New Order - Procession

This video is a new edit of archive footage of New Order, recut and synced to their song “Procession”, which was originally released forty years ago this month, September 1981. • The future is already here; it’s just not evenly distributed - William Gibson In early 1981 New Order released their magnificent debut single, Ceremony. Ceremony, and it’s B-side In a Lonely Place, were re-recorded versions of songs written and recorded as Joy Division just prior to the death of the band’s singer Ian Curtis. The sound of that first single was very Joy Divisionesque, with guitarist Bernard Sumner doing a fine job of sounding Ian Curtisesque. My video for Ceremony: If New Order’s first single was a blast from the immediate past, their second one was a blueprint for the future. A-side Procession was upbeat melodic guitar and synth alternative pop and on the flip Everything’s Gone Green was the first of New Order’s more disco-orientated sequencer-driven tunes. Both songs were precursors to much that followed in the Eighties by New Order and indeed by many other artists. Back then, Procession certainly sounded like the future to my young ears. And unless my deep abiding love for Procession is biasing me, it hasn’t really dated much, and subsequent generations of new artists still sounding like early New Order to me. • In former New Order bassist Peter Hook’s memoir Substance: Inside New Order, he states that the chief composer of “Procession“ is New Order drummer Stephen Morris. Tho’ like all New Order songs, it is credited as group composition. A very early version of Procession, from the footage shot by Merrill Aldighieri at Hurrah’s in September 1980, is sung (rather poorly) by Stephen Morris. Recording details of Procession are not known to me. However, it’s likely that it was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, part of the intermittent 7-months of recording sessions that formed the debut album Movement. Wiki: The producer (of the sessions) was once again Martin Hannett, who had worked with them as Joy Division; however, the rapport between producer and band had in the ensuing time eroded. Hannett was in a legal dispute with Factory Records and suffering from substance and alcohol abuse, and the band members—themselves still coming to terms with having to write and arrange songs without Curtis’s ear and lyric-writing ability—found him uncooperative. It would be the last time they worked together. The band were unhappy with Hannett’s production of the album. However, it seems to me that both Procession and Everything’s Gone Green benefit hugely from Hannett’s production – including his trademark crisp snare sound and mastery of subtle electronic atmospheres. • New Order didn’t make many promo videos in the Eighties, and none at all until the 1983 video for Confusion (in which the band barely appeared). As is my wont, I decided to fill that void and create a promo video for Procession. I utilized three sources from the era: two TV shows - Riverside from January 1982 and Granada Studios from April 1981, and a little of the live footage shot at Hurrah’s in NY in September 1980. The lasers from the Riverside footage work well with the long synth notes, I think. I was inspired to put this video up this week, by the imminent live return of New Order at Heaton Park, Manchester this Friday. After everything that’s happened in the last two years, I can imagine that seeing New Order play their hometown will be an incredible experience. A couple of dear friends of mine will be attending, and if I were in the UK, I would certainly be joining them. I saw the band about 5 years ago here in HK, after at least a 20-year absence, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Plus, New Order’s 2020 single Be a Rebel was one of my favorite songs from last year, the best record they never made in 1987. Anyway, here’s my video for Procession, I hope you dig it! • Credits Video Source: New Order BBC Riverside, 4th January 1982 Granada Studios, 23 April 1981 Hurrah’s, NY • 27th September, 1980 • Produced, directed and filmed by Merrill Aldighieri From New Order • Movement Box Set • 2019 Audio Source: New Order • Procession • Recorded in 1981 • Originally released 25th September 1981 • FAC53 Musicians: Bernard Sumner • Vocals, guitar Peter Hook • Bass Stephen Morris • Drums Gillian Gilbert • Keyboards Martin Hannett • Production © Universal Music Publishing Group • Always more videos to follow, so please keep your electric eye on me babe! I don’t own the rights, and I’m not making any money out of this etc. Just a fan making videos for other fans. Please Share, Like, Comment, Subscribe TheNachoVideos@ I edit, therefore I am #NewOrder #Procession #Factory53 #MartinHannett