Disco de New Order: “(The Best of) New Order”

Although a decent enough 'best of', this is patchy in comparison to the minimalist simplicity of 'Substance 1987'. Instead of simply compiling all the singles and b-sides from 1987 onwards (a process which would, admittedly, have resulted in a fairly short album), this is an odd overview of their career from 'Power, Corruption and Lies' onwards. It's nice to have 'World in Motion' on CD, and although fans might moan at the inclusion of remixed versions of 'True Faith', '1963' and 'Bizarre Love Triangle' the songs don't really suffer for it. On the other hand, it's criminal that either of the versions of 'Confusion' aren't on the CD, and quite why the excellent early singles 'Everything's Gone Green' or 'Temptation' have been omitted is a mystery. The ultra-obscure 'Murder' would have been nice to have, too. That said, it seems as if this compilation was intended as a way of introducing the group to non-fans, and as such it works very well - the songs from 'Technique' and 'Republic' haven't dated much, and sound fresh today. Furthermore, it must have been a way for London records to justify buying the group, as, after extricating them from the corpse of Factory records and releasing 'Republic', they promptly went on haitus.

The UK version has a slightly different track listing, omitting the first four songs from this US pressing. There's a companion-piece, 'The Rest of', which is fairly bad, and contains lots of undistinguished modern remixes of their old songs, most of which sound like totally new tracks.

New Order is a rather mysterious band in many ways. It has pre-history and continuing influence by groups such as Kraftwerk, Eno and the Velvet Underground, and various other experimental electronic-based European groups. It also has a strong shadow cast over it from Joy Division, an ironic name for a group whose leader (also the founder of New Order) Ian Curtis committed suicide. Enigmatic to the last, New Order members (who drift in and out of other band arrangements; the latest perhaps being Bernard Sumner's work with Electronic) tend to be less than specific when talking with the press, and their albums are conspicuously devoid of liner notes.

This CD, entitled (the best of) New Order for once contains some liner notes, which alas are disjointed, following the same fuzzy logic of information as in the past. The introduction states: 'This carefully selected commercial compilation of 16 such single-minded grouped and seductive songs of love, longing, life and belongings surely sums up the heartpounding pop life of this devious, uncomplicated pop group, uncertainly the most secretive of English groups, certainly the most surprising.'

Alas, not all that enlightening. Perhaps, given my mystical bent of mind, this is one of the reason why I enjoy New Order so much. Their music in came to life for me in London in the 1980s, and I have followed them ever since. Songs such as Bizarre Love Triangle and True Faith have been international club hits, and continue to be regulars on the playlists. Other songs, such as Blue Monday and Round and Round, have had new life breathed into them as remakes (the trend of groups to remake their own work is more prominent in certain Euro-pop groups than in other musical varieties).

These songs have enigmatic but meaningful lyrics; these are intelligent lyrics -- poetry set to music, not simple statements set to a beat. The longing and regret expressed in songs such as Ruined in a Day and Regret, the hope and energy contained in songs like True Faith and World in Motion; these have real emotion with real substance, for those who listen behind the electronic overlay. Videos that were made in support of the songs are innovative creatively and visually, often displaying the same kinds of enigmatic symbolism as do their lyrics.

The music is intricate and detailed, full and expressive. This type of music was coming to an adolescent maturity in the 1980s, and more adult maturity in the 1990s, and this compilation shows the progression of style and complexity for New Order over that time. This is, however, very much a dance/pop oriented sound, and those who are not looking for such will most likely not enjoy this sound. New Order is a relatively obscure group in American terms; much better known in Europe and Britain, but still not a 'powerhouse' group (of course, they can't all be the Spice Girls, now, can they?). But, for the particular audience niche they crafted for themselves, they remain an integral part, and remain for me an important influence in my pop musical tastes.

Friends who peruse my CD collection often comment on the seeming contradiction between the choral/liturgical collection, the classical collection, and the pop collection, wondering how they fit together. Perhaps it is that each of these touches an emotion inside; each striking a different chord that sounds with a different tone, yet, just as the strings on a violin or guitar all must be different for music to be made, these differing tastes coexist so to add fullness to my life. New Order inspires such thinking in me. Odd for a song likely to be blaring over a disco floor!

I'm a college student, and I find that current pop music doesn't do it for me. In fact, most of my friends listen to music that dates from the 1960s to the early 90s. I love this CD, New Order is very easy to listen to and enjoy. You can even hear the foundations of modern day house music within some of the tracks. The melancholy tone of the lead singer is definitive of a lot of the pop in the 80s, yet he does not bore you. Although I do admit, you can tell that all the tracks have somewhat of a general way of being constructed; so I recommend listening to the 30 second snippets that Amazon provides to decided if you really want to buy it. However, if you want a CD that is somewhat definitive of 80s Brit Pop, and made a huge impact on the Pop scene, I would definitely recommend buying this. It's a great compilation of the music by New Order.

All tracks are classics in their own way a must have for any diehard New order fan as the track listing differs from the UK version. Gone are the tracks found on Substance and in come the opening tracks from new orders first 3 albums + Lets Go(Nothing for me) a barnstormer of a track which I believe is only available on here or on the Retro box set. All in all a fine add on to your collection.

This album leaves off too many hits to qualify as the Best of New Order. The 3 good tracks here "Blue Monday", "1963" and "True Faith" are all remixes that aren't as good as the originals. Why did they bother releasing this? Where's "Temptation"? Or "Ceremony", "Everything's Gone Green", "Confusion", or "State of the Nation"? And for shame for not including "Perfect Kiss", one of the best dance songs of the '80's. If you are a New Order fanatic and need all of their material, then I might suggest picking this up. Everyone else, don't waste your money. Go out and buy "Substance." It may cost a little more, but the quality of the material there is worth it.