Saturday, October 4, 2014

New Order/Joy Division

I’ve had this DVD set for a while, but re-watching it the other day reminded me of how good it is. This is an exhaustive collection covering every aspect of the band. Both discs combined are over 4 hours of viewing. It is rare that I sit down for that long to watch television but this is an exception.
One disc is a great documentary of the band, covering their beginnings as Joy Division to the transformation into New Order. Interviews are done with the band and the supporting cast as well. The band interview is done in a laid back, intimate setting. It’s more of a friendly conversation than a straight forward interview, which I find extremely interesting.

The second disc contains all the band’s promotional videos and some live footage. New Order’s videos always break that cliché mode. Their videos are simplistic yet artistic. When viewing each video I find myself sucked into it, almost hypnotized. Michael Shamberg, who directed most of their videos, brings a unique, original vision to the music. Also included is a booklet containing an insightful writing by Shamberg detailing his times working with the band, very interesting stuff.