80’s Sunday rewind: New Order

It's a gray day here in southeast Louisiana and you know what that means.  That's right, post-punk 80's to get me going this morning.  Today it's New Order. 

The following is part of the Wikipedia entry on New Order:

New Order were an English musical group formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner (vocals, guitars, synthesizers), Peter Hook (bass, backing vocals, electronic drums) and Stephen Morris (drums, synthesizers). New Order were formed in the wake of the demise of their previous group Joy Division, following the suicide of vocalist Ian Curtis. They were soon joined by additional keyboardist Gillian Gilbert.

New Order combined post-punk and electronic dance, and became one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the 1980s.^[2]
Though New Order's early years were shadowed by the legacy of Joy
Division, their immersion in the New York City club scene of the early
1980s introduced them to dance music. The band's 1983 hit "Blue Monday" saw them fully embrace dance music and synthesized instruments, and is the best-selling 12-inch single of all time.^[3] New Order were the flagship band for Factory Records,
and their minimalist album sleeves and non-image reflected the label's
aesthetic of doing whatever the relevant parties wanted to do,
including an aversion to including singles as album tracks. The band
has often been acclaimed by fans, critics and other musicians as a
highly influential force in the alternative rock and dance music scenes over the past 25 years.

New Order were on hiatus between 1993 and 1998, during which time
the members participated in various side-projects. The band reconvened
in 1998, and in 2001 released Get Ready, their first album in eight years. In 2005, Phil Cunningham (guitars, synthesizers) replaced Gilbert, who had left the group due to family commitments.

So, there ya go — that's New Order in a nutshell.  They pretty much ruled. 

New Order also produced some of the most innovative music videos of the era.  You did know there would be videos, didn't you?

And from my favorite movie evah, Pretty in Pink, it's "Shell Shock" and "Thieves Like Us." Love love love these two songs.  "Shell Shock" is a great bitter break-up song.  You'll remember "Thieves Like Us" as the instrumental in the montage in which Molly Ringwald's character is sewing her prom dress (the 80's montage from which all other montages are judged).  Pure 80's goodness, people.  Enjoy.