What happens when you've been a crucial part of one of the world's most influential independent bands and you wake up and find it's suddenly not there any more? When Bernard Sumner announced he was quitting New Order to do his own thing in the summer of 1989, his bassist cohort Peter Hook admitted "it gave me the shock of my life...I never expected to not have New Order."
Of course, the passing of time has brought New Order together again and during the band's second lengthy sabbatical (roughly 1993 - 1998), Hook went off with David Potts to form the successful Monaco, yet in 1989 when he put together his first tentative project outside the safety of New Order, REVENGE, with engineer/ Keyboard player CJ and guitarist Dave Hicks, he was anything but confident about what he was doing.
Hooky's pedigree ensured that Revenge were taken seriously enough by the press at the time of their active life, but since then the temptation's been to either forget or deride them. LTM'S new, expanded CD re-issue of basically all Revenge's material on "One True Passion" (the "One True Passion" album, "Gun World Porn" mini-Lp, singles, rarities and remixes over two generous CDS) however suggests that while Revenge may have been a learning curve for Hook, he laid down some bloody crucial tracks en route.
CD1 contains the cream. While Hooky's certainly no Ian Curtis either lyrically or vocally, he's still heartfelt and distinctive on his own, and when he sings: "I'll be true in all the things I do for you" on robust opener "Televive", you instinctively know his message is bullshit-free.
And much of what follows lays claim to the fact Revenge were a truly under-rated band. Sure, Hook's instantly recognisable melodic basslines and many of the songs' atmospheres ain't a million miles from New Order, but with telling contributions also coming from Jones, Hicks and - significantly - the young David Potts, songs like "State Of Shock", "14K", the deceptively simple "It's Quiet" and the graceful "The Wilding" ensure you'll wanna listen afresh when Hook gets up close and personal.
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Besides, it's no surprise Revenge garnered such a good live reputation, as songs like the anthemic raunch of "Deadbeat", the crunching "Little Pig" and the dense, rhythmic maze of "Bleach Man" all rock hard and connect at both head and crotch level, while in "Jesus...I Love You" and the bona-fide hit single, "Pineapple Face", Hook and co proved adept at both 'epic' and 'chart-friendly' respectively.
Although generous at 17 tracks, CD2 (subtitled "Be Careful What You Wish For") is rather less essential. There are several further crucial cuts in the long-lost "Wende", plus "Kiss The Chrome" and the excellent "Fag Hag" (both weirdly moved here rather than taking their rightful places on CD1), while in the moody "Pumpkin", Hook shows he was way ahead of the game in terms of predicting the trip-hop revolution. Elsewhere, the remixes and out-takes prove the inevitable mixed bag. Gary Clail's dub-out versh of "Deadbeat", for instance, is most welcome, but two further remixes of "Pineapple Face" is maybe stretching a point.
Still, as ever, you can't accuse LTM of being stingy, and in this expanded form, "One True Passion" provides us with a well-rounded portrait of Peter Hook's first "other" band: one whose memory ought to be recalled with rather more reverence.
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