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New Order: Live at Finsbury Park

New Order: Live at Finsbury Park

List Price: $34.95
Your Price: $31.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Just a note in response to immediately previous review
Review: "A viewer from San Francisco, CA United States" writes that Peter Hook should've sung the Joy Division songs. I think he may be confused. The deeper, more Ian Curtis-like vocals on some early New Order tracks are not Peter Hook, but Stephen Morris, who does in fact sound a lot like Curtis. Maybe Peter Hook could do those songs well, too; I'm not saying he can't sing, just that "historically" it's been Morris who's filled in when they wanted a Curtis-reminiscent sound. Personally I think it just totally kicks that New Order still do any of these songs at all. Keep in mind some of them date to 1978-9, and the entire Joy Division oeuvre is filled with a lot of angst for 3 of the 4 members of New Order. Consider yourself privileged to hear something like "Isolation" or "Atmosphere" at a New Order show or recording thereof. Speaking of which, you do not have to get this DVD to hear that, either. Look for the import version of the "Crystal" single with 4 live tracks on it. Two of them are N.O. doing J.D. songs. Which isn't to say this DVD isn't worth having if you're into videos and concert films. But if you're like me, you lost interest in *watching* pop music on TV years ago. I want to *listen* to it, yes. But if I want to *see* it, I'd better be there live in the front 5 rows or there's not much point.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Just a note in response to immediately previous review
Review: "A viewer from San Francisco, CA United States" writes that Peter Hook should've sung the Joy Division songs. I think he may be confused. The deeper, more Ian Curtis-like vocals on some early New Order tracks are not Peter Hook, but Stephen Morris, who does in fact sound a lot like Curtis. Maybe Peter Hook could do those songs well, too; I'm not saying he can't sing, just that "historically" it's been Morris who's filled in when they wanted a Curtis-reminiscent sound. Personally I think it just totally kicks that New Order still do any of these songs at all. Keep in mind some of them date to 1978-9, and the entire Joy Division oeuvre is filled with a lot of angst for 3 of the 4 members of New Order. Consider yourself privileged to hear something like "Isolation" or "Atmosphere" at a New Order show or recording thereof. Speaking of which, you do not have to get this DVD to hear that, either. Look for the import version of the "Crystal" single with 4 live tracks on it. Two of them are N.O. doing J.D. songs. Which isn't to say this DVD isn't worth having if you're into videos and concert films. But if you're like me, you lost interest in *watching* pop music on TV years ago. I want to *listen* to it, yes. But if I want to *see* it, I'd better be there live in the front 5 rows or there's not much point.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sorrow the Undesired
Review: Having had the privelige of seeing this show in person from the front row, I would have to say the DVD really did justice to the event itself. Being an American, I was amazed and thrilled to see how devoted the UK is to New Order, because they really aren't adored to the same degree in the States. The crowd rocked and reeled with every song, even as the crowd attests to in the DVD, it was a wet, muddy day.
In light criticism, I would have to say the crowd was left out a bit in the audio, so it comes across as almost a rough BBC session, with crowd overdubs. That is a testament to how wonderfully they sound live, yet to the shortcomings of the producer. The crowd roaring "New O'der! New O'der!" is never heard, unfortunately. Another criticism can be made, and many live recordings are guilty of, that Bernard's voice is mixed to low in the DVD audio thus losing the screaming vocals one is exposed to live. It would also have been nice if Bernard and Peter had dressed up to at least semi-informal wear for a recorded concert! The jeans and t-shirt looked out of place with music of such refinement. Following the Eno/Ferry ambient roots, one does not require silk suits and glam outfits, but at least a dress shirt and sportsjacket would do.
Yet, by the time Bizzare Love Triangle comes on you find yourself dancing in your living room along with Bernard, and hardly stop for the rest of the concert. They did edit out World in Motion (possibly due to the fact it was shamelessly nationalist at a time when the World Cup was in progress, not wanting to offend fellow football nations) for which Gillian Gilbert(who was missing in the tour) came out and did backing vocals with the band.
Though in the end, New Order's history of transcendent darkness and soulful sensuousness keeps the heart full, and in the case of "Finsbury Park", the eyes dazzled and full of love for them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pricey, but very much worth it
Review: Having only seen New Order live once, back in 1989, I was pleasantly surprised by just how stellar they were in the performance captured on this DVD. The guitar-based songs sounded great, Bernard's vocals were strong (though the random "whoops" can be a wee cloying at times), Stephen Morris still bangs the drums like no other, and Hooky is, well, a bass god. What really impressed me was just how high the band's spirits seemed, with the member's genuine affection for each other shining through. And me eyes even got a bit misty during the Joy Division numbers, as the band themselves seemed to be on the verge of doing.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: good, but could've been better....
Review: I had the chance to see New Order on their "republic" tour and i guess it was as decent at this, at least now they're playing over an hour. My main complaint would be that Hooky wasn't allowed to sing. He would have been ideal on the Joy Division songs as his voice is much closer to Ian Curtis than Bernard Sumner. The songs werent' quite the same with Bernard singing them, and it's probably why I didn't enjoy them as much as I thought I would. and they totally ignored the Technique album and pretty much all of Republic. I really could have done with most of the new material, really. So although I enjoyed this dvd, I'm still hoping their 3'16 dvd becomes available in the states. Hopefully that'll be a better live performance.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: NewOrder- Live in 'Daylight'
Review: I would have to rate this dvd 2 1/2 stars. Setlist/Performance was great! Sound quality I thought it was pretty good too. (could of been better) NewOrder delivers! Now the bad news:

