are completely aloof (Hooky plays with his back to the audience for the majority of the show). Not a single word is spoken to the audience and the band don't even talk to one another.

It begins with a very long (and silent) montage of images of the theater itself before the music begins. The highlight of the DVD in my opinion has got to be the very first track (mislabeled as 'ICB', it is in fact 'Chosen Time'). Totally blew me away. The keyboards are much higher in the mix than on the album 'Movement' where they are more or less drowned out by the guitar and bass. It's one of my favorite songs by the band after hearing this live version. Makes me wish the mix on 'Movement' were better.

I considered only 4 stars for this dvd oweing to the audio being in stereo only, but that early footage is just too good. The Reading gig, while enjoyable, isn't much different from 511. Get this dvd for the 1981 show and the interesting interview with the band. Crank up the volume on this one. You won't be disappointed.

As one of the relatively few (compared to later larger venue shows)persons who attended the '81 show, i am thrilled to have that show on DVD now so i can put away my VHS copy. DVD makes it much easier to find myself in the crowd(depressing though it is to see myself when i wasn't as follicly impaired as i am today)++SIGH++ 5 stars simply for reminding me where I was that night. Now to go to the basement and search for the poster i took from that show.

There are two concerts on this DVD, one from '81 and the other from '98.

While both are good, the '81 concert is truly something special. While I must admit it's funny to see Peter Hook in an ultra skinny "new wave" tie and Gillian with HUGE hair and Siouxie-esque makeup, the intensity of the band at that time is incredible to see. They're focused and absolutely pound out their early tunes with a fervor that just doesn't come across in their studio albums.

Seventeen years (and thirty pounds) later, the band's outdoor Reading concert was good, but lacked the tension and pensiveness of the earlier show. The insecure, wound-up band of '81 had given way to a confident but less serious band in '98. Bernard Sumner goes from practically leaning on the microphone for support in the earlier show to doing aerobics, jumping and leaping about whilst they play songs from their late '80's "Low-Life" album heyday in the later one. I really wish they had a concert from that time period instead of circa '98, but hey, I'm grateful just to be able to see these guys again.

There's also a "documentary" that's actually just an interview of the band with flashbacks of their old videos and some concert footage. It isn't really a documentary and comes off as an afterthought.

It may not sound like a rave review, but for New Order fans, a flat out five star rating.

This is an excellent dvd containing must-have New Order concert footage for anyone who's a fan. Personally, I enjoyed the 1998 Reading Festival more than Taras Shevchenko(contains priceless young New Order footage). I just received this dvd and I can't seem to stop watching it over and over again. The only thing keeping me from giving this dvd 5 stars is the lack of audio options. The only audio option is stereo - No Dolby Digital AC-3, No DTS. NOW I am sad...

this dvd is great for any new order fan because it includes classic footage from the "Taras Shevchenko" video that was filmed back in 1981. in addition to the 1998 Reading Festival footage, this dvd also includes a 20 minute conversation with New Order. my only complaint is that the mic levels were too low during the conversation. for the price, this dvd is a great buy from a great band!

(the 511 dvd is also good for certain reasons, but lacks guitar/synth player Gillian Gilbert who did not tour with the band for the "GetReady" shows.)

and you'll love this DVD! I picked it up yesterday, hesitently scanning the disc to check for any audio problems like those that were present when I tried to watch "511", the other New Order DVD release. the Finsbury gig sounded like "snap, crackle, pop" coming out of my TV speakers, and I still don't know if it was the DVD, my TV, or a combination of both.

But I digress...apart from a few "hissing" incidents on the "Taras Shevchenko" gig (18 November 1981, an essential live document for diehard NO lovers), 316 was pitch perfect audibly and, more importantly, visually, as the grainy effect of the original videotape is stripped away for a crisp, clear visual of the nervous survivors of Joy Division trying to work their way through the death of lead singer Ian Curtis and find their way musically. No funnier moment has been captured on film from a NO gig than the moment where Bernard Sumner ("Barney" to devotees of the group) is almost shocked by a "hot" microphone.

The Reading gig in 1998 is justifiably famous, as it saw the first reunion of the group in five years. Following the tumultuous recording of 1993's Republic album, the individual band members took a break from one another, starting side projects and groups (and in the case of Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert, a family). Their reformation for the UK's biggest summer music festival is an oppertunity to revel in their past accomplishments. The hour-long gig features energetic retreads of favorites like "Temptation", "True Faith", and "Blue Monday", but also a look at their Joy Division days with "Isolation" and other classics. All in all, the show is about as close to perfect as New Order tend to get, and any fan worth their salt should seek out this release for Reading alone. The one sour note is ending the gig with "World In Motion", their nauseating and lyrically-inane tribute to World-Cup Football. Maybe the appearance of Keith Allen didn't help things much, but it was still a less-than-welcome show stopper for at least this longtime fan (on the plus side, it could have been worse: they could have chosen "Shellshock")

As for the interview section...well, that seems to have fallen victim to my continued DVD-audio problems, but I suppose you can't get everything right.

A good buy, from a great band, the best band of their generation, who "rock the fookin' house!"

There's no doubt that this DVD will be warmly received by NO fans, and this is proven by the effusive response of the reviews posted here. However, the reviews I've seen are preaching to the converted, and it ought to be pointed out that those who are not die-hard NO fans will be unimpressed by some of the performances on this DVD.

The simple fact is that New Order are not, and never have been, a great live band, their music relying heavily on studio production to cover their musical deficiencies. This is glaringly evident in the "Taras Shevchenko" concert, where the band are stripped of Martin Hannet's glistening production. Barney sings like a teenager whose voice is breaking (particularly atrocious are his vocals during "Procession"), Gillian Gilbert plays the keyboards one-fingered, and Hooky hacks away at his bass, which lacks the deep resonant sound of NO's recordings. Nevertheless, despite all this, the '81 gig has a certain charm about it- Sumner is an under-rated guitarist, and Steven Morris puts in a typically sterling display. The performance of Chosen Time (wrongly labelled as ICB) is a highlight, as are the renditions of Truth and Senses, which are far superior to their leaden recorded versions. For all New Order's musical deficiencies, there is an undoubted "edge" to the sound, which is what makes the gig strangely compelling.

The '98 gig at Reading, (which i was lucky enough to attend!), is like a greatest hits package, with slick, clean sound quality and a better vocal performance by Barney, although his guitar playing is less interesting than in the '81 concert. Barney and Hooky also adopt some rock-star posturing during the gig which seems unbecoming of New Order, who have always been the unlikeliest of rock stars. Perversely, although the performance is slicker than "Taras Shevchenko," it lacks something of the edge and coolness of the older concert, which just goes to show that musical slickness comes at a price sometimes .

The DVD is excellent value, though- it offers two concerts for the price of one, and allows the viewer to compare and contrast the earlier, cult band with their later, more commercial incarnation. Certainly there are few bands who have evolved as much as New Order, or have such a sparkling back catalogue.

The interview is also worth watching- it's good to see a band that don't take themselves too seriously. I particularly enjoyed Barney's tongue-in-cheek comment about not being able to make out the words sung in pop songs these days- this, from the man who mumbles his way through half of the Taras Shevchenko gig!

In all, it's a must-have for NO fans, but I don't expect the live performances to win any converts.