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Bernard Sumner: Confusion - Joy Division, Electronic and New Order Versus the World
 
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Bernard Sumner: Confusion - Joy Division, Electronic and New Order Versus the World (Paperback)

by David Nolan (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Customers buy this book with Who Killed Martin Hannett?: The Story of Factory Records' Musical Magician by Colin Sharp

Bernard Sumner: Confusion - Joy Division, Electronic and New Order Versus the World + Who Killed Martin Hannett?: The Story of Factory Records' Musical Magician
Price For Both: £19.08

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Product details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Independent Music Press (30 Aug 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0955282268
  • ISBN-13: 978-0955282263
  • Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.2 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 22,062 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #87 in  Books > Biography > Film, Television & Music > Music > Rock & Pop

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Product Description

Clash
There are heaps of formerly unseen photographs to satisfy even the most voyeuristic of fans out there


Product Description
This book is about Bernard Sumner's life and times, from the back streets of Salford to the international fame and critical acclaim of Joy Division, New Order and Electronic. Jolted into action by the punk explosion of 1976, Sumner is the man who stepped into the shoes of Ian Curtis after his suicide in 1980 and steered New Order to even greater success, helping to create Acid House, the second Summer of Love and The Hacienda nightclub in Manchester, the most famous club in the world and a magnet for the city's gun and drug culture. His collaborations with The Smiths' Johnny Marr created Electronic, the first true post-punk supergroup. But Sumner's past, even his real name, has always remained a mystery...until now. In a work of rare investigative depth, Nolan re-writes the history of one of music's most influential figures, and in the process nullifies many myths, with exhaustive primary source research, dozens of exclusive interviews and scores of previously unseen photos.

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
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2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
26 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Confused? You won't be, 28 Aug 2007
By K. Macfarlane (SCOTLAND) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is a really unusual book, not what I was expecting at all. Nolan has done the research and the leg work, found out about Sumner's past (including the reason for all those name changes) tracked down school friends and former workmates from when Bernard was an animator, as well as former employees, Factory and Hacienda colleagues ... then he's handed it over to the New Order man to get his thoughts. And Sumner gives them big time. Everything from his mum's disability to his feelings about Peter Hook quitting (that's how up to date it is - how did they manage that??) It's all here. For a guy who's never opened up before, Sumner is funny and honest in his contributions. He's not perfect and doesn't pretend to be. The style is different - like two voices in your head, Sumner's and Nolan's - but you get used to it. The introduction says that Bernard would rather this book didn't exist ... but I for one am really glad it does.
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16 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Insight, 29 Sep 2007
In the light of the current resurgence of interest in Joy Division and Ian Curtis, this book offers a timely and (surprisingly) compelling insight into the life of Bernard Sumner - the reluctant successor to Curtis as Joy Division/New Order 'frontman'. The fact Sumner has taken this role for almost 3 decades in near total anonymity provides an interesting counterpoint to the ongoing public excavation of every detail of Ian Curtis's short and tragic life. Through David Nolan's thorough (as usual!) research, we find that Sumner himself has an interesting early personal history, marked with difficult challenges - but his stoicism and reluctance or refusal to discuss his personal history in interviews is admirable in a time where every Z-list celebrity is willing to spill their emotional guts, and detail the 'tragedy' of their lives to any hack who will listen. Nonetheless, Nolan manages to draw Sumner into the project, and the multiple voices of Sumner, Nolan and other interviewees creates an interesting, informative but fundamentally ambiguous portrayal of the man and musician. However, this ambiguity is inherent to all public figures - so is not a criticism of the book - more an observation of how all such identities are complex and multi-layered, and ultimately unknowable as there is no simple truth to find ...

I personally enjoyed the contextual sections on post-war Salford, but often felt that I'd like more detail on the claims (by Tony Wilson et al)that Sumner was a great producer - but I guess that would be appeal more to tech-heads rather than the broader audience the book is aimed at.

Overall, I'd recommend this to anybody interested in Factory / Manchester music / JD/NO - and also to those who are interested in the sequel to the story recounted in the many books, films & documentaries on Curtis and Joy Division - where will it end?
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Brave but flawed, 19 Mar 2008
By Valdemar (London) - See all my reviews
This isn't quite the exhaustive piece of research it boasts it is. Nolan hasn't really penetrated Barney's inner circle and relies heavily on press cuttings, anecdotes from the HAcienda's glass collectors and an embittered old schoolfriend. His lumbering prose doesn't help much either. Suffice to say, he's no Ian MacDonald!
But if you're a Joy Div/ New Order fanatic like me, I'd still recommend it. It throws up some interesting, previously undocumented facts about the man, and presents a sketchy, but fascinating, picture of a modest, prickly and complex unsung genius. I guess the real USP here is the responses he's printed from Bernard to some of the anecdotes - they start off as acerbic and witty and become increasingly indignant as the book goes on!

Not a classic, but ten times more likeable, readable and original than Paul Morley's wretched, smug Joy Division book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacking Substance
As another reviewer said, there are some typos which I also found annoying (better make sure there aren't any in this review then). Read more
Published 18 days ago by Rogue Monkey

1.0 out of 5 stars Confused (..thats The Price of Love)
I'm a big New Order fan and grew up continually blasting out the likes of Chosen time, Temptation, Procession, Confusion, Mr Disco, Perfect Kiss & BLT etc. Read more
Published 9 months ago by M. Pullan

5.0 out of 5 stars Answered some questions
I would agree with the review by K.Macfarlane (SCOTLAND). That summed it up for me.
Published 9 months ago by A. West

2.0 out of 5 stars Illiterate, dull and ultimately disappointing
First things first, did anyone proof read this book? Barely a page goes by without a grammatical howler; it's hard to respect a published work that confuses 'your' and 'you're'... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Tooki

2.0 out of 5 stars Muddling along, muddling along
In this tense, tumid thriller, Daniel Nolan's sensational plot jerks the reader up and down. Veteran popfact readers will be delighted at the altogether different sensation of... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Lionel Hip Cat

4.0 out of 5 stars Publication
(Suitably New Order title)

It seems an odd choice to single out one member of Joy Division/New Order as their unique sounds were down to all members, not just one... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Jeffrey M. Black

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock `n' roll research at its best.
I've known David since 2001 when he was a TV producer at Granada TV, working on his acclaimed documentary and book, I Swear I Was There. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Phil S

4.0 out of 5 stars Feel every beat
This is an enjoyable book and I would recommend it highly to all New Order / Factory Records fans. David Nolan has researched his subject thoroughly and the book is well written,... Read more
Published 22 months ago by A. Simpson

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