If you’re a fan of New Order, you’ll love this follow up to Hook’s earlier memoir on Joy Division. Coming in at 729 pages (minus a large Index) it takes a while to get through. Many names, too many, to keep straight but still introspective enough on Hook’s life to make it something you won’t forget.
Hook’s description of the individual band members is obviously his own but it’s well argued with evidence, from his point of view of course. The ongoing evolution of the group’s sound is a constant theme as well as what type of marketing promotion should be engaged.
Hook gives the genesis of song titles, business relations relative to the Hacienda club, and long drawn out sections on his alcohol and drug use. Reckless by Chrissie Hynde has a lot of recollections while she was altered by drugs and alcohol. Hook has many recollections as well under the same influences. Although he says that his book is the truth as he remembers it, I can take a skeptical view of his assertions to accuracy and still enjoy the written page.
Hook is self-depreciating as well as earnest in his assessments of the band’s shortcomings. Not critical of people in the band per se, just open about the limitations about how the band did things. Hook says that he grew tired of dealing with Sumner on a personal level. His professional admiration is that Sumner is a genius, slightly less so than Curtis although this is never stated as such.
Photos, random lists, Bibliography (has Bernard Sumner’s book as a secondary source), reflections on tour performances and album tracks. I only became a New Order fan in the late eighties so it’s been good to discover that their style was appealing to me throughout their long career. Hook says that the title True Faith came from a Michener book stating that Catholicism was the only true religion. ( )