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 – Procession b/w Everything’s Gone Green
(A Factory Record, 1981)
If New Order were going to establish an identity of their own they had to establish a sound that was radically different from Joy Division.
This took time to perfect but already with this, their second single, they set a marker for the more upbeat, electro-pop that they have become known for. This is particularly true of the B-side which is the better of the two excellent songs.
The lyrics to Procession still have some of the morbidity of Joy Division (“There is no end to this / I can’t turn away / Another picture but the scene / It’s just the same”) but he sound is a little lighter and Sumner doesn’t seem to be trying to imitate Ian Curtis.
Martin Hannett died in April 1981 aged 42 and Everything’s Gone Green was the last track he produced for the band. He ended on a high note and the song was later released as an A side.
The track shows a dynamism absent from the A side and from their debut album, Movement.
Peter Saville’s sleeve design is equally bold, taking ideas from the Italian Futurist movement.
Groove notations read SOFT for side A and HARD for the B side.
