Nice spotlight, Matt! I've always loved Electronic....I wish I could remember how I got turned onto them back in the day (probably in a record store). But, I was coming at them for what they accomplished with Electronic, having never been a fan of New Order or The Smiths (but, I knew, at the time, who Sumner, Tennant, and Marr were).
I wrote about both "Getting Away With It" and "Get the Message," with more of an appreciation for the former, for its arresting melody and use of strings; plus, the persistent "I love you more than you love me" line has emerged as my life credo.....apparently, and will likely be on my tombstone! I've also convinced myself that what I'm seeing a couple times in the vid is Sumner wiping away a tear once or twice for what to him, might be a familiar gesture, as well!
Whatever kept me from appreciating New Order and The Smiths, pre-Electronic (likely the dearth of riveting melodies) prior to Electronic was completely overtaken by Marr and Sumner (and Tennant), in the sudden proliferation of catchiness! Like, they put it all together in crafting well-composed tunes, as Marr, anyway, was finally no longer overshadowed by the seemingly incessant melodrama surrounding Morrissey. I guess, from my POV, both Marr and Sumner were only building up to their Electronic musical success, subjectively speaking, with their previous bands' experiences.
I appreciated your "Sewing the Seeds of Love" reference, too! A definite victory in composing a song that is incredibly a call-back to an era (I always say 1968) without being cloying or derivative....can't imagine how hard that is to do! Anyway, thanks, Matt, for hitting a couple songs and artists that have become dear to my ear and heart over the decades!
I'll respectfully disagree with Johnny here and say that this is most definitely not the best song he ever wrote. But this band did fulfill anyone's curiosity of what a collab between two giants of the genre could do together. Great writeup Matt!
I memorised the lyrics to Get The Message as a kid. They were printed in a magazine (Smash Hits I think) and I cut them out and stuck them on the wall. I can still see them there, with Barney and Johnny posing in a photo next to them.
I’m way too biased to even pretend to be objective about anything even tangentially Mew Order related. But while even I wouldn’t say things Electronic’s best track (that award goes to “Gangster”), I did have the chorus ringing in my head before I’d even finished reading the headline. Not bad for a song that’s in its 30s!
“Diane” is a beautiful slice of power pop goodness whose only crime was bad timing. Had this not come out at the height of grunge, I think it could’ve been a much bigger mainstream hit.
Lastly, one of my hot takes is that “Out of Time” is a Top 5 record for R.E.M. Tracks like “Texarkana” are a big part of that. This record is so much more than “Losing My Religion!”
Nice spotlight, Matt! I've always loved Electronic....I wish I could remember how I got turned onto them back in the day (probably in a record store). But, I was coming at them for what they accomplished with Electronic, having never been a fan of New Order or The Smiths (but, I knew, at the time, who Sumner, Tennant, and Marr were).
I wrote about both "Getting Away With It" and "Get the Message," with more of an appreciation for the former, for its arresting melody and use of strings; plus, the persistent "I love you more than you love me" line has emerged as my life credo.....apparently, and will likely be on my tombstone! I've also convinced myself that what I'm seeing a couple times in the vid is Sumner wiping away a tear once or twice for what to him, might be a familiar gesture, as well!
Whatever kept me from appreciating New Order and The Smiths, pre-Electronic (likely the dearth of riveting melodies) prior to Electronic was completely overtaken by Marr and Sumner (and Tennant), in the sudden proliferation of catchiness! Like, they put it all together in crafting well-composed tunes, as Marr, anyway, was finally no longer overshadowed by the seemingly incessant melodrama surrounding Morrissey. I guess, from my POV, both Marr and Sumner were only building up to their Electronic musical success, subjectively speaking, with their previous bands' experiences.
I realize virtually everyone else's mileage will vary.....sales figures reveal that!! Anyway, it's likely I wrote my Electronic piece before you arrived, so if I may: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-autopsy-1989-electronic-getting
I appreciated your "Sewing the Seeds of Love" reference, too! A definite victory in composing a song that is incredibly a call-back to an era (I always say 1968) without being cloying or derivative....can't imagine how hard that is to do! Anyway, thanks, Matt, for hitting a couple songs and artists that have become dear to my ear and heart over the decades!
I'll respectfully disagree with Johnny here and say that this is most definitely not the best song he ever wrote. But this band did fulfill anyone's curiosity of what a collab between two giants of the genre could do together. Great writeup Matt!
I memorised the lyrics to Get The Message as a kid. They were printed in a magazine (Smash Hits I think) and I cut them out and stuck them on the wall. I can still see them there, with Barney and Johnny posing in a photo next to them.
I’m way too biased to even pretend to be objective about anything even tangentially Mew Order related. But while even I wouldn’t say things Electronic’s best track (that award goes to “Gangster”), I did have the chorus ringing in my head before I’d even finished reading the headline. Not bad for a song that’s in its 30s!
“Diane” is a beautiful slice of power pop goodness whose only crime was bad timing. Had this not come out at the height of grunge, I think it could’ve been a much bigger mainstream hit.
Lastly, one of my hot takes is that “Out of Time” is a Top 5 record for R.E.M. Tracks like “Texarkana” are a big part of that. This record is so much more than “Losing My Religion!”