New Order and Keith Hudson
Many of us grew up listening to hissy multi-dubbed tapes of John Peel sessions. I always had an affection for New Order's second Peel, first broadcast in June 1982. The key elements of the session were they way in which the band mixed dub with electronics. The Temptation single had just been released heralding the move to a more uplifting and cheery sound, yet this session was dark, atmospheric and did more to mark the transition from the post-JD grieving into moody electronica. Live recordings from 1981 hint that the band were finding their way with early sequencers with varying results, though the impressive Belgian released extended version of Everythings Gone Green is proof that they had it sussed in the studio.
Of the tracks in the 1982 session, Too Late was the only original song not to be developed and officially released. Sketchy, stabby electronics introduce a fine song which sets well alongside other early tracks like Cries And Whispers or Mesh. Turn The Heater On is fascinating, musically naive at the time (I originally thought it was a band original) - I have always enjoyed its simple plucky bass, washy synths and dubby effects. Bernard Sumner prefers a melodica to the harmonica on the original - which works quite well. Rumour has it that the track was an Ian Curtis favourite and the cover was in his memory. We All Stand is an early version of the track which featured on Power, Corruption and Lies. Again, New Order experiment with reggae rhythms, though a bass synth provides the backbeat whilst Peter Hook's tight bass strings meander in his unique style. Heard for the first time in the session is a low fidelity 5-8-6 which went through a serious upgrade for the PC&L album and eventually Blue Monday.
Listening to the session in later years resulted in me investigating the original recording by Keith Hudson. His moody and dark lyrics add weight to the stories of Curtis' admiration. If you get the chance, his LP Torch Of Freedom is worth tracking down. As a bonus, both of his recordings of Turn The Heater On are included in the archive.
