Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Ceremony
2. Everything's Gone Green
3. Temptation
4. Blue Monday
5. Confusion
6. Thieves Like Us
7. Perfect Kiss
8. Subculture
9. Shellshock
10. State Of The Nation
11. Bizarre Love Triangle
12. True Faith

Disc 2:

1. In A Lonely Place
2. Procession
3. Mesh
4. Hurt
5. The Beach
6. Confusion Instrumental
7. Lonesome Tonight
8. Murder
9. Thieves Like Us Instrumental
10. Kiss Of Death
11. Shame Of The Nation
12. 1963

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8750 in Music
• Released on: 1999-10-04
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's a simple concept--the first dozen singles by New Order collected, a couple of them rerecorded--but it's also a totally entertaining seven-year history of the band that married British post-punk alienation to the relentless hedonism of the dance floor. The band's hits were always deeply unconventional (like the haunting "Blue Monday", essentially a seven-minute drum machine test with a short lyric that alluded to the Falklands War), but they were brilliant productions, layering dozens of electronic countermelodies and percussion tricks over Bernard Sumner's uncertain warble and Peter Hook's lead bass parts. Though they're audio snapshots of the dance beats of their time, they've held up both as club classics and as idiosyncratic rock songs. --Douglas Wolk

CD Description
New Order always shone brightest as a singles band, and this stellar two-disc set collects most of the a- and b-sides from singles released between the band's inception and 1987. "Ceremony", a leftover from the band's past as Joy Division,opens the proceedings. It is followed by 150-odd minutes ofmaterial that, through the 1980s, set the standard for dance music. Classics like "Everything's Gone Green", "Perfect Kiss" and "Bizarre Love Triangle" appear next to alternate versions of the stunning "Temptation" and "Confusion". Also included is "True Faith", which, along with "1963", was recorded especially for this collection. Opening the second disc is another Joy Division leftover, "In a Lonely Place", a haunting epitaph for the former band.
"Procession", "Mesh" and "Hurt", all great evocations of loss and healing, lead into "The Beach", an instrumental (and far superior) version ofthe dance classic "Blue Monday". "Murder" is New Order's creepiest moment, with its sampled "I hate them!" from the film "Caligula" and assorted samples of HAL, the computer from the film 2001, descending into insanity. SUBSTANCE is not only the sound of an evolving band, but the sound of an evolving musical style that has influenced countless other artists.

Customer Reviews

The greatest double-LP of all time?
This superlative double album deserves to be mentioned alongside the likes of Highway 61 Revisited, Sergeant Pepper and so on. It may be a compilation album, but the range and quality of material is astounding, from the sombre beauty of Ceremony, the eerie psychedelia of Everything's Gone Green (one of NO's most underrated tracks), all the way through to True Faith, one of the most perfect pop singles ever recorded. The fact that some NO fans may carp at the reworkings of Temptation, Confusion and Subculture, (which are all fabulous, by the way) and so-called lesser tracks such as Shellshock and State of the Nation, only goes to show what high standards New Order had set themselves by the mid-eighties. The first disc is incontestable proof that, as a singles band, New Order are were (and are) simply untouchable.
The second disc, containing the corresponding B-sides, is fantastic too -although not as immediately gratifying as the first, you'll find yourself soming back to it more and more to get a different "take" on the A-Sides. Furthermore, it contains gems such as 1963 and Procession, which could quite easily have been singles in their own right.
A final note to all NO diehards out there: if you want the definitive version of Substance, try and get your hand on the cassette version, which contains extra tracks: the fragile beauty Mesh, as well the corking re-mixes Dubvulture, Shellcock and the mighty Shep Pettibone mix, Bizarre Dub Triangle. I know cassettes are crap, but you'll have a hard time finding these tracks otherwise!

Slightly flawed, but still a masterpiece
I could write an essay about this album, and of sorts, that is what it will be. First of all, the criticism part. There is one thing that annoys me most about this album. The idea of a compilation is to compile previously released songs on a single album. Quite why the producers saw fit to alter 'Confusion' and 'Subculture' from the brilliant songs they were to, quite honestly, noises, is beyond me. I have heard that 'Temptation' was changed too from its original form - I shall remain quiet until I own the original 12" single of it to form a judgement.

Now, after that, you may wonder why I gave this 5 stars. The answer is, this is the best compilation of songs ever. I am a largely emotionless soul, but every time I hear 'Thieves Like Us' I feel a tear swelling in my eye. '1963' is the only song I always, without fail sing along to. 'The Perfect Kiss' is, well, perfect. 'Ceremony', 'Procession', are lesser known classics. 'True Faith' and 'Bizarre Love Triangle' are New Order at their best.

Some feel that the second CD is merely an oversight, and is best left unmentioned. I will state my belief here that it is actually better than the first. 'Lonesome Tonight', 'Procession' and 'Kiss of Death' are so much better than the versions here of 'Confusion', 'Subculture' and the below par 'Shellshock' that even the overall brilliance of every other song on the album can't change this fact.

The reason why I have put so much negativity into this review is thus: I have owned this album for 3 years now. In the time I have owned it, I must have listened to it several hundred times, it is scarse that neither CD is in my player. Nothing is perfect, and the imperfections only become apparent after this length of time. To the newcomer, the world of New Order, 1981 to 1987, the best part of their career awaits you.

In short, my advice would be to buy it. If you always liked New Order, but didn't quite get round to buying anything of theirs, get this, ignore the 'Best Of' which is nothing more than a marketing game to make money. If you're a completist (like me) get this as well as all the singles you own.

Nobody could possibly make a mistake in buying this album. This is music for life.

A reminder of what we miss today
If ever their was an album to bring back memories of such an experimental time for music, Substance will spring to mind. This was during a time when clubs actually had variety in their music, and New Order were a regular at The Hacienda. The album brings back the sounds of synths, guitars, and other unique sounds, which made New Order one of the most unique sounding bands of the time. Obvious favourites include Blue Monday and The Beach, which both use an unforgettable rhythm that was even used on The Annual vol.1. True Faith is another great song, and is very much feel good, along with the likes of 1963. There are many great tracks on the album, but I felt cd 1 had the most quality to it.
Another great album from an unforgettable era!