Blue Monday/The Beach

Posted by: i am simon 2 on 13 February 2007

I have always liked the New order song Bllue Monday (I do not claim to be alone in this regard) But at a mere 29 I am a bit young to rember it first time around as I was only 5 in 1983.

At the weekend I bought the 12inch from 1983 on that auction site. I paid a tenner including postage, I do not know if this is exspensive or not but it was only a tenner, and the vinyl is spotless and the floppy disk cover is in good nick for somthing that is 24 years old.

I played the beach first, which is the instremental version.........wow.

I was not expecting much from an early 80s electropop recording but it makes todays compresed hash sound, well exactly that.

There is not the huge bass that seems to get onto modern tracks, but that is no bad thing, the mids have plenty of headroom and the effect is this incredible wall of beats and synths.

I am not normaly drawn into a 7 minute instrumental track like this but it is quite hypnotic.

I am sure those of you who made this one of the biggest singles of all time, first time round, must have some fond memories of this.

Simon

Posted on: 13 February 2007 by ryan_d

Hi Simon, i'm not much older than you, but this does bring back memories. Probably the greatest dance/electro song of all time, in my view. Although some will plumb for 'Faith' by same band.

Many school day memories flooding back.

Ryan

Posted on: 14 February 2007 by Rich Cundill

Simon

You now need to buy all their early 12" singles!

http://www.niagara.edu/neworder/

Cheers

Rich

Posted on: 14 February 2007 by Jono 13

Rich,

I have most of the top half of the listing you refer to. All are in good condition, although I will now have to play them again as I have not done so for a while.

Simon,

You missed a particularlly fine moment, like I did in the sixties. If, however, any of that music is played I magically seem to know the words. This is due in part to a mother who always had the radio on.

Jono

Posted on: 14 February 2007 by seagull

Sadly I am old enough to remember this when it came out. It never did anything for me when I heard it on the wireless but I went to a gig at a club (cannot remember who I had gone to see) and it was played before the band came on - in the right setting it was stunning - I went straight out and bought it.

There is something magical about the 12" singles of that era (pre-digital) - the sound is huge and clear and so far ahead of LPs let alone CDs.

Posted on: 14 February 2007 by Tim

I agree, it is stunning.

I also recently enjoyed the sound on Lovecats 12" by The Cure - not quite as good as Blue Monday, but still impressive.

Tim

Posted on: 14 February 2007 by ryan_d

I've got the 'Stone Roses' 12 inches, and they sound amazing. The only problem i have is having to use the 45rpm adapter for my lp12 which is, in a word SHITE!!!!

Cue all the responses either telling me to upgrade to a lingo OR buy "a proper turntable"

Ryan

Posted on: 14 February 2007 by badlyread

Simon

Have you decoded the encrypted radial colours on the 12" sleeve? Peter Saville classic.

Neil

Posted on: 14 February 2007 by Alan Paterson

Simon

I am exactly your age and saw them live last year. The tune still sounds excellent. Also saw Peter Hook DJing the same night.

Posted on: 16 February 2007 by i am simon 2

hmm... this could become a minor obsesion - 12 inch 45s.

Is there a sonic benifit to 45 rpm vs 33, I guess it is less compressed?

Well ebay and soho it is I suppose.......

Simon

Posted on: 16 February 2007 by Blueknowz

My copy has the labels on the wrong sides ,recently at Brads playing Blue Monday at 33 instead of 45 was a revelation ,It didnt sound like it used to !

Posted on: 22 March 2007 by Pressure

I think that Thieves Like Us is much better than Blue Monday, from the same period... or, if you can get it, Murder...mmmm...

Yes 45 rpm 12s sound better than 33. Test Dept did their first LP on three 45rpm twelves for just that reason.

For a better ring for your Technics go to Dub Vendor, SOundQuake or Juno websites and get the proper conical ring used by reggae DJs - far superior to the impossible-to-use-in-a-mix disk provided by Technics. Or if you're flash, get the metal ones from soundquake.

Posted on: 22 March 2007 by Graham Russell

I'm sad to say I remember Blue Monday from the early 80s. I'd just started at Uni when it was released.

Hearing The Beach on the flip side of the 12" was a revelation. Simply fantastic. 25 years on it's still sounds great.

On the point of 45s sounding better than 33s I assume it's because the higher sample rate as picked up by the stylus. (I know sample rate is the wrong term to use with analogue signals). The angular velocity and linear velocity is higher with 45s so the stylus picks up more information in the same period of time. This must equate to a higher quality and perhaps more dynamic signal. The analogy with digital is a higher sample rate will sound better.

Enough of this techie analysis, back to the music...

Graham.

Posted on: 17 April 2007 by Tim Jones

quote:
Originally posted by Blueknowz:
My copy has the labels on the wrong sides ,recently at Brads playing Blue Monday at 33 instead of 45 was a revelation ,It didnt sound like it used to !

Mine also has the labels reversed, and some interesting mastering comments in the run-off. It was the first 45 I ever bought in 1983. Bit scratched but still sounds fantastic.

Posted on: 20 April 2007 by i am simon 2

I also think my labels are reversed on this record, I did not notice to start with, are they all like this?

Posted on: 20 April 2007 by Kevin-W

I bought it he day it came out, March 11th 1983!

It has rarely been off my turntable since. The original pressing (die cut sleeve, thick silver inner) still sounds the best. The version with the reversed labels is 2nd or third pressing.

K