New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by the remaining members of post-punk group Joy Division following the suicide of vocalist Ian Curtis – with the addition of Gillian Gilbert. By combining post-punk with an increasing influence from electronic and dance music, New Order became one of the most critically acclaimed and influential bands of the 1980s. The band’s 1983 hit “Blue Monday”, the best-selling 12-inch single of all time, is one example of how their sound became increasingly uptempo and electronic. Because of an aversion to including singles as album tracks until 1984, and also because of the band’s dance-rock genre, it has a complex discography, with many well-known songs not featured on studio albums or released in a variety of mixes. (More from Wikipedia)
In the summer of 1980, Joy Division finally began to find commercial success find commercial success when the re-release of their magnificent signature song “Love Will Tear Us Apart” went to #13 on the U.K. charts. Just two days before Joy Division was to begin its U.S. tour, Ian Curtis was found dead.
When a long overdue retrospective of the band called Substance finally came out in 1988, one of the songs, “Atmosphere” got to #34 on the British charts, and the Spartan music video that played on the MTV program 120 Minutes made a deep impression on me as well. The moment when I found Substance at Schoolkids Records – located on Hillsborough Street across from the North Carolina State University campus – is one that is indelibly imprinted on my mind.
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When its lead vocalist, Ian Curtis.was found dead, and after adding a keyboard player, the remaining three bandmembers in Joy Division dubbed themselves New Order and became a highly successful alternative rock band by combining the post-punk sound that they pioneered in their earlier band with elements of electronic dance music. Their 1983 hit, “Blue Monday” is the best-selling 12” single of all time. After a hiatus in the mid-1990’s and another about five years ago, New Order is still active and released an album last year, Lost Sirens.
(June 2014)
