Electronic - if you've got love, 1996

"Seven of the thirteen tracks were composed by full-time members Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner, and the other six co-written with former Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos. He was recommended to Electronic via a friend of Sumner's, and commuted to Manchester throughout 1995 during the recording sessions, which stretched from late 1994 to late 1995. The protracted sessions resulted in a dense, thick production that was later acknowledged by both Sumner and Marr and criticised in professional reviews; they consequently spent much less time on their next album Twisted Tenderness. Raise the Pressure was also remarked upon for Bernard Sumner's impressionistic lyrics, which some saw as the result of his use of Prozac during this period, following an appearance on the BBC 2 programme The Late Show, which explored the effects of the antidepressant on creativity. According to Sumner, however, he only wrote one lyric whilst under the influence of Prozac. Musically the album comprises guitar pop/rock songs ("One Day", "Out of My League") and more dance oriented tracks ("Until the End of Time", "If You've Got Love")."

Electronic - how long, 1996

"By the time Electronic's long-delayed second album appeared in 1996, the zeitgeist in Britain had completely shifted from its members' parent bands to a new generation of groups, with Oasis, who shared management with Sumner and Marr's project, standing forth out of a horde of newer Brit-pop acts. Electronic itself chose not to try and compete, following its own low-key path while working with a variety of guest musicians, including returning singer Denise Johnson. The intriguing surprise came courtesy of an additional keyboardist - none other than Kraftwerk veteran Karl Bartos, who also co-wrote nearly half the release with Sumner and Marr. In the same way that the group's debut promised more than it delivered, though, Raise the Pressure - theoretically a dream collaboration between key members of three groundbreaking bands - ends up being more pleasant than necessary."

Electronic - out of my league, 1996

"The acoustic frenzy of ‘Get The Message’ (the intro reminds me a bit of ‘Cemetry Gates’) is highlighted by Marr’s usual brilliant riffs, while the hopeless elegance of ‘Out Of My League’ is another example of Sumner and Marr combining their talents to create a beautiful song, enhanced by Sumner’s angelic vocals. Though the band only released three albums in their ten years of existence, Electronic is one of the many prominent marks in the two’s musical careers."

Electronic - late at night, 1999

"Late at Night" is a rock song by the English band Electronic. It was written and produced by its members Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr, and co-produced with Arthur Baker. "Late at Night" was taken from their third album Twisted Tenderness and was their last single."

Electronic - the patience of a saint, 1990

"Although Neil has written and recorded a couple other songs with Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner as part of their Electronic project ("Getting Away with It" and "Disappointed," with Neil singing lead on the latter), this cut from the 1991 Electronic album is the only one on which both Neil and Chris are co-writers and performers. As Sumner himself has said of this song, Chris "wrote a lot of the music." Thus it merits inclusion here as a "Pet Shop Boys track." The narrator (or perhaps, as we shall see, narrators) of this song is something of a bastard, set in his carefree ways, who admits that he's difficult to live with."

Electronic - getting away with it, 1989

"Bernard Sumner wrote the verse and Johnny Marr wrote the chorus. The lyrics, co-written by Tennant with Sumner, are a parody of Marr's Smiths partner Morrissey, and his public persona as morose and masochistic"

Electronic - forbidden city, 1996

"It is a guitar pop/rock song with a heavily distorted guitar solo by Marr; lyrically it is about a young man who has an abusive relationship with his father but wants to return home despite this antagonism."

Electronic - tighten up album version, 1991

"Writing in Melody Maker, Paul Lester described the song as "the devastating marriage of Smiths guitars and New Order technology that nervously excited fans the globe over were anticipating from Electronic. Imagine a sublime splicing of 'Bigmouth Strikes Again' and 'Dream Attack', then multiply by 12". In Vox Keith Cameron wrote: "'Tighten Up' gives Marr a chance to relive The Smiths' halcyon days with an exhilarating semi-acoustic dynamism".

