Electronic – ‘Get The Message – The Best Of’ (EMI) Released 18/09/06

The problem Electronic faced was surely living up to expectation. Marr and Sumner may have painted the band as chiefly stemming from the friendship between two guys from Manchester as if prompted by a chance meeting in Tesco in Chorlton, but there’s no getting away from the fact that The Smiths and New Order were, are two giants of music – bands that meant a huge amount and inspired, but most importantly bands that wrote classic songs. You put Jonny Marr and Bernard Sumner in a group together and you expect ****ing amazing tunes basically. As this begins we’re in a bright, glowing future where the glorious promise of such a creative partnership has been fulfilled.

‘Forbidden City’ starts likes a bullet, with Sumner’s cry “There’s not a hope when your in that kind of mood” as guitar and synths crash melodically around him. With talk of an ill wind blowing in northern skies, mistrust and resentment it typifies his ability to create drama and atmosphere from ordinary words and dry Mancunian vocals. Marr adds to the mix with some typically fine jangly guitar work. Electronic were never supposed to have had much to do with jangly guitars originally. The name indicated Marr’s desire to be less the retro guitar guy and show he was just as cool and electro as anyone else. Hence his talk in the sleeve notes of wanting to masquerade as "an obscure acid house outfit." The early dancefied stuff is represented by a couple of tracks which show they did it pretty well.

‘Get The Message’ is an innovative, mellow keyboard tack and ‘Fell Every Beat’ a cool, jaunty Happy Mondays type song. Sumner pretty much raps on both and it’s cool rather than embarrassing. The Pet Shop Boys were considered part time members of the band and two songs done with them are included – ‘Getting Away With It’ and ‘Disappointed’. Both are classic, catchy electro pop gems most reminisced of the Pets stuff. Bu the 90s the duo were back in love with the guitar and ‘For You’ is in the same vein as ‘Forbidden City’ - an exhilarating jangly rush, with more classic Sumner lyrics “Can we meet on the street/ maybe tomorrow/ See the world at in feet/ naked and hollow.” ‘Vivid’ too was a great single, a trad rock song powered by that rollicking harmonica riff and more goose pimple causing drama and melody, “have you a reason to behave like this? / maybe you need a psychoanalyst".

They were certainly a singles band and there’s a couple of lesser moments here but also some gems amongst the lesser well known stuff. ‘Out Of My League’ a gorgeous , almost soft rock, love song, ‘Twisted Tenderness’ an affecting trancey come down ballad with Balearic strings. The CD also includes a DVD of videos for some of the tracks, but there all bog standard band in a wind tunnel/ band driving round stuff and the mature duo do look a bit like dads who’ve wandered on accidentally and are trying to get back to B and Q. Electronic are ultimately a foot note of musical history unlike the mammoth band that spawned them, but certainly a very worthwhile one.