New Order Album: “Power, Corruption & Lies [Germany]”

Whenever someone complains that electronic music is totally void of warmth or realism, I just point to this album. New Order play electronic music with the urgent and manic shifts of rock. Bernards vocals are earnest yet detatched, with guitar work that is jagged, random and sparse; Gillian and Stephen's percussion and synth sequences are both lively and rigid, an up-beat/down-march; Peter's basslines are fluid yet kinetic. This is a work of ironic friction. The warmth and humanity flow thru the restrained and urgent detatchment. The whole album sounds like a friend that wants to say something but can't, hiding it behind his/her eyes.

I would consider Power, Corruption & Lies an artistic/pop masterpiece in the true sense. The electronic and post-punk meanderings are only the charms that envelope the wonderfully angular pop sense that Bernard brings to his lyrics. Everything is so vague and pretty; it's like the album cover...just a random slice of still-life, full of colour and restraint. Tracks like 'Your Silent Face' or '5-8-6' explode with edgy, manic shades of light, sorta like impressionism via expressionism.

You won't be let down by this album. With the band themselves producing it, it's a natural workout of rock and electronics, perfectly blended together to make a classic.

Because Amazon will not allow customers to change the track listings on CDs, I here provide you with the actual listing for this version of Power, Corruption and Lies:

1. Age of Consent

2. We All Stand

3. The Village

4. 586

5. Your Silent Face

6. Ultraviolence

7. Ecstacy

8. Leave Me Alone

This is the original lineup on the album, which has since been overshadowed by the addition of the single "Blue Monday" for the stateside release. I have only heard the import, but the testimony of some New Order fans is enough to confirm my suspicion that it is superior to the American version. Then again, I only purchased this one because I was lucky enough to find a used copy at a lower price, and even then, it was not without a considerable inner debate.

Who could listen to the opening riff of "Age of Consent" and not be hooked? My first hearing of that remains a high point of my encounters with pop culture. I agree with other reviewers who've said that the album in its original form without "Blue Monday" was "better"; it was, but I'm still glad to have it, since I'm not a perfectionist about keeping cultural artifacts in some pristine state.

I have to admit I held off buying this after reading Paul "Slop"'s review Loaded with errors... but finding it at a discounted price recently, I decided I have to see for myself... and the verdict: Yes, he was right, it's bad. How can I not compare the New Order remastering to Depeche Mode's? Without doubt, the Depeche remasterings, all of them, are amazing, well worth re-purchasing them for the rich dynamic sound, blowing away the original masters, and the extras are awesome... New Order came about the same time as Depeche, Depeche is with Warner as is New Order... so what went wrong here??? Why didn't Hook or Sumner overlook the remasterings as The Edge has been doing for U2 recently? Bottom line: I am a huge fan of remastering, I love the clearer, richer sound, and this is the first time EVER that I say the remastering is maybe just a hair better than the original issue! And the bonus disc remastering is absolutely awful. I couldn't listen to it more than once.

THE MUSIC, HOWEVER, IS OUTSTANDING! I HOPE THEY REMASTER THE REMASTERS, PROPERLY.

Just purchased this on January 20, 2010, and received the 2008 mis-pressed edition. The 2009 fixed editions have been out since September 2009 but the original versions are still in circulation apparently. Buyer beware -