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  • Teaser trailer - Temptation, Isolation and True Faith from the 3 16 DVD
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New Order - Crystal (DVD Single)
Warner Music/Warner Music . R4 . COLOR . 5 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Eight years is a mighty long time to wait for a follow-up record, however that's how long the New Order faithful have had to sit around twiddling their thumbs in anticipation for the album Get Ready, from which Crystal is the first single to be plucked. And to think, it's only following up Republic, easily the patchiest release of the band's long and distinguished career.

Renowned for often being a tad difficult, New Order have regularly not appeared in their own clips, or have just included easily procured live footage, in favour of actors, models, dogs - almost anything you could imagine that would save them the bother and time spent in makeup. The clip on offer here, for the radio edit of a track that gets to stretch out for another two minutes on the album (much to its advantage), is certainly no exception. Featuring a bunch of ringers masquerading as a band called "The Killers", we get a singer with a tragic 'I wanna be Bobby Gillespie' complex, a band that look like bad Blur impersonators, and a blonde backup singer that looks rather out of place, and for all the world as if she was borrowed from Farnesy for the day. They all flounce about in front of a rather expensive looking spotty screen, and even endure a stage invasion towards the end of the clip - after the obligatory slow-motion section, of course. For sure they are energetic little tykes, flitting around and acting as if they mean it maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, however none can ever take the place of good old Barney, Hooky, Gillian and Stephen. Besides, Spike Jonze beat them to the punch by a number of years by using the exact same concept for the clip of Crush With Eyeliner he directed for R.E.M. - and at least they had the courtesy to provide cameo appearances!

Elsewhere here there's, well, not a lot. The single's b-side, Behind Closed Doors is here, accompanied by a still screen featuring a full frame floppy female, in keeping with the theme of the rest of the black-and-white-with-a-spot-of-colour Peter Saville-designed artwork that adorns all the band's current releases. A co-production between New Order and legendary (that's nicer to say than frighteningly hairy and scary looking) New York dance guru Arthur Baker, who they collaborated with all the way back in 1984 for the revered by many Confusion, it features wonderful, doom-laden strings and some skittish beats, but in the end is in its right place as a B-side when held up against Crystal, and even the weaker tracks on Get Ready.

The DVD single is certainly a fantastic concept, however with the sort of retails they have gone for in the past they sadly seem destined to remain the sole target of rabid fans and completists only - or eagle-eyed scavengers when they inevitably hit the bargain bins months after their release. Considering the local CD single release of Crystal features six tracks (although admittedly four of them are shite remixes), the only real advantage to purchasing this is for the video clip, and when it doesn’t even feature the band, well...

  Video
  Audio
  Extras
Contract

There certainly isn't anything to complain about here; mind you squishing around four and a half minutes of vision onto a DVD is hardly a daunting task. The clip for Crystal is presented in a faux-widescreen ratio of around 2.35:1, and is not anamorphically enhanced. Living up to its name visually, it is beautifully rendered, with the vivid colours coming up a treat and no apparent nasties whatsoever.

The sound is Linear PCM stereo, and on a quick check against the CD it sounds equally as good. The lead track is quite compressed, however all versions sound the same, so it's a production thang not anything wrong with the transition to DVD.

Extras? Well, rounding out the package are pretty pointless 30-second live clips of Temptation, the Joy Division track Isolation and True Faith, all plucked from the DVD release 3 16, which as far as this reviewer is concerned is an essential purchase for anybody who has a pulse. However, with the wealth of New Order stuff out there that hasn’t been released on this format, it would have been nice to get something a bit special. Oh, there are also two pages of credits, and quite the snazzy little foldout booklet included in the admirably regular sized Amaray case - none of those crappy oversized jewel cases that the likes of Madonna get lumbered with for this band, respect!

So, this is an essential purchase for those of us who ditched their entire vinyl collections except for this one particular band, however in reality it presents questionable value for anybody else. Now, why can’t we have the likes of Pumped Full of Drugs and The Best of New Order on little shiny disc? Pretty please?


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  •   And I quote...
    "An essential purchase for those of us who ditched their entire vinyl collections except for this one particular band..."
    - Amy Flower
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Pioneer DV-535
    • TV:
          Sony 68cm
    • Receiver:
          Onkyo TX-DS494
    • Speakers:
          DB Dynamics Eclipse RBS662
    • Centre Speaker:
          DB Dynamics Eclipse ECC442
    • Surrounds:
          DB Dynamics Eclipse ECR042
    • Subwoofer:
          DTX Digital 4.8
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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