Substance New Order

Singles is a greatest hits album by English rock band New Order. It was released on 3 October 2005 by London Records. The two-disc compilation includes the band's singles released between 1981 and 2005. Unlike the CD version of earlier singles compilation Substance 1987, the B-sides are not included. While Substance 1987 aimed to showcase New Order's 12-inch singles, Singles instead features mostly seven-inch versions, some of which are rare and differ from the album versions…

Rising from the ashes of the legendary British post-punk unit Joy Division, New Order triumphed over tragedy to emerge as one of the most acclaimed bands of the 1980s; embracing the electronic textures and disco rhythms of the underground club culture many years in advance of its contemporaries, the group's pioneering fusion of new wave aesthetics and dance music successfully bridged the gap between the two worlds, creating a distinctively thoughtful and oblique brand of synth pop appealing equally to the mind, body, and soul.

Finsbury Park, 9th June 02 With music that celebrates the thrill of the moment and played a pivotal role in the emergence of electronica and techno, New Order established themselves as one of the great bands of the '80s and '90s. Here they're seen in their Finsbury Park concert from June 2002, playing many of their now-classic songs and their 'comeback single', 'Crystal'. A documentary made during the setup and sound check takes the viewer backstage and close-up. Like the companion volume 316, 511 offers one of those rare opportunities to see this enigmatic band on camera talking about their music and their future.

Rising from the ashes of the legendary British post-punk unit Joy Division, the enigmatic New Order triumphed over tragedy to emerge as one of the most influential and acclaimed bands of the 1980s; embracing the electronic textures and disco rhythms of the underground club culture many years in advance of its contemporaries, the group's pioneering fusion of new wave aesthetics and dance music successfully bridged the gap between the two worlds, creating a distinctively thoughtful and oblique brand of synth pop appealing equally to the mind, body, and soul.

Yet another New Order compilation? Add Retro to the dizzying stack of New Order compilations and best-ofs. Actually, it was the second comp to come out in the last half of 2002 (International was released in October and contains nearly every song that is on Retro). With that said, Retro is probably the most expansive and interesting New Order compilation since 1987's Substance. Keeping an eye and ear on the amazing Joy Division set Heart and Soul, Rhino stepped in to publish this box as well (that alone will give Retro a bit more credibility). The packaging is more or less identical to Heart and Soul's four-CD orientation and comes complete with its own Peter Saville-directed artwork and 70-plus-page booklet. Unlike the Joy Division set, Retro makes no attempt to create a comprehensive or complete look at New Order's expansive catalog…

New Order scored a hit all over again in the spring of 1988 with a remix of its 1983 song "Blue Monday," which became a U.K. Top Ten hit for the second time and made the U.S. singles chart, helping sales of the compilation Substance, which went on to become New Order's first gold and platinum success in America. "Production supervisor on remix" was Quincy Jones, the head of New Order's U.S. label, Qwest. This maxi-single contained both the remix and a dub version, along witb remix and dub versions of New Order's 1987 U.K. single "Touched by the Hand of God," for a running time of nearly 28 minutes.

Any band that's released nearly as many compilations as studio albums in the past 15 years certainly doesn't need another one, but International appeared anyway, and though it's slightly better than The Best of New Order, it's not nearly as solid as Substance. Beginning with New Order's recorded debut, 1981's "Ceremony," the collection proceeds immediately to the group's worldwide breakout with 1983's "Blue Monday," then slots mid-'80s classics "Confusion," "The Perfect Kiss," and "Bizarre Love Triangle." It certainly didn't need three tracks from 2001's Get Ready. Most of the tracks are album versions, though the compilers made wise choices on remixes of "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "Touched by the Hand of God." As befits a middling compilation from an excellent band, International is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.