Artist: Electronic
Year: 1991
Electronic was always going to make this list, but for about 10 minutes I was torn between this "Get the Message" and "Disappointed" from 1992. Before the countdown I hadn't listened to either for a long spell, but about 10 seconds into the one fronted by Neil Tennant I remembered liking "Get the Message" much better. Man, remember how huge that self-titled debut was for Bernard Sumner and Johny Marr? More than a million copies were sold worldwide. This song was top 10 in the UK, and even though it didn't make the Billboard Hot 100, "Get the Message" was a smash on the Modern Rock, Dance Sales and Club Play lists over here. The version above was called the 12" on the CD single, but it's actually the same 5:21 running time as the album version. That's considerably longer than the 7", however.
Here's something for the trivia buffs: For a side project it's pretty cool that Electronic is one of only six bands to make both my '80s UK Indie Singles ("Getting Away With It") and Best Songs From the '90s lists. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I didn't bend the rules one bit on this one. No 'Regret'-era New Order made this countdown. If you're a die-hard fan, feel free to bash me for that one.
3 comments:
First, there is no New Order song from the 90's that I would put in my 100 - so I got your back Brian. But I have a love hate attitude toward Get The Message. This stems from my love of A Certain Ratio - stay with me here... Over the last few years of the 80's, ACR added a very adept pop component to their sound. This was a welcome sound for this fan, but the buying public and possibly Factory weren't convinced. ACR being ACR, they just moved on, heads held high. When they landed on A&M worldwide in 89 with Good Together and then 91's ACR:MCR, they had found a strong mix of fractured funk, pop and house that I reveled in. BUT BERNARD SUMNER HAD MUSCLED HIS WAY IN - and the dilution of the ACR sound began. Let be bring this back around before I get too carried away... Barney's involvement streesed me out - I hate his vocal on Good Together and his "remix/remodel" of The Big E/Won't Stop Loving You" is foul. Yet he took quite a lot from working and pal-ing around with ACR and it's ALL OVER the Electronic debut.
So while Get The Message is the purest pop on Electronic, it's not purely Electronic's to these ears. In the end though, it's WAY better than his attempt at rap on Feel Every Beat...I will now stop drinking any more coffee for the day and calm down...
A splendid rant there Echorich!
Echorich,
I agree with you about the evolution of A Certain Ratio's sound, but the rest of it as it pertains to Get the Message is a history lesson to me... one that I find quite interesting. At any rate, I can certainly see why you have strong feelings about this song. I know you are seeing Peter Hook & the Light soon (if you haven't already). That's sticking it to ol' Bernie!
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