Part of an irregular series of bite-sized posts about 7″ singles I own – shameless nostalgia from the days of vinyl. (Search ‘Backtracking’ to collect the set!)
New Order – Ceremony b/w In A lonely Place (A Factory Record, 1981)
I went to see New Order live at the Forum Ballroom, Kentish Town, London on Wednesday, 6th May 1981.
The atmosphere was electric and the intense mood was set by playing Lou Reed’s ‘Sad Song’ from ‘Berlin’ over the PA system immediately before they took the stage.
The sound quality was poor and Sumner’s vocals seemed strained. He was never a natural singer and I wouldn’t have been surprised if New Order had split after one album. I don’t think he was ever comfortable as a Curtis imitator and they needed to change direction to get away from the past.
In 1981, they were still very much into the Gothic post-punk phase; still young men with the weight of the world on their shoulders.
You hear this on the debut single. This not a new band, but an old band with a new name struggling to fill the huge gap left by the tragic loss of their lead singer and lyricist.
The song was subsequently re-recorded and reissued to feature Gillian Gilbert on guitar; the version I have is the original. Production, needless to say, is by Martin Hannett.
Both A + B sides are credited to Joy Division and other rough versions of Ceremony were subsequently released. The most well-known of these is a messy live recording from a concert at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2nd May 1980. This was released on the second disc of the double album ‘Still’ and, since this turned out to be the band’s final concert, was the one and only time Joy Division performed the song live.
Ceremony is positively upbeat beside In A Lonely Place; a gloomy piece played at a funereal pace befitting the lyrics about loneliness and isolation.
Peter Saville’s sleeve design is also in keeping with the sombre mood. It uses ecclesiastic typeface as if stamped in copper with three letter I’s above the letter O to resemble a candle or chalice, both items used in a religious ceremony.
The ghost of Ian Curtis looms large, epitomised by the choice of groove notation which says ‘Watching forever’ on the A side and ‘How I wish you were here with me now’ on the B side.
