Electronic – Get The Message

For me Get The Message is completely outshone and overshadowed by the gargantuan B side track Free Will to the point I don't think I've listened to the A side more than a couple of times (I like it just fine on the album though). I still get head rushes from listening to Free Will as it reminds of seeing Electronic perform it live at Cities In The Park in 1991.

I first heard the 'Free Will' track on a rave mix tape. mixed in and out of Hardcore breakbeat tracks and it worked really well. Mc's rapping over the top of it! And no, I can't the mix tape. Love that track though!

Get The Message was undoubtedly Electronic's stongest and most successful release. The chemistry and working partnership of former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and New Order front Man Bernard Sumner was a colaboration made in heaven, which had success written all over it. Unfortunaltey, the success (that neither really needed anyway) was not forthcoming and while Electronic were critically acclaimed the success Electronic afforded did not materialise itself into strong sales.

However, that's not to diminish the brilliance that is Get The Message. An upbeat rock number at heart, Get The Message, as the bands name implies, also made good use of both Synths and clever drum programming to create a sound that was appealing to both of the prominent and rising musical styles in the early 1990's; Indie (though predominately that which swung out of Manchester) and dance (think Madchester). While the collaboration of both Marr and Sumner may or may not have been created to tap into the growing interest in dance music, the fact remains that both were (ultimately) rock stars at heart and as such were never really going to score big with the rave kids. Regardless, Get The Message stands up there with the best tracks of this era, dance or otherwise. Great production, superb accustic guitar work and one of the coolest front men around made sure that many of us did indeed get the message.