It's filmed entirely in daylight, except for the last two songs. Some of you may say, "what's the big deal?" My answer is that filming at night would of added to the excitement to the 10th power. The concert/lights/lasers bouncin' round to the beats of NewOrder would make you feel like you were actually there, maybe even take you back to the first time you saw them live in person. Maybe, I'm being too critical....but considering its f'in NewOrder, and there first ever live dvd...and release in God knows how many years, they could of done it much better. The people hired to tape it must of used a beta camcorder. The crowd was cool,having fun, but it just looked lame in daylight. Especially when they show the 'crack' of the chick that slips in the mud. No taste. The guy filming it probably got a kick out of it though. The parts where they show the band in one box and then the other the crowd looked very cheesy. (right half of screen)

Bottom line....if your'e a NewOrder fan, you'll like it. You will however be annoyed, but it eventually wears off. Just concentrate on the band, and thinkin about the first time you saw them. If you watch the 17 minute clip, there's one of NewOrder performing with Billy Corgan. That venue looked cool, the crowd looked cool, the band f'in looked cool. Looks like it was filmed by someone who know what the hell they were doing.

Next time I hope NewOrder hires the people that produced/directed the 'DepecheMode: Live in Paris' dvd.

g.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: NewOrder- Live in 'Daylight'
Review: I would have to rate this dvd 2 1/2 stars. Setlist/Performance was great! Sound quality I thought it was pretty good too. (could of been better) NewOrder delivers! Now the bad news:

It's filmed entirely in daylight, except for the last two songs. Some of you may say, "what's the big deal?" My answer is that filming at night would of added to the excitement to the 10th power. The concert/lights/lasers bouncin' round to the beats of NewOrder would make you feel like you were actually there, maybe even take you back to the first time you saw them live in person. Maybe, I'm being too critical....but considering its f'in NewOrder, and there first ever live dvd...and release in God knows how many years, they could of done it much better. The people hired to tape it must of used a beta camcorder. The crowd was cool,having fun, but it just looked lame in daylight. Especially when they show the 'crack' of the chick that slips in the mud. No taste. The guy filming it probably got a kick out of it though. The parts where they show the band in one box and then the other the crowd looked very cheesy. (right half of screen)

Bottom line....if your'e a NewOrder fan, you'll like it. You will however be annoyed, but it eventually wears off. Just concentrate on the band, and thinkin about the first time you saw them. If you watch the 17 minute clip, there's one of NewOrder performing with Billy Corgan. That venue looked cool, the crowd looked cool, the band f'in looked cool. Looks like it was filmed by someone who know what the hell they were doing.

Next time I hope NewOrder hires the people that produced/directed the 'DepecheMode: Live in Paris' dvd.

g.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don't miss this one...well worth buying!
Review: I've heard a lot of reports that New Order is not a great live band, but this DVD shatters any previous rumors I've heard. First of all...the setlist is amazing. Not only do they play the two best songs from the underrated "Get Ready" album (Crystal and Close Range), but Peter Hook dedicates Ceremony to Dee Dee Ramone, Bernard taps into an emotional river during Regret, and they manage to perform raging versions of Transmission and She's Lost Control even without the genius of Ian Curtis. All in all, absolutely stellar and worth every dime if you want to see New Order on a very good day. And the version of Atmosphere is also terrific. This must be seen for any New Order or Joy Division fan.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I see so extraordinary
Review: I've seen New Order live on every American tour except the few dates in support of Get Ready. I've always felt the live aspect of their stage performances lacking, especially on the Republic tour. It was obvious at that time they were just going through the motions and had ceased to exist as a band. Resultantly, they broke up for 6 years upon completion of that tour. As Get Ready was important as a metamorphosis album, the 511 - Finsbury Park 6/09/02 live date is equally so. This is their statement that, yes they do care, and yes they can still pull all these elements from a 25 year experience and present them in a cohesive, creative, spontaneous manner. This is a wonderful DVD as New Order seldom gives hour plus long concerts. The additional behind-the-stage interviews are candid and personal. The fan interviews are random, impulsive, and give a man-off-the-street opinion totally free of media manipulation. I feel as good about this as anything they've done since Get Ready got going. I'm glad to see this for them and fans alike. They've added a few pounds, but their persona and performance is Grade A. (Note: The name 511 comes from 5 Joy Division songs and 11 New Order songs on the DVD. The reviewer who suggested in someone else's confusion - Ian Curtis sang in place of Peter Hook may not know that Peter sang most of the material on the 1st New Order album - Movement until it was decided by the band Barney would sing in Ian's absence).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I'm not confused
Review: in response to the reviewer who said i was confused, Peter Hook did indeed have vocal responsibities on NO releases. He sang on "Dreams Never End." I've never seen the drummer at a microphone. Boy, some New Order fan you must be.....


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