Technique is the fifth studio album by New Order

New Order

New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...

, released in 1989 via Factory Records

Factory Records

Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...

. Partly recorded on the island of Ibiza

Ibiza

Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...

, it incorporates Balearic beat

Balearic Beat

Balearic Beat or either Balearic House and Balearic Trance is an eclectic blend of DJed dance music that originally emerged in the mid-1980s. It later became the name of a more specific style of electronic dance music that was popular into the mid-1990s...

 and acid house

Acid house

Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...

 influences into the group's electro/rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 sound. The album's style was also heavily influenced by Danish group Laid Back

Laid Back

Laid Back is a Danish Post-punk group formed in Copenhagen by John Guldberg and Tim Stahl in 1979...

's 1987

1987 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

 album See You in the Lobby, especially on the first single "Fine Time

Fine Time

"Fine Time" is a song by New Order released in 1988 and the first single from their 1989 album Technique. The B-side "Fine Line" is simply the A-side without Bernard Sumner's vocals....

", on which Bernard Sumner

Bernard Sumner

Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....

 takes influence from Laid Back's singing style, using various tones to sing parts of the song.

Technique was the first New Order album to reach number one in the UK charts. "Fine Time", the first single lifted from it, reached number 11. Remixed versions of "Round & Round" and "Run" were also released as singles. John Denver

John Denver

Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...

's publishing company filed a lawsuit, alleging that the guitar break in "Run" too closely resembled Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane

Leaving on a Jet Plane

"Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written by John Denver in 1966 and most famously recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. The original title of the song was "Oh Babe I Hate to Go" but Denver's then producer, Milt Okun, convinced him to change the title....

". The case was settled out of court. "Vanishing Point" was used on the BBC series Making Out

Making Out

Making Out is a British television series, shown by the BBC between 1989 and 1991.The series, written by Debbie Horsfield, mixed comedy and drama in its portrayal of the women who worked on the factory floor at New Lyne Electronics in Manchester, tackling the personal lives of the characters as...

.

Music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

s were produced for the three singles.

In 2008 the album was re-released in a Collector's Edition with a bonus disc.

Reception

In 2006, Q magazine

Q (magazine)

Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...

 placed the album at #21 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s".

Spin magazine

Spin (magazine)

Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...

's 1995 Alternative Record Guide claimed that "Technique is New Order's best (album)" because it represents the perfect synthesis of the band's abilities as a punk-influenced rock band and as synthpop

Synthpop

Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 pioneers. The article gave the album a rating of 9 out of 10.

Track listing

All songs written by New Order.

1. "Fine Time
   Fine Time
   "Fine Time" is a song by New Order released in 1988 and the first single from their 1989 album Technique. The B-side "Fine Line" is simply the A-side without Bernard Sumner's vocals....
   
   " – 4:42
2. "All the Way" – 3:22
3. "Love Less" – 2:58
4. "Round & Round" – 4:29
5. "Guilty Partner" – 4:44
6. "Run
   Run 2
   "Run 2" was New Order's third and final single from their 1989 album Technique.-Overview:"Run 2" was remixed by Scott Litt from the version on Technique, hence the appendage of "2" to the title. The main difference is that the song has been made more radio-friendly by editing down most of the long...
   
   " – 4:29
7. "Mr. Disco" – 4:20
8. "Vanishing Point" – 5:15
9. "Dream Attack" – 5:13

2008 Collector's Edition reissue bonus disc

1. "Don't Do It" – 4:34
2. "Fine Line" – 4:45
3. "Round & Round" (12" version) – 6:52
4. "Best & Marsh" – 4:32
5. "Run 2" – 5:26
6. "MTO" [actually the "Minus Mix" of the song] – 5:27
7. "Fine Time" (Silk Mix) – 6:19
8. "Vanishing Point" (Instrumental) – 5:12
9. "World in Motion
   World in Motion
   "World in Motion" is a song by English musical group New Order. It is New Order's only UK number one single. The song was produced for the England football team's 1990 FIFA World Cup campaign, and features several members of the 1990 English team, as well as comedian Keith Allen, who co-wrote the...
   
   " (Cabinieri Mix) – 5:52

Total length: 48:59

Personnel

• Bernard Sumner
  Bernard Sumner
  Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....
  
   – vocals, guitars, melodica, synthesizers and programming
• Peter Hook
  Peter Hook
  Peter Hook is an English bass player, musician and author.He was a co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division along with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until...
  
   – 4 and 6-stringed bass, electronic percussion, synthesizers and programming
• Stephen Morris – drums, synthesizers and programming
• Gillian Gilbert
  Gillian Gilbert
  Gillian Lesley Gilbert is an English musician, keyboardist, guitarist and singer, best known as a member of New Order and a founding member of The Other Two.-Biography:...
  
   – synthesizers and programming, guitars
• New Order
  New Order
  New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
  
   – production
• Michael Johnson – engineer
• Richard Chappell – assistant engineer
• Aaron Denson – assistant engineer
• Richard Evans – assistant engineer
• Trevor Key – cover design
• Alan Meyerson – mixing
• Peter Saville – cover design

Chart positions

Album charts

Chart (1989)	Peak position
Australian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Albums Chart	25
Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Albums Chart	28
German Media Control Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...  Albums Chart	25
New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Albums Chart	11
Swedish Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....	23
Swiss Music Charts Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...	15
UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...	1
U.K. Independent UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...  Albums Chart	1
US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...	32

Singles charts

Single	Territory/Chart (1988/9)	Peak position
"Fine Time Fine Time "Fine Time" is a song by New Order released in 1988 and the first single from their 1989 album Technique. The B-side "Fine Line" is simply the A-side without Bernard Sumner's vocals.... "	UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	11
"Fine Time"	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	2
"Fine Time"	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...	3
"Fine Time"	U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	3
"Round & Round"	U.K. Singles Chart	21
"Round & Round"	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	1
"Round & Round"	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	6
"Round & Round"	U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	6
"Round & Round"	U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	64
"Run 2 Run 2 "Run 2" was New Order's third and final single from their 1989 album Technique.-Overview:"Run 2" was remixed by Scott Litt from the version on Technique, hence the appendage of "2" to the title. The main difference is that the song has been made more radio-friendly by editing down most of the long... " (limited release)	U.K. Singles Chart	49