On March 7, 1983 — exactly 30 years ago today — New Order released its monumental single “Blue Monday,” cementing its full transition from the moody post-punk of Joy Division to club-ready synthpop. And, in the process, the band delivered the best-selling 12-inch single of all time.
Rhino Records will follow up its 2010 Record Store Day limited-edition Factory Records sampler with a second 10-inch label sampler for this year’s event: a 4-track EP that will feature one song each from Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and The Durutti Column, according to Wax Poetic.
For this week’s “120 Minutes” Rewind,we revisit the tail end of the April 15, 1990, episode, which featured a 5-minute Kurt Loder-hosted MTV News report about the so-called Madchester scene, featuring interviews with Manchester acts such as Happy Mondays, 808 State and New Order’s Bernard Sumner.
The Killers famously took their name from the faux band performing in New Order’s video for the 2001 single “Crystal,” so it was fitting that Bernard Sumner joined the American band onstage Monday night in his hometown of Manchester to perform the track. Check out the performance right here.
It’s still more than a week before legendary former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr releases his new solo album ‘The Messenger,’ but you don’t have to wait any longer to hear the record — a full stream of the 12-track album premiered tonight via Rolling Stone, and you can hear it via the link included here.
Johnny Marr let the cat out of the bag over the weekend, but New Order today confirmed that it will play two Coachella warm-up concerts with the former Smiths guitarist in Las Vegas and Santa Barbara, Calif., in April — and announced they’ll play “more U.S. dates later in the year.”
Johnny Marr will follow his previously announced U.K. solo tour with an 18-date North American run in April and May that’s built around his appearances at the two-weekend Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival — and which includes dates with New Order in Las Vegas and Santa Barbara, Calif.
Q&A: Daniel Ash on Love and Rockets’ reunion, his new band — and figuring out how to play “So Alive” 
Q&A: Chris Frantz talks Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and new book ‘Remain in Love’ 
Q&A: Steve Wynn on The Dream Syndicate’s first new album in nearly 30 years 
Q&A: Bauhaus’ David J on his ‘accidental’ concept album ‘Not Long For This World’ 
Q&A: Peter Murphy on ‘Ninth,’ Bauhaus’ break-up, reuniting Dalis Car 
Q&A: Joey Santiago on Pixies’ ‘Doolittle’ tour, possible ‘Surfer Rosa’ shows, new album talk 
Q&A: Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon on new album, changing the world with music 
Q&A: Peter Hook talks ‘Unknown Pleasures’ tour, re-recording Joy Division 