Formed in 1980, New Order is an English rock band that was composed of Stephen Morris on drums, Bernard Summer on vocals and guitars, Gillian Gilbert on keyboards and Peter Hook on bass. They were formed after their previous band, Joy Division broke up after the suicide of band member Ian Curtis. Their music was a mix of electronic, post-punk, and dance music which made them made them one of the most influential bands in the 1980’s. Their fusion of new wave and dance music had resulted in a distinctive and appealing music which helped bridge the gap between the two genres.
Albums and Hit Singles
New Order released a total of ten albums over the course of their career and they were able to produce several hit singles such as.
Albums
- Movement (1981)
- Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
- Low-Life (1985)
- Brotherhood (1986)
- Technique (1989)
- Republic (1993)
- Get Ready (2001)
- Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
- Lost Sirens (2013)
- Music Complete (2015)
Hit Singles
- Blue Monday
- Bizarre Love Triangle
- World in Motion
- True Faith
- The Perfect Kiss
- Temptation
- Ceremony
- Elegia
- Crystal
- 5 8 6
- Age of Consent
- Fine Time
History and Career
Stephen Morris, Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, and Bernard Summer were all members of the band Joy Division. They released a debut LP in 1979 entitled “Unknown Pleasures”. After they completed their follow up album entitled “Closer” and just right before Joy Division was scheduled to fly to the United States for their tour, Ian Curtis committed suicide on May 18, 1980, by hanging himself. Prior to Ian Curtis’ death, the band had agreed that they would not continue with the name Joy Division if one of them left the band. That’s why the remaining trio decided to carry on with their music and changed their name to New Order and they were joined by Gillian Gilbert as their keyboardist and Bernard Summers took Curtis’ position as the band’s vocalist.
New Order released their debut single as New Order on 1981 entitled “Ceremony” it is a dark melodic song that was originally composed for Joy Division. A few months later, their LP “Movement” was released and it sounded very much like a Joy Division song that’s why the public was quick to dismiss the band. However, it was their singles “Everything’s Gone Green” and “Temptation” where the band started to use more synthesizers and sequencers. The electro beats and the catchy music made the song a major favorite among clubgoers.
After taking a long hiatus, New Order released their breakthrough hit in 1983 entitled “Blue Monday” that came in a provocative packaging that holds no information about the band. The single featured Summer’s plaintive but cold vocals that were matched with abstract lyrics and cutting-edge drum rhythms. The single sold over 3 million copies worldwide. In 1983, they released their album “Power, Corruption and Lies” which featured a dramatic change in their sound because it is more synthesizer-based than their previous album. This album featured their single “Confusion” which became another classic hit because of its upbeat tune. It even entered the R&B charts.
In 1985, New Order came out with a brand new album entitled “Low-Life” which featured the hit single “The Perfect Kiss”. The album broke their tradition of including minimal information on the album because this one included individual photos of the band members. This was followed up by their album “Brotherhood” in 1986. This album carried the international hit single “Bizarre Love Triangle”. A year later, they released the album “Substance” which is a compilation album of their singles and remixes of their songs and a new single entitled “True Faith”. The single was accompanied by a surreal music video and instantly became a hit on MTV. This song also earned New Order their first American top 40 hit.
In 1990, New Order released the song “World in Motion” to be the anthem for the English World Cup. After this, the band went on a hiatus and pursued their solo careers. Peter Hook formed his own band Revenge and Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert made a record under the name The Other Two. Bernard Summer formed his own band with The Smiths ex guitarist, Johnny Marr and the vocalist of Pet Shop Boys, Neil Tennant and named it Electronic. They made one Top 40 hit with their song “Getting Away With It”.
New Order got back together in 1993 and released their album “Republic” which became their biggest hit to date. It earned New Order their highest American single with their song “Regret”. It was followed by a major tour. Rumors of the band splitting up came up but New Order did not deny or confirmed the news.
After releasing the albums “Summer”, “Get Ready” and “Waiting for the Siren’s Call”. New Order decided to call it quits after their Peter Hook suggested that they should stop touring for good. And they have started their own personal careers since then.
In 2011, they released an album entitled “Live at the London Troxy” which documented New Order’s successful return into the live arena. The tour continued until 2012 where they were joined by bands Blur and The Specials. In 2015, New Order signed with Mute Records and released their album Music Complete under the label. This album was produced by New Order with the help of Tom Rowlands and Stuart Price. The album featured collaborations with La Roux, Iggy Pop and Brandon Flowers.