Any advertisements that appear above this line were automatically placed by FortuneCity.com
and are not necessarily an endorsement by Jase's CD Collection.

Jase's CD Collection

Jase on Electronic

- another page from Jase's CD Collection -

Reviews | Wish List | Related Artists | Links | E-mail | Submit a Review



ElectronicFor some reason, I was looking at the Billboard singles chart at the record store one time, and I noticed a song called "Getting Away With It" by a group named Electronic. It said it was written by Sumner/Marr/Tennant. "I wonder if that's Johnny Marr of The Smiths and Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys," I thought. I wandered over to the singles and found the disc. Sure enough, that's who it was. (I didn't recognize the name of Bernard Sumner of New Order at the time.) Imagine the potential! I quickly bought the disc and took it home to listen to it.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed. I mean, the song was OK, but I thought that it was a little slow. The name "Electronic" seemed a little far-fetched, too. I was expecting a completely computer-generated sound. (I'm glad that it wasn't, but I still think the band name is dumb.) I read that the song was originally intended as a track on Bernard Sumner's solo album, but that he and Johnny Marr had decided to form a band. The duo was supposed to release an album soon with more contributions from Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys. I anxiously awaited the release of the album... and waited... and waited...

The album finally came out about a year later. I was more impressed with the album than with "Getting Away With It", although it sounded a lot like New Order. (Bernard Sumner has decided to write lyrics similar to the ones he wrote in New Order: no clearly identifiable chorus and titles that don't match the lyrics.) Electronic is now a project that Bernard and Johnny work on in between other projects, but the results are usually worth the wait. It's good stuff.

Reviews

CDs by Electronic in Jase's CD Collection:

  1. Twisted Tenderness (1999)
  2. Raise the Pressure (1996)
  3. Electronic (1991)
  4. "Get the Message" (1991)

Bootlegs:

  1. "Vivid" (1999)

Electronic songs on Compilations/Soundtracks

Twisted Tenderness

Click here to buy it.
Album Info:Album Tracks:
  • Released in 1999
  • Label: EMI 498 3452
  • Produced by
    Electronic
    Arthur Baker
  • Rating: B+
  1. Make It Happen
  2. Haze
  3. Vivid
  4. Breakdown
  5. Can't Find My Way Home
  6. Twisted Tenderness
  7. Like No Other
  8. Late At Night
  9. Prodigal Son
  10. When She's Gone
  11. Flicker

Bernard and Johnny team up with New Order producer Arthur Baker for their third album. The production was reportedly much faster than on the previous two albums, resulting in a looser sound. The songs are much "heavier" on this album, with the sound of Johnny's guitar at the fore. The first time I listened to the album, my impression was that some of the songs were way too long. After a few listens, however, I warmed up to the album. While the songs here aren't nearly as catchy as on the first two albums, most of them are pretty good. My favorite is "When She's Gone" and the title track.

Raise the Pressure

Click here to buy it.
Album Info:Album Tracks:
  • Released in 1996
  • Label: Warner Bros. 9 45955-2
  • Produced by
    Electronic
  • Rating: A
  1. Forbidden City
  2. For You
  3. Dark Angel
  4. One Day
  5. Until the End of Time
  6. Second Nature
  7. If You've Got Love
  8. Out of My League
  9. Interlude
  10. Freefall
  11. Visit Me
  12. How Long
  13. Time Can Tell

Raise the Pressure is a great follow up to Electronic's first album. Johnny Marr's guitar sounds more like... well... Johnny Marr! Karl Bartos of Kraftwork assists on keyboards on this album. (Pet Shop Boys are not on this album.) There are several great tracks on this album. My favorite is "Out of My League", but "Forbidden City" is a good one, too.

Electronic

Click here to buy it.
Album Info:Album Tracks:
  • Released in 1991
  • Label: Warner Bros. 9 26387-2
  • Produced by
    Bernard Sumner
    Johnny Marr
  • Rating: A-
  1. Idiot Country
  2. Reality
  3. Tighten Up
  4. The Patience of a Saint
  5. Getting Away With It
  6. Gangster
  7. Soviet
  8. Get the Message
  9. Try All You Want
  10. Some Distant Memory
  11. Feel Every Beat

The first Electronic album is a great effort. It does sound a lot like New Order, but it's not quite as (dare I say) boring as a New Order album. Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys contributes vocals to "Getting Away With It" and "Patience of a Saint", while Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys contributes keyboards to this latter song. Despite all the talent working on it, however, "Patience of a Saint" comes up pretty lame. The best song here is "Tighten Up". "Get the Message" is also a good one, but Bank of America came out with a commercial a few years ago that had a song in the background that sounded remarkably close to it.

Reviews by Others

Review by Maryanna Williams
Rating: A

Electronic is truly one of the best "electronic" collaborations of the last ten years. Bernard Sumner's lyrics fused with Johnny Marr's brilliant guitar hooks, and the duo's catchy dance beats make this an unforgettable record. From Bernard's quasi-rap in "Idiot Country" to the infectious beats of "Feel Every Beat", this album succeeds in proving these two are definitely legends in the world of modern music. This is a CD rarity; you'll never have to (nor want to) skip to the next track.



"Get the Message"

Single Info:Single Tracks:
  • Released in 1991
  • Label: Warner Bros. 9 21832-2
  • Produced by
    Bernard Sumner
    Johnny Marr
  • Rating: B+
  1. Get the Message Single Mix
  2. Get the Message Extended Mix
  3. Free Will Extended Mix
  4. Get the Message DNA Groove Mix
  5. Get the Message DNA Sin Mix

The single version of "Get the Message" differs from the album version in that the guitar intro is electric, not acoustic. I like this version, but I think I prefer the album version.

"Vivid" (bootleg)

Single Info:Single Tracks:
  • Created in 1999
  1. Vivid Radio Edit
  2. Haze Alternative Mix
  3. Prodigal Son Harvey's a Star in Your Own Mind Mix
  4. Vivid Album Version
  5. Radiation
  6. Prodigal Son 7" Mix
  7. Prodigal Son Harvey's Greatly Deluded Mix

This is a copy of of the two "Vivid" singles - the first from the Twisted Tenderness album.

Electronic songs on Compilations/Soundtracks

Wish List

Here are some Electronic releases that I wish I had but haven't bought for some reason or another:

Related Artists in Jase's CD Collection

Links

Here are some good Electronic sites on the internet:

Buy Electronic albums and singles on-line!

Visit Jase's CD Collection to read more reviews of other artists' CDs.

Please e-mail me to report any typographical errors or dead links.
Disagreements with my reviews will only be accepted in the form of your own review to be posted on this page.
To submit your own review (positive or negative), visit the Submit a Review page.

Before sending me any other form of e-mail, please visit the frequently asked questions page first.