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Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!peterr
From: peterr@utcsrgv.UUCP (Peter Rowley)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Yaz(oo), Joy Division, and New Order
Message-ID: <1937@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 11-Aug-83 11:43:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.1937
Posted: Thu Aug 11 11:43:02 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Aug-83 12:32:46 EDT
Organization: CSRG, University of Toronto
Lines: 30

Yaz (Yazoo in Britain) are indeed no more.  Vince Clarke (ex of Depeche
Mode) and Alf Moyet split up, for a variety of reasons.  Vince's tastes
lay in catchy pop, while Alf's lean heavily towards the blues (she's now
forming a blues band).  Vince didn't like touring, Alf did.  But while
it lasted, the blues/pop tensions in the band created some impressive music,
a lot of it recorded on first takes and sounding very fresh.  They had some
bad clunkers too (e.g. "I before E" on the first album).  But "Only You",
"Winter Kills", and "Nobody's Diary" are all very good in my opinion.
Two albums are out, the 2nd just recently:  "Upstairs at Eric's" and
"You and Me Both".  There are a few 12" singles out too, including
"Situation" and "Nobody's Diary".  But stay away from the singles if you
have no interest at all in dance music; that's the market they were
re-mixed for.

My vote for best Joy Division song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart", written
just before the sad end.  Best New Order (Joy Division w/o Curtis) song:
"Ceremony".  For some reason, these singles are not on the albums, and
I don't think the albums are quite as strong, though still good.
Another recommended JD single: Atmosphere/She's Lost Control.  Some
very "atmospheric" percussion on both sides of this one.
JD albums: Unknown Pleasures, Closer, Still (double live album)
NO albums: Movement, "Power, Corruption, and Lies"
The last New Order album has moved heavily towards disco, giving them
the nickname New Ordeal.

I saw New Order in concert once.  They were far too loud, causing them
to blow the fuses every 5 minutes (they eventually gave up).  While things
were being fixed, horrendous disco music was played, and this was when their
music was anything but disco.  Nice to hear a live version of Ceremony, but
I'd never see them again.  They clearly didn't care a bit about the audience.