joy division/new order

'Total'

Year:                   2011

Label:                  Rhino

Track Listing:     1. Transmission 

2. Love Will Tear Us Apart

3. Isolation

4. She's Lost Control

5. Atmosphere

6. Ceremony

7. Temptation

8. Blue Monday

9. Thieves Like Us

10. The Perfect Kiss

11. Bizarre Love Triangle

12. True Faith

13. Fine Time

14. World In Motion

15. Regret

16. Crystal

17. Krafty

18. Hellbent

Dave G’s 'Total' - Joy Division/New Order Review:

When Ian Curtis died it put a premature end to one of the most exciting bands that the world had ever seen. Despite only have two albums to their name Joy Division was changing the music landscape in a way few bands had done in the past. But because of Curtis’ death New Order was born, a band that has continued to introduce new sounds throughout their career. Now comes Total, a best of that highlights the greatest tracks that Joy Division and New Order have released.

This is a sensational release, one that every music lover must add to their collection, and if you’ve never heard Joy Division’s music than this is a great place to start. ‘Transmission’ is a stunning track that really did open the music world to the sound of a new era, a sound that begun the electronic movement but still had all the emotion and energy of punk. This is followed by ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ a track considered by many to be one of the best songs ever recorded… I can only agree.

‘Isolation’ showcases Curtis’ moody vocals while ‘She’s Lost Control’ is yet another Joy Division track that changed a generation while the title of ‘Atmosphere’ says it all… no band in the world could create an atmosphere within a song like Joy Division could.

Total then moves into New Order’s back catalog with the smooth ‘Ceremany’ followed by the classics ‘Temptation’ and ‘Blue Monday’… iconic pop tracks that really gave birth to the electronic sound of the 80s and 90s.

‘Thieves Like Us’ and ‘The Perfect Kiss’ may be ordinary tracks when it comes to New Order’s music, but an ordinary New Order is still ten times better than most of the electronic tracks floating around.

‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ is yet another New Order classic while ‘True Faith’ is an underrated track that sounds sensational when you sit and listen to it. ‘Fine Time’ sees the birth of New Order club days while ‘World In Motion’ is a cheesy effort that ended up becoming a English soccer anthem.

‘Regret’ is a bit of let down but it is soon forgotten when you hear ‘Crystal’ which is one of the finest modern electronic tracks to ever be released, while ‘Krafty’ shows just how well New Order embraced the electronic-rock sound of the mid 2000s. Then comes what we were all waiting for, the brand new track (previously un-released) ‘Hellbent’, a sensational track that sees some amazing guitar work. New Order still have it after all these years.

RATING:- ***** (out of 5)

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