Electronic - gangster, 1991

"its strength is in conflict ... The inexorable pounding of the beatbox versus the fragile sadness of Sumner's voice and the he's/she's leaving stories; the symmetry of the synthesized or sampled sounds versus the sheer blood and bone physicality of Marr's guitar"

Electronic - for you, 1996

"For You" is a song by English band Electronic, comprising Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr, with guesting co-writer Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk, released as the second single from their second album Raise the Pressure. "For You" reached #16 on the UK Singles Chart."

Electronic – when she's gone, 1999

"The writing and recording of the album was a reaction to the protracted sessions of its predecessor Raise the Pressure, which had taken a year and a half to complete. Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner remained the only official members of the band, but were joined by Doves frontman Jimi Goodwin on bass and Black Grape drummer Ged Lynch. The sound of the album reflected this back-to-basics approach in terms of the line-up, although subsequent production and mixing incorporated additional beats and samples. Twisted Tenderness was co-produced by influential New York City club DJ and dance producer Arthur Baker, with whom Sumner had previously worked on New Order's 1983 hit "Confusion", amongst other songs." 

 

Such a great summer morning song!

Electronic - try all you want, 1990

"The gestation period between Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner’s debut single (Getting Away With It) and its parent album was a vast 18 months, but it shows that the pair were intent on taking the time to build something that freed them of the “constraints” of their own bands – and to reflect the emerging UK dance scene they increasingly buzzed around."

Electronic - second nature, 1996

"Second Nature" is a song by Electronic, released as the group's seventh single. It has an autobiographical lyric by Sumner which concerns his youth and growing up, while the music has a groovy shuffle which contrasts with the stricter dance tracks on its parent album Raise the Pressure."

Electronic - until the end of time, 1996

"Until the End of Time" is a dance song by the English duo Electronic. It first appeared on their second album Raise the Pressure in 1996 and then on a fan club CD the following year. It was composed by members Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner with guesting writer Karl Bartos. The track is mainly programmed and played with synthesizers. Denise Johnson provides backing vocals. James Spencer is credited with engineering and mixing on the single, although Alan Meyerson is listed as the mixer in the album sleevenotes."

Electronic - one day, 1996

"Electronic was formed by Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr, the guitarist of the Smiths, in 1989. They collaborated on certain tracks with the Pet Shop Boys and a member of Kraftwerk. When compared with the other New Order spinoffs, Electronic is the best from a technical perspective, which isn't surprising considering the names involved."

Electronic - dark angel, 1996

"Dark Angel is a pleasant inclusion. Honestly I think it sounded pretty dated when it came out, and now it definitely belongs in another era, but it’s a strong song. This time, the middle section is nothing short of brilliant."

Electronic - reality, 1991

"The bulk of Electronic was written in 1990, with sessions beginning that January at Johnny Marr's home studio in Manchester. "Gangster" dated from an aborted solo album that Bernard Sumner had begun working on in the mid-eighties, while "Reality" was written around 1988 when he and Marr first began working together."

Electronic - twisted tenderness, 1999

"Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner have a unique musical companionship. Both artists bred the '80s British music scene into pop candy delight thanks to Marr's charming guitar hooks while fronting the Smiths, and Sumner, whose ingenuous lyrical poetry pushed New Order's dance-oriented sound into the new wave mainstream. But since their musical collaboration began back in 1991, the duo continues to make music for themselves, uninhibited by current norms and marketing success. Twisted Tenderness, the band's third album, is certainly a vast improvement over their sophomore effort, 1996's Raise the Pressure. Twisted Tenderness steps back into Marr's talented guitar work: carefree, a bit rollicking at times, but in classic Electronic fashion."

Electronic - idiot country, 1991

"First example of new Sumner writing style as Bernard confronts the violence of Manchester's drug wars. Marr's jagged guitar is fairly pronounced before the song lopes into a typical soft New Order refrain. Hummable and danceable"

Electronic - some distant memory, 1991

"Penultimate song on the debut album by Electronic, the duo of Bernard Sumner (Joy Division/New Order) and Johnny Marr (The Smiths). A bit of a melancholy song, with some nice but simple Sumner lyrics, which he is great at writing. And of course that great oboe section in the last part of the song."