NEW ORDER - Get Ready (album) Posted by claire on Tuesday, September 4, 2001 After an eight year hiatus, Manchester’s primary cult heroes New Order make a welcome return with ‘Get Ready’, their seventh album since the tragic demise of Joy Division in 1980. On first listen, it seems little has changed, with Bernard Sumner’s half spoken, lilting vocals providing a fitting commentary to Peter Hook’s customary driving bass licks. Nevertheless, don’t take this is a criticism – on the contrary, despite having spent nearly 25 years in the music business, the likes of ‘Crystal’, ‘Slow Jam’ and ‘Turn My Way’ sound as fresh as ever, the latter featuring a vocal contribution from ex-Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan. Indeed, if there is one notable departure from previous New Order records, it is the emphasis on a more guitar orientated, rocky sound as opposed to their experiments with the dance genre such as ‘Blue Monday’ and ‘Fine Time’ (or indeed the entire ‘Technique’ album), which accessed the band to a wider audience and received huge critical acclaim, as well as cementing their own commercial stability. ‘Get Ready’ certainly has many memorable moments, among them being the collaboration with Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie and Andrew Innes, ‘Rock The Shack’, which echoes the Scream’s ‘Don’t Give Out..’ bluesy period, whilst sounding not too dissimilar the Jesus And Mary Chain circa their ‘Automatic’ period. Whilst you’re probably familiar with recent single ‘Crystal’, the follow up ’60 Miles An Hour’ provides more of the same, Sumner’s softly echoed vocal fits in with the wall of sound orchestrated by the guitars probably being turned up to 11 and Hooky chugging away on his bass with the exuberance of a teenager. Penultimate track ‘Close Range’ is probably the closest New Order come to their more traditional sound, mixing techno beats with a tune and lyric akin to their 1985 opus ‘The Perfect Kiss’. Closing track ‘Run Wild’ changes the albums mood and tempo to a more mellow setting, even employing the string section which has no doubt been left redundant since The Verve split. ‘Get Ready’ then, offers a reminder of Manchester’s finest sons’ undoubted talents, whilst sending out a message to their heirs apparent that the old ‘uns definitely know best. Dom Gourlay